18 November 2005
United States Seeking To Strengthen Iraqi Government
State's Satterfield says U.S. reconstruction has significant positive effect
By Phillip Kurata
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The U.S. priority in Iraq is to strengthen the capacity of the Iraq government at the national and provincial levels to provide for the basic needs of its citizens, said David Satterfield, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"We are undertaking an intensive effort to provide additional technical assistance to the national government and support each of the provincial governments in fulfilling their responsibilities to their citizens in a democratic system. This is part of the strategy to support a rapid transition to Iraqi self-reliance," Satterfield wrote in the online interactive forum “Ask the White House” on November 18.
Satterfield said that the U.S. reconstruction effort already has had a significant impact in helping Iraq restore essential services after 30 years of decay under Saddam Hussein's rule.
He said that the U.S. projects account for roughly half of Iraq's electricity output, provide water to serve approximately 2.3 million people, and have rehabilitated about 75 percent of Iraq's current oil production. The deputy chief of mission said the United States has been involved in training more than 36,000 teachers, providing 7 million textbooks, and renovating more than 700 schools.
"These efforts have been critical in helping Iraq back on its feet after Saddam's terrible legacy," he said.
Satterfield said that the main challenge facing Iraq following the December 15 elections for a permanent government will be to put the Iraqi Constitution into force.
Calling the post-election phase the "truest start of Iraq's new constitutional democracy", he said, "the next parliament will implement this new constitution, and it will also have a special opportunity to review it and propose amendments to it during the first six months it is in effect."
The deputy chief of mission said that although nearly 80 percent of the votes cast in the constitutional referendum October 15 supported the document, Iraq's Sunni Arab community has "real doubts" about it. (See related article.)
"That community has accepted the results of the referendum but is watching anxiously to see what the constitution will mean for them in practice," Satterfield said. "The U.S. plans to support efforts to make sure that all Iraqis are satisfied with the document once it enters into force."
The deputy chief of mission said that Iraqi women, in particular, have benefited from the new democratic constitution.
"Iraqi women have become increasingly engaged in issues relating to furthering their rights. They recognize that the legislation implementing the constitution will be key in this process and have actively sought to participate in the upcoming elections," he said.
In response to a question about the possibility that Iraq could fall into civil war, the deputy chief mission said that civil war occurs when institutions fail and peaceful problem-solving is deemed impossible, and that is not the case in Iraq.
"The elections on December 15 and the stand-up of Iraq's first democratically-elected permanent government will be a major step forward," he said.
Satterfield said that the Iraqi security forces, with the support of the multinational force, are increasingly capable of combating and defeating the terrorists and insurgents, who, he said, are trying to "deny the people of Iraq the opportunity to live in democracy, peace and prosperity."
For additional information, see Iraq's Political Process.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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