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10 April 2007

U.S. Official Cites Progress with Iraq Security Plan

State's Satterfield blames Syria for continued flow of terrorists into Iraq

By David Shelby
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington – A senior U.S. official sees positive signs in Iraq following implementation of the military surge strategy, but he cautions that the drop in violence must be sustained over a long period of time to allow the Iraqi government to re-establish political and economic stability.

The State Department’s senior Iraq coordinator, David Satterfield, told reporters in Washington April 9 that sectarian killings have dropped and that Iraqi forces are dealing with violent parties in an even-handed, nonsectarian manner.

But he said the improved security situation must be sustained to provide “a window, time and space for political reconciliation to move forward, for the government to move forward in provision of economic resources to its people and economic opportunities for all Iraqis.”

Satterfield echoed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s assessment that the Iraqi government’s performance has been uneven over the past year.  He said the government needs to move forward with the proposed hydrocarbons law, reform of the de-Baathification program restricting former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party from holding office, provincial elections, constitutional revisions, demobilization of militias and effective budget execution.

He said the United States is providing more than just military and economic support for the Iraqi government.  He said the State Department is doubling the number of provincial reconstruction teams to help build civil society institutions outside Baghdad’s Green Zone.  He said the department worked closely with local commanders to ensure that the skills represented on these teams correspond with the needs of the regions in which they are located.

Satterfield said Syria continues to be the primary point of entry into Iraq for jihadist terrorists.  “There is a reason why these individuals are transiting in those numbers through Syria and not through Jordan, not through Saudi Arabia,” he said.  “Syria has a responsibility, an obligation as a sovereign government, to take control of its territory and its borders and stop this transit.” (See related article.)

He said the United States has taken measures aimed at key Syrian officials and financial institutions in an effort to persuade the Syrian government to crack down on the flow of terrorists over its borders, but that Syria shows no inclination to change its policies.  He called for “more universal measures” in addition to unilateral U.S. measures to “indicate to the Syrian government there is a real price or prices to be paid for continuing to engage in threatening behaviors.”

For more information on U.S. policies, see Iraq Update.

(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)