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WASHINGTON -- Facing an intensifying insurgency
and a frail government in Baghdad, the Bush
administration
has reluctantly changed course to deepen its
involvement in the process of running Iraq.
U.S. officials are taking a more central and visible
role in mediating between political factions,
pushing for
creation of an inclusive new government and helping
resuscitate public services. At the same time, the
Bush
administration is maintaining pressure on Iraqi
officials to upgrade the nation's fledgling security
forces.
The change comes at a time when confidence in the
government elected in January has been falling and
U.S.
officials have grown more pessimistic about how
quickly Iraqi security forces will be able to take
charge of the
counterinsurgency effort.
Before and after the elections, the Bush
administration tried to scale back its role and
shift decisions to the
leadership of the interim Iraqi governments in order
to begin disengaging. U.S. officials had feared that
a
continued high-profile could have proven
counterproductive, giving the impression that Iraqi
government
leaders were not acting independently.
But in recent weeks, as formation of the new Iraqi
government inched along and the insurgency
accelerated,
some Iraqi officials have begun telling the
Americans that they need more U.S. support and
mediation to
overcome differences between factions, U.S.
officials and Iraqis said.
"These are Iraqi issues. But that doesn't mean we
can't make use of American experience and friendly
advice,"
said Karim Khutar, of the Supreme Council for
Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a leading Shiite
political party.
The new U.S. approach came clearly into focus this
past week. Deputy Secretary of State Robert B.
Zoellick, in a
visit to Iraq, called Thursday for "an inclusive
process" in governing the country and urged action
on a new
constitution. His trip came days after a visit by
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Rice's visit, which carried a signal of American
support, was "very welcome," Khutar said.
U.S. officials acknowledged that they are pressing
hard for Iraq to move ahead. While Iraqis are making
the
choices, the U.S. officials said, the Americans have
"red lines" that their partners can't cross. For
instance, the
United States will insist new government be
democratic and that the country be pluralistic, yet
united, one
official said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity
because of rules that forbid many U.S. officials
from speaking
publicly unless they restrict themselves to the
language of prepared policy statements.
One official said that while the Iraqis "are the
ultimate determinants of their own destiny .... we
have 140,000
troops here, and they are getting shot at. We're
also spending a lot of money....
"We don't dictate action plans," the official said.
"But we constantly remind them that we're working
toward the
same goal, and we have our 'red lines.' "
Another U.S. official said the administration has
been pressuring the new Iraqi government to move
faster on
organizing the government because of American
worries that its slow start and fractious nature
since the
January elections has heartened insurgents and led
to a rise in violence.
He insisted though, that while officials will push
the Iraqis, they don't want to make the decisions
for them,
because that will undermine the perceived legitimacy
of the Iraqi government, and cause the United States
to
become too entangled in the problems of a country
that it one day wants to leave.
In their visits, Zoellick and Rice made clear that
the United States' top priority is to get the Iraqi
government to
include greater numbers of Sunni Muslims, the
minority population group that has been most
alienated, and is
considered to be behind much of the insurgency.
They urged Shiite and Kurdish leaders to draw Sunnis
into the government, to give them a larger role in
the
constitution writing committee, and to write the
document in a way that it will make Sunnis feel they
have a place
in the new Iraq.
In her visit, Rice sought to mediate a problem
among Kurdish Iraqis that has drawn little
international notice, but
that some Iraqis believe could become a major
political stumbling block. Rice met in Erbil with
Massoud
Barzani, president of Kurdistan and leader of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party, who has been
increasingly at
odds with the KDP's long-standing rival party, the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
The two parties forged an alliance during the
election, but Barzani and PUK leader Jalal Talabani,
now the
president of Iraq, have disagreed over which party
will have most influence in Iraqi Kurdistan.
In private talks, Rice urged Barzani to come to an
understanding with the PUK, and to become more
engaged in
the work of the new government in Baghdad, according
to U.S. officials and Iraqis. Rice's public remarks
about
the meeting were more general, citing the "very
important role Mr. Barzani can play" in the new
constitution.
Rice also made clear that U.S. officials want to put
more effort into helping the new government improve
lagging
public services, including electric power and
gasoline.
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