The No. 2 US commander in Iraq has apologised to the country's prime minister and vice president after an American sniper fired on a copy of the Quran in target practice, the military said.
Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III paid individual visits to each of the two leaders, along with the Sunni speaker of parliament - a move underlining the U.S. military's eagerness to sooth anger over the incident, particularly among Sunni Arabs who have become key allies in the fight against insurgents.
In their meeting in his office, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, the top Sunni Arab in the government, told Austin that "the feelings of bitterness and anger cannot be eased unless there is a deterrent punishment and real guarantees" such an incident won't be repeated, according to a statement by al-Hashemi's office.
Al-Hashemi expressed his appreciation for the visit but asked for a written apology from the US military.
Austin also met separately with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - a Shiite - and parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a Sunni Arab, the military said in a statement.
Austin underlined in all three meetings that "the soldier had in fact been removed from Iraq. He assured them that the matter was serious and that we hold our soldiers accountable for their actions," the statement said.
There was no immediate comment from al-Maliki or al-Mashhadani on the meetings.
The US military said on Sunday it had disciplined the sniper and removed him from Iraq after he was found to have used Islam's holy book for target practice. The copy of the Quran was found May 11 by Iraqis on a firing range in Radwaniyah, west of Baghdad, with 14 bulletholes in it and grafitti written on its pages.
On Saturday, the top American commander in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, and other officers held a formal ceremony apologising to tribal chiefs in Radwaniyah.
Earlier Monday, al-Hashemi's Iraqi Islamic Party issued a tough statement saying that apology alone was not enough and the U.S. military should impose the "severest punishment" on the soldier to ensure others do not repeat his act.
