Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says his critics in U.S. Congress do not appreciate his government's achievements.

Mr. Maliki told reporters Sunday in Baghdad that some criticism from Washington is encouraging people trying to destabilize Iraq.

U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and some other U.S. lawmakers have called for Iraq's parliament to replace Mr. Maliki.

The Iraqi leader says U.S. critics may not know "the size of the destruction that Iraq passed through," and do not appreciate "the big role of the Iraqi government and its achievements, such as stopping the civil and sectarian war."

The remarks came as U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the top American military commander, General David Petraeus, prepare to deliver reports to Congress next week on the progress achieved since President Bush ordered nearly 30 thousand more troops to Iraq.