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Condoleezza Rice: US will not wait forever
18.2.2007
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February 18, 2007
BAGHDAD - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice told Iraq's leaders on Saturday to use any lull
in violence to push ahead with national
reconciliation, adding that U.S. patience would not
last forever.
Rice spoke during a surprise visit to Baghdad in
which she lauded initial gains by U.S. and Iraqi
troops in a military operation against militants
seen as a final effort to quell sectarian bloodshed
between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs.
"This is a group of leaders that need to deliver,"
she said before meeting Iraqi leaders.
The top U.S. diplomat met Shi'ite Prime Minister
Nuri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd,
and Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, and later
told reporters she had urged them to speed up
efforts toward reconciliation. She also discussed
finalizing an oil revenue sharing law and holding
provincial elections. |
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice |
"The United States is investing a great deal, most
especially the lives of our men and women in uniform
and the American people want to see results and
aren't prepared to wait forever," Rice said before
wrapping up a half-day visit. "(But) we are not
saying to the Iraqis to get it done by X date or
else," she told reporters.
While major car bombings and death squad killings in
Baghdad have declined, a double car bombing
yesterday at a crowded market in the northern city
of Kirkuk killed at least 10 people and wounded 60,
police sources said.
Rice applauded the way in which the new military
operation against militants in Baghdad had started.
The sweep is intended to end the sectarian violence
that is tearing the country apart. "They are off to
a good start," said Rice, referring to Operation
Imposing Law. "How the Iraqis use the breathing
space that might provide is what is really
important."
A statement from Maliki's office said Rice praised
the Baghdad security operation and renewed the Bush
administration's backing for the government's
efforts to stabilize the country.
Rice said Iraq's leaders told her they were making
progress on the oil law and that it was nearly
complete. Establishing a law that equitably
distributes revenues from Iraq's vast oil wealth is
seen as a vital step in achieving reconciliation
between warring factions. The government has also
held reconciliation conferences but there has been
little progress on the ground, with Baghdad now
increasingly split along sectarian lines.
Rice arrived in Baghdad a day after the U.S. House
of Representatives denounced President George W.
Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to help
with the Baghdad sweep and operations in violent
Anbar province. The move was a symbolic challenge to
Bush's unpopular war.
The Bush administration faces growing opposition at
home over a four-year war that has killed more than
3,100 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Reuters
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