Gold9472
10-25-2006, 11:03 PM
Iraq victory 'within sight'
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=132194®ion=6
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25.10.2006. 08:23:55
The US ambassador to Iraq says victory can still be achieved in the war-torn country within a year as long as Iraqi leaders live up to their promises.
Two weeks ahead of US congressional elections that have put US President George W Bush's Republicans on the defensive over Iraq, the US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and the military commander in Iraq, General George Casey, in a rare joint news conference said that success was still possible, and on a "realistic timetable".
Insisting sectarian bloodshed had not caused Washington to water down its goal of a stable, democratic Iraq, Mr Khalilzad said he expected Iraqi leaders to make "significant progress in the coming 12 months" in meeting "benchmarks".
He said Iraqi leaders had assured the US they would stick to a timetable of measures over the next year to curb violence and allow US troops to go home.
"Iraqi leaders must step up to achieve key political and security milestones on which they have agreed. As they take these steps, which can produce success and bring about Iraqi security self-reliance, we must support them," Mr Khalilzad said.
In order to bring an end to the violence, he argued, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his fellow Iraqi leaders must quickly resolve their key disputes while building stronger armed forces.
They must agree to share oil revenues, amend the constitution to ensure the rights of all groups, disarm militias, set a date for provincial elections and review the panel charged with sacking officials from Saddam Hussein's era.
"We believe that in the course of the next 12 months, assuming that Iraqi leaders fulfil the commitments they have made, and I don't have any reason to doubt that, there should be a national compact in place by that time," he said.
No dates set
Iraq's National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie confirmed that his government had "agreed on a timeline".
"They are a good package of measures and certainly we agree with them. There are some political and security issues which need to be tackled and there are some political decisions we need to take," he told CNN.
General Casey repeated the position that Iraq's armed forces should be ready within 12 to 18 months to take control, but did not set a target for withdrawing US troops, even admitting that more might be needed in the short term.
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which came to an end with this week's three-day Eid feast, has been marked by a spectacular rise in attacks on both Iraqi civilians and US forces.
The number of American soldiers killed in the first weeks of October hit 91, putting it on track to be the bloodiest month for US forces since November 2004.
Soldier kidnapped
Attacks on civilians have also increased, forcing Iraq's bitterly divided communities of Kurds, Sunni Arabs and Shiite Arabs further apart and increasing the risk of all-out civil war.
Another US soldier, an American of Iraqi descent, was kidnapped on Monday after he left the Green Zone to visit his family in Baghdad.
The soldier left the compound to see relatives and was abducted by gunmen from their home in the Karrada district of downtown Baghdad.
According to relatives, "three cars pulled up to the residence. The men, who were described to have dark coloured rags over their noses and mouths, handcuffed the soldier and forced him into one of the vehicles."
US forces launched a large-scale manhunt to rescue their comrade.
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=132194®ion=6
(Gold9472: Click Here (http://www.yourbbsucks.com/forum/bullshit.mov).)
25.10.2006. 08:23:55
The US ambassador to Iraq says victory can still be achieved in the war-torn country within a year as long as Iraqi leaders live up to their promises.
Two weeks ahead of US congressional elections that have put US President George W Bush's Republicans on the defensive over Iraq, the US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and the military commander in Iraq, General George Casey, in a rare joint news conference said that success was still possible, and on a "realistic timetable".
Insisting sectarian bloodshed had not caused Washington to water down its goal of a stable, democratic Iraq, Mr Khalilzad said he expected Iraqi leaders to make "significant progress in the coming 12 months" in meeting "benchmarks".
He said Iraqi leaders had assured the US they would stick to a timetable of measures over the next year to curb violence and allow US troops to go home.
"Iraqi leaders must step up to achieve key political and security milestones on which they have agreed. As they take these steps, which can produce success and bring about Iraqi security self-reliance, we must support them," Mr Khalilzad said.
In order to bring an end to the violence, he argued, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his fellow Iraqi leaders must quickly resolve their key disputes while building stronger armed forces.
They must agree to share oil revenues, amend the constitution to ensure the rights of all groups, disarm militias, set a date for provincial elections and review the panel charged with sacking officials from Saddam Hussein's era.
"We believe that in the course of the next 12 months, assuming that Iraqi leaders fulfil the commitments they have made, and I don't have any reason to doubt that, there should be a national compact in place by that time," he said.
No dates set
Iraq's National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie confirmed that his government had "agreed on a timeline".
"They are a good package of measures and certainly we agree with them. There are some political and security issues which need to be tackled and there are some political decisions we need to take," he told CNN.
General Casey repeated the position that Iraq's armed forces should be ready within 12 to 18 months to take control, but did not set a target for withdrawing US troops, even admitting that more might be needed in the short term.
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which came to an end with this week's three-day Eid feast, has been marked by a spectacular rise in attacks on both Iraqi civilians and US forces.
The number of American soldiers killed in the first weeks of October hit 91, putting it on track to be the bloodiest month for US forces since November 2004.
Soldier kidnapped
Attacks on civilians have also increased, forcing Iraq's bitterly divided communities of Kurds, Sunni Arabs and Shiite Arabs further apart and increasing the risk of all-out civil war.
Another US soldier, an American of Iraqi descent, was kidnapped on Monday after he left the Green Zone to visit his family in Baghdad.
The soldier left the compound to see relatives and was abducted by gunmen from their home in the Karrada district of downtown Baghdad.
According to relatives, "three cars pulled up to the residence. The men, who were described to have dark coloured rags over their noses and mouths, handcuffed the soldier and forced him into one of the vehicles."
US forces launched a large-scale manhunt to rescue their comrade.