Biden urges Iraqis to heal divisions

By Andrew Quinn and Khalid al-Ansary

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has a hard road ahead if it is to heal the divisions that spurred six years of bloodshed and achieve lasting peace, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said during a trip there on Friday.

Biden, who President Barack Obama has asked to take the lead in the White House in coordinating Iraq policy, spent a day in meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and officials from across the ethnic and sectarian divide.

U.S. forces pulled out of Iraq's towns and cities this week under the terms of a bilateral security pact that paves the way for a full U.S. withdrawal by 2012, raising concerns Iraq has not made sufficient political progress to prevent more fighting.

"...Iraq has travelled a great distance in the past year, but there is a hard road ahead if Iraq is to find lasting peace and stability. It's not over yet," Biden said.

"There are still political steps that must be taken. Iraqis must use the political process to resolve their remaining differences. We stand ready -- if asked and if helpful -- to help in that process."

Hours before he spoke, supporters of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr paraded through a Baghdad slum and chanted anti-American slogans to protest against his visit.

U.S. officials in a later briefing said Biden had used the meetings to underscore to Maliki and other leaders that progress would depend on Iraqis finding their own solutions. Maliki has often been accused of dragging his feet on reconciliation.

"It was direct and honest," one official said.