13 January 2006
United States Supports Broad Ethnic Inclusion in Iraqi Government
U.S. General Vines is optimistic new government will represent all sects
Washington –U.S. and military officials have worked hard to ensure that the new Iraqi government is inclusive and represents all ethnic groups, according to the commander of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq.
Army Lieutenant General John Vines told reporters at the Pentagon January 13 that he is confident that all ethnicities will be represented in Iraq's new government. He also cited indications that individuals who might have promoted violence in the past are now seeing “that they can and must reject that violence” to participate fully in governing Iraq.
“We have to assist the Iraqis in consolidating the democratic gains that they’ve made and help them rebuild democratic institutions and a unified government, by and for Iraqis,” he said during a videoconference from Baghdad.
Vines, who also serves as commanding general of the 18th Airborne Corps, said U.S. officials are happy to see increasing Sunni participation in the political process. “Sunnis need to feel like they have a place in this government,” he said.
Sunnis voted in the December 2005 parliamentary elections “in exponentially greater numbers than they did in the national elections in January [2005],” Vines said. (See Iraq's Political Process.)
FACTORS FAVORING IRAQI DEMOCRACY
Vines said Iraq has attributes that will support its political and economic success, including natural resources, such as rivers and an abundance of oil.
Iraq also has a highly educated, competent and cosmopolitan population with many of the requisite skills needed to administer a large, modern nation, Vines said. “I’m very optimistic about their ability to do that,” he added. (See related article.)
As Iraq works to form a coalition government, Vines predicts that jihadists will seek to attack the institutions of government in order “to show their disdain for the democratic process” and because the insurgents “think they have the right to impose their views on other Iraqis.” But both Sunni and Shiites “are repelled” by the violence that Iraq has experienced recently, Vines added.
Asked about the connection between outbreaks of violence and the numbers of troops the United States needs to retain in Iraq, Vines said “the level of violence will be one of the things” taken into account as a future force level determination is made by local commander. But another relevant factor, he said, will be the speed with which Iraq’s security forces and government are able to take over the role of the multinational corps.
For additional information about U.S. policy, see Iraq Update.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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