18 May 2004
Armitage, Wolfowitz Outline Strategies for Progress in Iraq
State and Defense officials offer senators assessment of situation
By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Senators from the Committee on Foreign Relations pressed State Department and Defense Department officials for clarifications about the road ahead in Iraq during a May 18 hearing.
Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana, observed, "A detailed plan is necessary to prove to our allies and to Iraqis that we have a strategy and that we are committed to making it work. If we cannot provide this clarity, we risk the loss of support of the American people, the loss of potential contributions from our allies, and the disillusionment of Iraqis."
The ranking minority committee member Joseph Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, offered a starker assessment of the current situation.
"Things are not going well in Iraq, notwithstanding that our people have performed miracles opening schools and hospitals, restoring oil production, setting up local councils," he said.
"But these successes are dwarfed by two towering deficits the Administration created -- a security deficit and a legitimacy deficit. As a result we are losing the support of the Iraqi people," he added.
In response to the concerns of the committee, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage recognized that recent revelations of prisoner abuse had complicated the U.S. task of achieving a transition to a stable, democratic Iraq.
He maintained, however, that these circumstances allow the world to see the strength of the American system. "Because we are American, we can also say that we are not above the law -- no one is above the law. We will hold every person who bears responsibility for the human rights violations in Iraq accountable," he said.
He added, "We are also correcting the system that accommodated such abuses in the first place."
Setting aside this issue, the deputy secretary outlined several areas in which the administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) have been working to prepare the groundwork for a smooth transition.
He noted, first, that governing structures have been established on the local, regional and national levels and that 13 of 25 ministries have already transitioned from CPA control to complete autonomy.
He reported that the interim Iraqi government is taking shape under the guidance of U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. Armitage underscored that this government will have full sovereignty as of July 1.
The deputy secretary also provided evidence of improved infrastructure conditions, with electric power above pre-war levels; access to potable water reaching two thirds of the population, up from a pre-war level of less than one half; wheat production up 60 percent; and oil production above pre-war levels.
Armitage also mentioned ongoing efforts to recruit and train Iraqi security forces and pointed to successful dialogue and cooperation with Iraqi leaders to address the situations in Fallujah and Najaf.
Armitage said, "The antipathy [to the occupation] is understandable. Iraqis are a proud people who have endured a great deal of hardship. They have wanted their freedom for many years, and now they want their sovereignty."
Armitage underscored that the key to progress in Iraq is providing the Iraqis with this sovereignty.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz echoed Armitage's remarks, saying, "An early end to the occupation is essential to our political strategy to defeat the terrorists. A sovereign Iraqi government will be better able to marginalize its extremist opponents politically while coalition forces defeat them militarily."
Wolfowitz highlighted the importance of responding to the evolving security challenges with flexibility. He identified several issues that are being addressed in that regard.
First, he mentioned the need for stronger leaders in the security forces.
Second, he identified a need for more and better equipment, as the Iraqi security forces have found themselves outgunned in recent encounters.
Third, he said there must be a clear Iraqi chain of command in order to give the Iraqi forces a sense that they are fighting for their own country and their own military leadership.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=May&x=20040518183705ndyblehs0.9003107&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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