19 May 2006
A Prosperous Iraq Will Quell Tensions, U.S. Commander Says
Chiarelli says United States will respond to Iraqi requests for pressing needs
By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington –- The U.S. commander of ground forces in Iraq says the United States is ready to help the new sovereign Iraqi government address its most pressing needs because prosperity is key to quelling the violence there.
Army General Peter Chiarelli, speaking to Pentagon reporters by videoconference from Baghdad, Iraq, May 19, said, “A prosperous Iraq will be a peaceful Iraq.”
He said his multinational forces are excited about the prospect of the new Iraqi government being installed on May 20.
“We are entering a historical and decisive moment,” he said, because Iraq “is on the verge of inaugurating a democratically elected unity government." With the inauguration, Chiarelli said, the Iraqi leaders can begin to address “the key needs and concerns” of their people.
To do that, the various Iraqi ministries must build up their ability to deliver basic services, as well as help the nation realize its economic potential through its highly educated population and vast existing natural resources.
Most important, Chiarelli said, the Iraqi government must implement a strategy “to reduce unemployment and put people to work.” By creating jobs for disaffected youth, he said, the government will be able to provide alternatives for those who are otherwise attracted to fast money offered by the insurgency to attack Iraq security and coalition forces and to lay deadly roadside bombs.
The symptoms of violence in Iraq can be addressed, the commander said, “by building up Iraqi ministerial capacity to provide basic services and create hope and economic opportunity.”
U.S. forces are “standing by to help the Iraqis in any way we can as they build strong and capable institutions of governance and rule of law that can promote economic growth and prosperity," he said.
“Disillusionment, poverty and hopelessness are the breeding grounds for violence,” the general said, adding how important it is “to take the angry young men off the street.”
Chiarelli also said it is essential that the new government establish a policy to deal with private militias. “A comprehensive disarmament, demobilization and reintegration plan is being developed,” he said, but the government has to refine and implement it.
A recent increase in violence suggests that the insurgents are trying to complicate the process of seating the new Iraqi government and to destabilize it, Chiarelli said.
Coalition forces continue to assist in the training and fielding of Iraqi security forces, he said, as they “continue to improve and perform their jobs bravely and admirably.” All is on track, the general said, for Iraq to have 75 percent of its army brigades in the lead in their assigned security sectors by the summer’s end. (See related article.)
He also indicated that Iraqi and coalition forces are beginning to test spotlight devices at security checkpoints to signal by means of illumination where and when they want individuals to move. The notion is that the special lights will help security forces with vehicle and pedestrian control and eliminate the possibility of mistakenly or inadvertently using deadly force.
Chiarelli expressed his hope that the introduction of these new, nonlethal security tools will help reduce “the number of escalation-of-force incidents.” A program will be launched to inform the Iraqis about the use of these devices, he said, “so when they see them they will react appropriately.”
For more information, 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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