Baghdad failing White House objectives
George Bush says Iraq failing on nine benchmarks
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Friday, 14, Sep 2007 06:22
Iraq's government is failing to meet half of 18 targets set by the United States, a White House report has acknowledged.
But the report says that Baghdad has made steps since an interim report in July, which found that Nouri al-Maliki's administration had achieved satisfactory progress in eight benchmarks.
Among the benchmarks Iraq has failed to make progress in are targets of spreading oil wealth more equally among its population and preventing the Iraqi army from being undermined by false political accusations.
The report's publication comes after president George Bush said that 5,700 American troops will return home from Iraq before Christmas, while stressing that the US will be involved in the Middle Eastern country beyond his presidency.
In a televised address to the nation, Mr Bush endorsed the recommendations made by the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, in his recent testimony to Congress, and praised the success of the surge strategy in the country.
He added that the success of the policy, which saw 30,000 troops deployed to the strife-torn nation, meant that 5,700 soldiers would be withdrawn by Christmas and that the number of combat brigades serving in the country would be reduced from 20 to 15 by July 2008.
However the president stressed that the principle on which withdrawals were based was "return on success", where improvements in security would lead to more troops being pulled out.
The president, who has been under pressure from Democrats to announce a complete pull-out of forces from Iraq, insists that sufficient soldiers will always be present to "defeat the enemy".
The American head of state emphasised that the withdrawal would lead to another phase in the US' involvement in the country and not an end to the mission as the Democrats have called for.
"Over time, our troops will shift from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces. As this transition in our mission takes place, our troops will focus on a more limited set of tasks, including counterterrorism operations and training, equipping, and supporting Iraqi forces," he said.
In his speech, he repeatedly mentioned the threat a premature pull-out would pose to the region and the US and called on Congress, currently controlled by his rival party, to support his plans.
Mr Bush said: "Whatever political party you belong to, whatever your position on Iraq, we should be able to agree that America has a vital interest in preventing chaos and providing hope in the Middle East."
"So tonight I want to speak to members of the United States congress: Let us come together on a policy of strength in the Middle East. I thank you for providing crucial funds and resources for our military. And I ask you to join me in supporting the recommendations General Petraeus has made and the troop levels he has asked for."
On the role played by Iraqis in maintaining security, he praised the efforts of tribes that had risen against al-Qaida in their areas and paid tribute to a leader of a Sunni tribal alliance, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, whom the US president stated had been murdered for his opposition to the terrorist group.
However, he insisted that there was a lot of room for improvement in the performance of the Iraqi army and police force. He also urged the government of the Middle Eastern country to boost efforts towards achieving national reconciliation so that security gains made by troops could be built upon.
"Now the Iraqi government must bring the same determination to achieving reconciliation. This is an enormous undertaking after more than three decades of tyranny and division. The government has not met its own legislative benchmarks and in my meetings with Iraqi leaders, I have made it clear that they must," he stressed.
The president stated that Gen Petraeus and the US ambassador in Iraq, Ryan Crocker, will deliver another report in March which will determine the number of soldiers and resources needed in the country.
Concluding his speech, Mr Bush said: "It is never too late to deal a blow to al-Qaida. It is never too late to advance freedom. And it is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win."