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Iraq deputy PM Dr.Barham Salih in London
23.10.2006
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Don't panic, Iraq tells U.S.
and UK
London, October 23, -- Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister Barham Salih warned against defeatism and
panic on Monday as his U.S. and British allies came
under growing pressure to change their Iraq strategy
in the face of relentless bloodshed.
Salih, in London for talks with Prime Minister Tony
Blair and other British ministers, made clear his
anxiety about the change in tone in London and
Washington, where senior figures are questioning
whether the current strategy in Iraq is viable.
"I'm obviously concerned about the debate both in
the U.S. and Europe, I have to say, because there is
too much of a pessimistic tone to this debate --
even I would say in certain circles a defeatist
tone," he told BBC radio.
"We need to be realist but not defeatist. We need to
understand that there is a need of utmost urgency to
deal with many of the problems of Iraq but we must
not give in to panic."
U.S. military deaths in Iraq in October have reached
83, making it the most deadly month for Americans
this year and raising pressure on President George
W. Bush before Congressional elections next month in
which Republicans could lose majorities in both
houses.
U.S. military officials in Iraq have admitted that a
two-month plan to secure Baghdad has failed to curb
violence. |
Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) meets with
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih in 10
Downing Street, London October 23, 2006
Photo:Reuters |
In Britain, army chief General Richard Dannatt
sparked a political storm this month by saying
British troops should withdraw from Iraq soon as
their presence was worsening the security situation
there and in the wider world.
Salih said the current situation in Iraq could not
go on.
"Especially the last month has been exceptionally
tough and difficult, but really failure is not an
option...," he said.
British officials gave a similar message before
their meetings with Salih. Foreign Secretary
Margaret Beckett said: "We need to keep our nerve.
We need to get Iraq back on its feet. We need to
establish greater stability."
NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL
The Iraqi government recognised it could not be
business as usual and planned important laws on
demobilisation and disarmament of militias, Salih
said.
Bush said on Saturday he would make "every necessary
change" in tactics to try to control violence in
Iraq, but said the U.S. goal there was clear and
unchanging.
U.S. State Department official Alberto Fernandez
said on Al Jazeera television the U.S. had shown
"arrogance" and "stupidity" in Iraq, but later said
he had misspoken.
Blair has vowed to stand firm on his policy of
withdrawing progressively from Iraq as local
security forces take over from British troops. An
official said at the weekend that Iraqi security
forces could be ready to take over within a year.
In an attack highlighting the problems Washington
and London face in recruiting and training Iraqi
security forces, 13 police recruits were killed and
25 wounded in an ambush on a convoy of buses near
the town of Baquba, north east of Baghdad, on
Sunday.
Former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker is
leading a panel preparing recommendations for
alternative strategies in Iraq and some have
suggested the administration might use the group's
findings as cover for an exit strategy. But the
report will not be issued until after the Nov. 7
election. (Additional reporting by Claudia Parsons
in Baghdad and Sophie Walker in London)
Reuters
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