April 20 (Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will urge Iraq's neighbors and Arab allies this week to bolster their diplomatic support of Baghdad, arguing that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is making progress on political reconciliation.

``I think it's fair to say that the neighbors could do more to live up to their obligations, because I do think the Iraqis are living up to theirs,'' Rice told reporters traveling with her before a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland, on her way to Bahrain today and then on to Kuwait.

The administration of President George W. Bush wants allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt to help strengthen al-Maliki's government at home and further security in the face of alleged interference from Iran and Syria.

Rice faces resistance because of concerns that Baghdad remains dangerous for diplomats and that al-Maliki favors his own dominant Shiite group over the country's Sunnis and Kurds.

Neighboring countries have ``certain phobias and unrealistic expectations of Iraq,'' said Iraq's ambassador to the U.S., Samir Sumaida'ie, in a speech in Washington earlier this month.

``Our Arab neighbors have disappointed us,'' he said at an event organized by the Washington-based nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies. ``I think it's necessary for them to share some of the burden because a destabilized Iraq, a failed Iraq, would be a disaster for them.''

Gulf Cooperation Council

Rice will make the first of her pitches tomorrow as Bahrain hosts a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which the Persian Gulf country formed with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Jordan and Egypt also will attend the meeting.

She'll travel on to Kuwait later in the day for the third meeting of Iraq's neighbors on April 22, which will include Iran and Syria.

``We continue to hope, particularly with Iran, for behavior that would be in line with what Iran says it wants, which is to support the Maliki government and to have a stable Iraq,'' Rice said.

The neighbors group first met a year ago in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and again in Istanbul in November.

Rice said security in Iraq has improved since then, with the exception of a recent spike in violence after al-Maliki launched a military offensive against the Mahdi Army militia in the southern region of Basra.

'Open War'

Radical Islamic cleric Moqtada al-Sadr threatened to wage ``open war'' with his Mahdi Army on the Iraqi government if it does not stop operations against his loyalists, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site yesterday.

BBC cited Sadr as saying he was giving a ``last warning'' and was urging the government to take the ``path of peace.'' His statement came as Iraqi troops along with U.S. and U.K. soldiers fought Sadr's forces in Baghdad and the south, BBC reported.

Even Maliki's current action is significant for demonstrating his willingness to ensure security even when it means taking on members of his own sect, Rice said.

``One thing the neighbors have said is you've got to take on the militias,'' Rice told reporters traveling with her. ``Well, now they're taking on the militias. So at some point, the Arab states need to take yes for an answer.''

Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia has faced criticism for being slow to deliver on a pledge to establish a diplomatic mission in Iraq.

``I believe there are ways that political representation could be carried out even if you didn't have a permanent, continuous presence,'' Rice said. ``That's one of the ways to think about it.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Viola Gienger in Washington at vgienger@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 19, 2008 22:06 EDT