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Blame it on
Syria
By Kathleen Ridolfo
In his first major speech since assuming
his diplomatic post two weeks ago, US ambassador
to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has announced that a
seven-point plan has been reached with Iraqi
leaders to address "common efforts" toward
building a democratic, secure Iraq.
At the
same time, Khalilzad, the former envoy to
Afghanistan, clearly identified Syria as a part of
Iraq's problems.
He and Iraqi leaders
discussed "a set of ideas about what's needed to
set Iraq on the right trajectory", Khalilzad said.
The plan calls for a national compact enshrined in
the constitution; the isolation and defeat of
terrorists and hardcore Ba'athists; encouraging
the region's leaders to address problems in a
cooperative spirit and to pressure those who
continue to foment instability; improving the
capacity of Iraqi ministries; increasing economic
opportunities; the carrying out of successful
elections; and mobilizing greater international
support for Iraq.
"We have already
launched five major task forces (with the Iraqi
government) to move forward on key issues. These
include efforts to implement joint plans on
overall security, coordinate reconstruction,
manage fiscal demands, ensure infrastructure
security and resolve the (unclear) issues,"
Khalilzad said.
One of the biggest
challenges facing Iraqis is overcoming the loss of
trust among the communities, the ambassador
observed, adding: "This underlies current
political and sectarian tensions. In part, it also
underlies the insurgency." In order to overcome
this legacy, Iraqis would need to build trust
across communities, including the building of
"truly national institutions" that are "not
instruments of revenge or fiefdom of patronage of
one group or another".
On the issue of
terrorism, Khalilzad said that Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi's al-Qaeda-affiliated group and former
Ba'athists are "seeking to pull more Iraqis into
their terrorist networks". Khalilzad said,
"Choosing this path would be fatal ... Protracted
violence would lead their most talented people to
go abroad, destroy educational opportunities for
their children as schools close or do not operate
in ways that they should. Reconstruction would
become difficult and these circumstances would
create fertile ground for the growth of extremism
that would further impoverish the region. I warn
Iraqis in central and western Iraq to avoid
falling in the trap laid by their enemies."
Offering a "legitimate alternative",
Khalilzad challenged Iraqis in these areas to join
in a national compact "enshrined in the
constitution that protects the rights of all
communities", adding that the US was "committed to
supporting Iraqis who seek to realize this
vision". Khalilzad noted the predicament of Iraqis
in these Sunni-dominated areas of Iraq who wanted
to have a voice and place in the new Iraq and were
seeking a political role in the face of
intimidation and great risk to themselves. To this
end, he pledged to "work to provide security" for
those who sought to join the national compact.
The ambassador said that the plan to build
up the Iraqi security forces is a "strategy first
to win over the people and then to isolate and
destroy the enemy". As an essential part of the
plan, the ambassador announced the intention of
multinational forces to hand over control of
specific areas of Iraq to Iraqi security forces
and withdraw coalition troops.
When asked
for more specifics on the plan, Khalilzad declined
to identify what cities and towns would be handed
over first. "We are working to build up Iraqi
capabilities so that the security that is needed
to be provided, is provided by the Iraqi forces as
soon as possible. But we know that that takes
time. Therefore we're working through this joint
committee that I talked about as to how this
transition from the coalition ... could take
place, that Iraqis take more and more
responsibility for security in those areas. And
we're going to develop an integrated, agreed upon,
prudent plan of action on how to move forward and
this is the work of this joint committee that I
talked about."
Iraqi National Security
Adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubayi told reporters in
Baghdad that Diwaniyah, Karbala, Najaf, Nasiriyah
and were likely be among the first cities in
southern Iraq to be handed over. Rubay'i added
that he and Defense Minister Sadun al-Dulaymi
would represent Iraq in joint committee meetings
with the US.
Attack on Syria
The
ambassador singled out Iran and Syria as states
that were "engaged in unhelpful activities" and
were not doing enough to contribute to the
security of Iraq, adding that the US intended to
help shape a more favorable regional environment.
Regarding Syria, he said: "Terrorists are
moving into Iraq through Syria. Leaders of
hardcore Ba'athist insurgents reside there.
Terrorists and insurgents are trained in Syria and
funding goes through Syria. Syrian government
media are broadcasting anti-Iraq propaganda. The
Syrian government must take action to halt these
activities or risk new pressures."
Iran,
he said, was working along two contradictory
tracks. "On the one hand, Tehran works with the
new Iraq; on the other there is movement across
its borders of people and material used in violent
acts against Iraq. We welcome good relations
between Iraq and all its neighbors. But activities
inconsistent with such relations must stop."
Building capabilities
Khalilzad
also stressed the US government's intention to
build up the capabilities of Iraqi ministries. In
addition to improving the capacity to operate and
manage projects, the ambassador said the US would
decentralize part of the reconstruction process by
working with provincial governments to fund
projects that met local needs.
The
ambassador also stressed the need to expand
private-sector opportunities, saying: "I will work
with Iraqi political and business leaders to do
more, including expansion of credit, increasing
the use of Iraqi contractors in reconstruction,
and opposing corruption."
As part of this
plan, Khalilzad vowed to do more to encourage the
international community to become more involved in
Iraq. "Iraqis need help in this period, just as
other great nations in Europe and Asia have needed
it after the end of major wars or the fall of
totalitarian regimes," he said.
Copyright (c) 2005, RFE/RL Inc.
Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington DC 20036 |
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