U.S.Defense Department press spokesman Geoff Morrell says Secretary Gates also met with the presidency council about the reduced capability of al-Qaida, and praised Iraqi leaders for preventing the attacks from rekindling ethnic strife.

VOA: standard.2009.12.11

U.S.officials are concerned such a prolonged political process will create an opening for al-Qaida to try to foment ethnic strife, just as tens of thousands of U.S.troops are scheduled to be leaving Iraq.

VOA: standard.2009.12.12

But Ayatollah Khamenei, without referring to Rafsanjani or the reformist camp by name, insisted that it is not permissible to level criticism at the system, and that those who do so "will be hated by the people for causing strife."

VOA: standard.2009.07.20