Iraq panel pushes for more U.S. diplomacy
Source: Reuters
(Adds Villepin, details on Gates) By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The United States should begin to withdraw forces from combat and launch a diplomatic push, including with Iran and Syria, to prevent "a slide toward chaos" in Iraq, an elite panel recommended on Wednesday. The bipartisan Iraq Study Group also urged Washington to reduce its political, military or economic support if Iraq's government failed to advance security and reconciliation in the country where, after almost four years of war, sectarian violence kills scores of people every day. Underscoring the cost of the U.S. deployment, 10 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq on Wednesday in four incidents that included roadside bombs and combat. "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," the group said in its much-awaited report. "No one can guarantee that any course of action in Iraq at this point will stop sectarian warfare, growing violence, or a slide toward chaos." Among its unanimous recommendations, the group called for the White House to overcome its resistance to dealing with Iran and Syria, which U.S. officials accuse of fomenting the Iraqi insurgency, and to press for a "comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace" to settle that festering conflict. Under pressure to end an unpopular war that has killed more than 2,900 Americans and thousands of Iraqis, U.S. President George W. Bush said he would take the report "very seriously." The White House also has made clear Bush will not be bound by its ideas and rejected one-on-one talks with Iran for now. Bush has ordered his own review of Iraq policy. In a sign he is looking for a fresh approach, Bush has chosen former CIA Director Robert Gates to replace Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary. The U.S. Senate confirmed Gates on Wednesday by a vote of 95-2. Gates, who will be sworn in on Dec. 18, says Iraq will be his first priority and he plans to travel to Baghdad soon. Led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, a Republican and Bush family friend, and former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, the group's five Republicans and five Democrats are all distinguished former U.S. public servants. The unanimity of the panel is likely to carry some weight with Bush, who has been under acute political pressure to change course in Iraq since Nov. 7 elections when U.S. voters, discontented with the war, ended his fellow Republicans' control of Congress. BLOODSHED More than 3 1/2 years after the March 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, about 140,000 American troops remain in Iraq fighting an insurgency and trying to stop savage sectarian strife between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims. The group called for the diplomatic push to begin by the end of the year and recommended the U.S. military strengthen efforts to train Iraqi forces by increasing the number of its forces embedded with Iraq troops to 20,000 from about 4,000. While it was open to a short-term surge in the U.S. force to try to secure Baghdad or speed the training of Iraqis, the group rejected an increase of 100,000 or 200,000, saying the military was stretched to the "breaking point." "The primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army, which would take over primary responsibility for combat," it said, foreseeing a U.S. focus on training, logistics, advice and intelligence that would still leave thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. While it set no hard timetable for the transition, the report said that by the first quarter of 2008 U.S. combat troops not needed for "force protection" could be out of Iraq, depending on security conditions. In Baghdad on Wednesday, police said they found 48 bodies with gunshot wounds and signs of torture. "The current approach is not working and the ability of the United States to influence events is diminishing," Hamilton told a news conference. While acknowledging Iraq will need U.S. aid for some time, the group said Washington should curb support if the government led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki fails to take on more responsibility. "The United States must not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq," it said. "The Iraqi government needs to show ... that it deserves continued support." "We have made a terrible commitment in Iraq in terms of our blood and our treasure. And I think we owe it to them to try to take one last chance at making Iraq work," added Leon Panetta, a Democratic member and a former White House chief of staff. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, a strong opponent of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, told French television on Wednesday, "James Baker is a clear-headed man so I think that the fact of looking at this war in Iraq for what it is, is a first step." (Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Carol Giacomo and Steve Holland in Washington and Ross Colvin in Baghdad)
| AlertNet news is provided by |  |
