20 January 2006
Democratic Institutions Key to Stable Iraq, U.S. Officials Say
State and Defense officials cite political, economic, security progress
By Todd Bullock
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Helping Iraq build and consolidate its own democratic institutions will legitimize and empower Iraqi citizens and isolate the extremists, says Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter Rodman.
In January 18 remarks on a panel at the American Enterprise Institute entitled, A Strategy for Victory in Iraq, Rodman said, "The recent December [2005] elections will confer legitimacy towards building a democracy for Iraq and this is the most powerful weapon we have against the extremists."
Ambassador James Jeffrey, coordinator for Iraq at the State Department, hailed the elections as a "triumph for democracy" but acknowledged the need for Iraq to have a standing government as soon as possible. (See Iraq's Political Process.)
Once the election returns are finalized, the Iraqi Council of Representatives will meet and select the Presidential Council, consisting of a president and two vice-presidents, by a two-thirds vote, according to Jeffrey.
"Each party can maximize its ability to get concessions and to negotiate for government programs, which is all part of democracy but there is no time limit on the parliament for selecting the council," Jeffrey said.
Once the Presidential Council is selected, it will have 15 days to name a candidate for prime minister who will have 30 days to form a Cabinet and submit it to the parliament for approval, he said.
The ambassador added that the Council of Representatives will have some difficult issues to consider, such as possible changes to the Iraqi Constitution, which was adopted in an October 2005 referendum, as well as the role of federalism and the control of oil.
Rodman said he believes Iraq's elections would "pull Sunni Arabs into the political process and separate them from extremists."
"Sunni Arabs will have a larger role in the new government and have more influence as well," he said. "Those who abandoned violence to join the political process should see the benefits of such participation." (See related article.)
ECONOMIC PROGRESS
Addressing economic development, Jeffrey said that the majority of U.S. projects in 2004 and 2005 focused on infrastructure and public services such as power, health, sewage and education.
"We have added over 2,500 megawatts of power to the electrical grid and have more under way," he said citing additional accomplishments such as the vaccination of millions of young people and access to clean water for "millions of Iraqis."
The ambassador also cited increased use of Iraqi contractors for infrastructure and other development projects, noting the U.S. government has obligated more than 90 percent of the $20.9 billion in reconstruction funds allocated by the U.S. Congress and has dispersed more than 50 percent of those funds to date.
"We are on track to complete the major infrastructure projects by the end of 2006," Jeffrey said, adding the United States will focus more resources on capacity-building efforts within the Iraqi government.
While he acknowledged cooperation from other international organizations like the Arab League and the United Nations in helping with the political process, Jeffrey also called for additional international cooperation in Iraq to undertake missions such as training Iraqi security forces.
SECURITY ACCOMPLISHEMENTS
"We are fighting a lethal insurgency that is rooted in several subgroups that may not necessarily be linked together but they are seeking in some cases the same goals," said Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
According to Odierno, portions of the Iraqi insurgency, such as the Baathists and other Iraqi rejectionist elements are turning on some of the foreign fighters like those from al-Qaida in Iraq. These attacks have occurred primarily in Ramadi, Fallujah and western Iraq.
"We believe there is an opportunity to divide the Iraqi based portion of the insurgency and we are starting to see breaks in that now," Odierno said. "The divisiveness between these groups has to do with the success of the political process in the country."
Odierno said one of the critical U.S. goals for Iraq was to train and develop Iraqi security forces to protect the country internally and externally.
He said there is no set timetable for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and that changes in "the U.S. military posture" would be dependent on the ability to train and assess Iraqi units and the amount of territory they are able to control.
"We are working on the development of the Iraqi security forces to accomplish this," he said, "We are transitioning responsibility for counterinsurgency and security operations to the Iraqis every day."
Coalition forces have deployed over 200 transition teams -- military officers embedded with Iraqi forces for training purposes -- Odierno said. He said transition teams are operating at the battalion, brigade and division levels in the Iraqi army.
"Over 90 Iraqi battalions are conducting combat operations and in December 2005, 50 percent of all military operations were joint missions between coalition and Iraqi forces," he said.
Additionally, he noted 30 Iraqi units currently maintain independent security control over areas throughout the country.
"Police training is a top priority for our military efforts in 2006," Odierno said.
He said the U.S. military is also training specialized Iraqi units to protect infrastructure and critical services, such as the electrical grid, and to carry out special tasks such as hostage search and rescue.
Additionally, the United States is bringing five Iraqi officers for military training at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
"We cannot forget the 10 million Iraqis who voted in October 2005 for the constitutional referendum and last month 12 million elected Iraq's first four year government, this tells me the Iraqis want democracy and a better way of life," Odierno said.
For additional information on U.S. policy, see Iraq Update.
(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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