By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - The United States is not doing enough to get arms and equipment to Iraq's forces who are often "cannon fodder" for insurgents, Iraq's ambassador to Washington said on Wednesday.

Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie told reporters he had complained repeatedly to Pentagon and other Bush administration officials, but there was still a delay in getting arms and other equipment to Iraq's military.

Readying Iraq's army to take over is central to the current 157,000 U.S. troops being able to start withdrawing from Iraq, which the United States invaded in March 2003.

"If we want them to stand up so that the Americans can stand down, help them to stand up. We have been waiting for equipment for bomb detection, all kinds of equipment. This has been a consistent theme right from 2003," Sumaidaie told reporters at the Iraqi Embassy in Washington.

Sumaidaie said there was also a shortage of rifles, body armor and armored vehicles, among other equipment. He could not provide exact statistics on the shortfall.

"We expect a lot from our forces and yet we don't provide them with the right equipment and weapons. The Iraqi government requested weapons and equipment for its forces from the Americans and was ready to pay with its own money for them. We have been waiting, and waiting and waiting," he added.

U.S. military commanders regularly cite the poor logistics capability of the Iraqi government and military as a major factor in the underperformance of Iraqi security forces. U.S. commanders say Iraqi forces are capable of fighting, but still can not move and maintain equipment.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United States shared a common goal with Iraq in making sure their forces were properly equipped but conceded there was much to be done.

"There's a program in place to do it in a very deliberate way and to do it in a way that ensures that they have the type of equipment they need for the type of missions that they're going to be conducting," said Whitman.

"But it's a challenge. You can't do it overnight," he added.

Sumaidaie said when Iraqi troops went into battle they often piled into pick-up trucks rather than armored vehicles and lacked the protective gear needed.

"They are just cannon fodder. It does not help morale," he said. "It is difficult to understand why the equipping of our forces has been so slow," he said, adding that when he was Iraq's interior minister only half of his security staff had guns.

He said Iraq had recently made a deal to buy weapons from China for its forces. He had no further details of the deal or what kind of weaponry would be provided.

The ambassador also took aim at Iraq's neighbors for not doing enough to stabilize Iraq.

"They must be more engaged and positive. That would be helpful and send a signal to all Iraqis that we are not surrounded by hostile neighbors but by people who are helpful," said Sumaidaie.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are set to make a joint visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt next week where they are expected to appeal to Arab nations to do more.

"We have to move them along a bit further and highlight the dangers of a collapsed Iraq. I think they are aware of it but they need to be alerted to it a little more."

He also urged Arab nations to follow through on promises to forgive Iraq's debt. "It's not an issue of money, it is a sign of acceptance of the new reality in Iraq," he said. (Additional reporting by Kristin Roberts)

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