03 April 2003
Rumsfeld Rules Out Iraqi Regime Departure Deal
(Defense Department Report, April 3: Iraq Operational Update) (620) With coalition forces poised on the outskirts of Baghdad, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says there is "not even a remote possibility" that a deal would be struck to allow senior Iraqi regime leaders to leave the country. In response to questions from reporters at the Pentagon April 3, Rumsfeld said from time to time some governments raise the possibility of arranging a departure deal, but doing so only has the effect of encouraging the Iraqi regime to hang on. Such hypothetical discussions, he said, encourage the regime to try to maintain the loyalty of its forces. "There is not a chance there is going to be a deal," the secretary said. "It doesn't matter who proposes it. There will not be one." Appearing at the same briefing, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Richard Myers, said raising the departure issue only serves to prolong the military operation and increase the chances for Iraqi civilian and coalition casualties. Rumsfeld was also asked if Syria has heeded his warning on March 31 not to assist Iraqi military forces. He said the evidence he has shows that Syria continues "to conduct itself [in] the same way it was" prior to his warning. Asked about Iranian behavior with respect to Iraq, the secretary said he has not detected any "terribly disturbing" recent activity. Speaking on the 14th day of "Operation Iraqi Freedom," Rumsfeld said coalition air power and ground action have been "very effective." Myers said the Iraqi regime has lost control of 45 percent of the country. Rumsfeld said both the Baghdad and Medina Divisions of the Republican Guard have been dealt "serious blows." He added that the Iraqi Republican Guard units ringing the capital have lost so many individuals that they have been forced to "back fill" with soldiers that are considered less reliable. As Iraq runs out of what he called "real soldiers," Rumsfeld suggested all that would remain would be "war criminals." Despite being weakened, the secretary said the Iraqi military is "still lethal" and both the coalition and Iraqi forces would likely experience "difficult days ahead." Rumsfeld also expressed concern that Iraqi troops may attack Shiite forces in eastern Baghdad and try to blame it on coalition forces. Myers said it is difficult to know how the fight for the capital will unfold, but he said it would not be accurate to call it a siege. As the regime in Baghdad becomes "isolated," unable to communicate with other parts of the country or even other parts of the capital, he said it would become irrelevant because it "wouldn't be in charge of anything." Asked if the regime's last stand would be in Baghdad or Saddam Hussein's ancestral home of Tikrit, Myers said the answer is still "to be determined." Commenting on the sudden cutoff of electrical power in Baghdad, Rumsfeld said coalition forces were not responsible. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Qatar said in an April 3 news release that the military campaign did not target the electrical grid in the capital. Asked about continuing incidents of "friendly fire" when coalition forces accidentally strike their own soldiers, the officials said they are an inevitable part of combat, but each case will be studied to see if personnel made mistakes or equipment failed. The questions came as the CENTCOM public affairs office in Kuwait issued a news release that it is investigating a report that a Patriot missile may have accidentally downed a U.S. Navy F-18C Hornet during a flight over central Iraq. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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