26 October 2006
U.S. Adjusts Tactics, Maintains Basic Goal in Iraq, Rice Says
Says United States has shown flexibility, commitment to secure, stable Iraq
Washington – The United States continually is adapting its tactics in response to new challenges in Iraq, but it remains committed to the goal of helping the Iraqis achieve stability and security, according to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
“[N]obody can have a policy in which you're not making adjustments. This is a very fluid situation in Iraq; things change. It's a thinking enemy that changes tactics and changes strategy and so you have to be able to adapt to those changes,” she told a radio audience October 24.
That day, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and coalition forces commander Army General George W. Casey announced a renewed effort to reduce violence in Iraq over the next 12 months to 18 months by helping the Iraqi government define and meet a series of significant political and security goals. (See related article.)
But, Rice emphasized, “one thing that's not changing is the United States remains committed to victory in Iraq, remains committed to helping the Iraqis get to the point where they can defend themselves and govern themselves.” (See related article.)
The secretary of state said the United States’ goal is to see an Iraqi government capable of providing basic services and security to its people. “It does not mean that the United States has to be there until Iraq is a full-fledged democracy. That's going to take some time. But the foundation has to be laid for democracy in Iraq,” she said. “We have to be sure that we're not turning the country over to al-Qaida. … We're not leaving a situation that is so chaotic that there is no one who can bring order.”
Rice said the United States has shown flexibility in its strategies for building up the Iraqi security forces and pursuing reconstruction. She said the United States also would look for new ways to help move the political process forward. In particular, she cited the need for progress toward a national reconciliation program and a hydrocarbons resources law.
In a separate radio interview October 26, Rice said that progress is being made in Iraq despite the ongoing violence. “[I]t's hard to show the more steady progress on the political side that's being made, the fact that this is a political system that is growing and maturing, all the local politics that's going on in Iraq,” she said.
She urged observers to view events in Iraq in terms of a major historic change and “recognize that these kinds of changes are always hard, they're always turbulent.”
Transcripts of Rice’s interviews are available on the State Department Web site:
• Interview with Bill Bennett's Morning in America, and
• Interview with Lars Larson of The Lars Larson Show.
(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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