Ryan Crocker warned that Iranian regime still sends arms and trains the Shiite militias in Iraq and the continuation of Iranian intervention in Iraq can be dangerously destabilizing.

The Times, British daily cited the United States ambassador in Baghdad Ryan Crocker as saying: the Iraq’s government must rapidly raise its game to cement the country’s fragile new peace

Iraq was “immeasurably better” than a year ago, Ryan Crocker told The Times, but Nouri al-Maliki’s administration had to provide jobs and services to undercut the militias and prevent a slide back to conflict. “Failure to consolidate security gains with progress in other areas would be highly dangerous.”

In a wide-ranging interview Mr Crocker also urged Britain to maintain a force near Basra, saying it still had an important role in Iraq. “My personal hope is that the UK will decide to maintain a division headquarters beyond 2008 as the Iraqi government works to extend its authority in Basra,” he said, “That’s where the oil is. It’s an important place.”