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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (171617)	10/1/2005 1:23:08 AM
From: KLP	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Since you mentioned Gen. Casey...here's something from today: US General Calls Iraqi Constitution Divisive By Al Pessin Washington 30 September 2005 voanews.com The top U.S. general in Iraq says the country's new constitution has created a divisiveness that makes it more difficult to predict when coalition forces might be able to leave the country. In addition, the general says, he wants to defeat al-Qaida and other foreign elements before handing security control to Iraq's new forces. At a news conference on Friday, General George Casey expressed concern about the Iraqi draft constitution, on which Iraqis will vote on October 15. And he said that concern has made him more cautious about evaluating when it might be possible to begin withdrawing foreign troops from Iraq. Earlier in the week, he changed his prediction for the start of an allied withdrawal from the early part of next year to later in the year. "This constitution has come out and it didn't come out at the national compact that we thought it was going to be. And there's a little division there. It's not a bad constitution, but there's a little divisiveness because of that. And that caused the situation to change a little bit," he said. Many Iraqi Sunnis oppose the constitution, and many of them have registered to vote in the referendum. General Casey said on Thursday that the next 75 days will be crucial in determining when he can begin to reduce the number of U.S. and other coalition forces in Iraq. That period covers the constitutional referendum and the expected elections for a new government in December. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that period will expand depending on how long it takes to actually form a new Iraqi government after the election, and how much disruption that causes in the key defense and interior ministries. General Casey says that while the political process plays out, and while he works to improve the readiness of Iraq's new security forces, the coalition must focus on destroying the al-Qaida terrorist network in Iraq. He and other officials have said that al-Qaida and its foreign fighters are a small part of Iraq's insurgency, but are also its most deadly part. "We need to defeat these guys in the next six to 12 months, restore Iraqi control of the borders, keep them from bringing in the suicide bombers and the foreign fighters, so that after these elections the Iraqis have the opportunity to deal with the former regime elements," he said. General Casey said the remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime are the larger but less effective part of the Iraqi insurgency, and he believes that, unlike the foreign fighters, the Iraqi insurgents can be brought into the political process over time.

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (171617)	10/1/2005 1:24:55 AM
From: KLP	Respond to of 281500

And here's another...: Rumsfeld, Casey Defend Status of Iraqi Forces By Al Pessin Washington 30 September 2005 voanews.com U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his top general in Iraq tried to clarify Friday a statement the general made on Thursday that appeared to indicate a decline in the capability of Iraq's new security forces. The secretary and the general said the Iraqi forces are improving every day, although only one unit is capable of operating without help from coalition forces. General George Casey told Congress on Thursday that just one Iraqi battalion is capable of operating independently, but that many other units are fighting alongside coalition forces, and some are able to take leading positions on the battlefield. But he had previously said three Iraqi units were able to operate on their own, leading many in Congress to believe that the Iraqi force's capability is deteriorating. The general said Friday that is not correct. He said the change in the rating of the Iraqi units was based partly on changes in the way they are evaluated. He also said the readiness of individual units goes up and down in any army. He said he is pleased at the progress of many Iraqi units, and for now is not concerned about how many can function without coalition help. "The fact that there's only one or three units, that is not necessarily important to me right now," he said. "Next year at this time I'll be much more concerned about it. Right now, I'm not." Even though he says the Iraqi forces are improving, General Casey predicted it will be months before many more Iraqi units can operate on their own, and perhaps two years before he will be able to remove the U.S. training teams that are embedded in all the Iraqi military units, even the operationally independent ones. At the same news conference, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressed some exasperation that there has been so much attention on the question of whether one or three Iraqi units are at the highest level of readiness. "There are an awful lot of people chasing the wrong rabbit here, it seems to me. The idea that the country could get fixated on one and three battalions out of 100 is really unfortunate because it totally misses what's important and the big picture," he said. Mr. Rumsfeld said the "big picture" includes the fact that about 80 per cent of coalition military activities have at least one Iraqi unit involved, and the Iraqis are taking the lead in many missions. "What's important is that every day the number of Iraqi security forces are getting bigger, and they're getting better and they're getting more experienced, and, General Casey can tell you, they are doing more," he said. The secretary and the general also described the war in Iraq as a test of wills between the insurgents on one side and the people of Iraq, the United States and their allies on the other. General Casey said the insurgents are trying to break the allies' will by carrying out dramatic attacks that give the impression that they are winning, and he says the effort is having some impact in the United States, a point the secretary agreed with. "They are trying to create the impression that we and the Iraqis cannot succeed in Iraq. And, what do you think? Is it having an effect, an impression back here at home, the levels of violence? I think it is," the general said. Mr. Rumsfeld added "I think there's no question that what the general says is correct. They're focusing on public opinion in the United States. They're trying to do things that are dramatic and affect that. They can't win a battle. They can't win a war out in the field. The only place they can win is in a test of wills, if people say the cost is too high and the time is too long." There have been demonstrations against the war across the country in recent weeks, but President Bush has repeatedly said he will not pull U.S. troops out of Iraq until the Iraqi forces and government are ready to take control.