The Iraqi Prime Minister left political chaos behind him today as he flew to Jordan for two days of crisis talks with President George Bush about the breakdown of security in Iraq.

The departure of Nouri al-Maliki for Amman triggered a protest in Baghdad by 30 MPs loyal to the radical Shia leader, Hojatoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr, who suspended their participation in parliament. Six Cabinet Ministers also joined the walkout, but they did not resign.

A statement from the group said they regarded Mr al Maliki's talks with the US President as a "provocation to the feelings of the Iraqi people and a violation of their constitutional rights".

"This visit hijacked the will of the people during days when the sons of Iraq write their destiny with blood and not ink," said the statement, which referred to Mr Bush as "cursed", the "world’s biggest evil" and a "criminal".

The Iraqi Prime Minister's relationship with the followers of Hojatoleslam al-Sadr and his powerful Shia militia, the Mahdi Army, has been a defining element of his troubled premiership.

Their support was critical to his nomination as the leader of the government of national unity earlier this year, but his resulting reluctance to control the militia and its death squads has contributed to the growing levels of sectarian violence in Iraq and doubts in Washington over whether he has sufficient authority or ideas to stop the bloodshed.

The New York Times published a secret memo today from the US National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, to President Bush, in which Mr Hadley portrayed Mr al-Maliki as unable to control a relentless Shia grab for power in Baghdad.

"In my one-on-one meeting with him, he impressed me as a leader who wanted to be strong but was having difficulty figuring out how to do so," Mr Hadley wrote of an encounter with the Iraqi Prime Minister on October 30.

"His intentions seem good when he talks with Americans, and sensitive reporting suggests he is trying to stand up to the Shia hierarchy and force positive change," the memo said. "But the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action."

The White House played down the leak today, insisting that Mr al-Maliki "has been very aggressive in recent weeks in taking on some of the key challenges" in Iraq.

"The President has confidence in Prime Minister Maliki, and also the administration is working with the prime minister to improve his capabilities," said Tony Snow, the White House spokesman.

The reception for Mr al-Maliki in Jordan was subdued. He was driven straight to a meeting with King Abdullah II. The reception for Mr Bush, who is expected to land in Amman this evening after flying from the Nato summit in Riga, will be more hostile. Thousands of protesters gathered in the streets of Amman today to voice their disapproval of the American leader on his visit to the country as President.

"It is a hated name... Bush has been practising black vengeance," said a prominent Islamist, Sheikh Hamza Mansour, looking ahead to his arrival.

"This is a very sad day. Bush has become a symbol of bigotry and injustice towards Arabs and Muslims," Yusef Mustafa Nimer, a 32-year-old engineer and protester told Reuters. "There he is slaughtering my brothers in Palestine and Iraq and is now hosted and feted by our leaders. I am ashamed."

Mr Bush is expected to join talks with Mr al-Maliki and King Abdullah this evening before meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister again tomorrow. Tonight Arab diplomats will present a plan to the American and Iraqi leaders proposing new measures, including the formation of a new government, aimed at restraining the country's ceaseless violence.

• Scattered mortar attacks, roadside bombs and raids against insurgents cost the lives of 13 militants and 15 civilians in Iraq today. The bodies of nine people who had been tortured and kidnapped were also discovered. Two women were shot during a US-led operation north of Baghdad. Two US soldiers were killed.

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