Iraq troops 'home in 2008'
Talks ... Blair, left, and Bush will discuss the new Iraq report
By ANDREW PORTER
Deputy Political Editor
December 07, 2006
PRIME Minister Tony Blair was forced to concede in the Commons yesterday that the war in Iraq was not being won.
It came as a damning American report said “current US policy is not working” and that all combat troops could be out in 18 months.
Mr Blair’s admission came as he was quizzed by Tory leader David Cameron.
The PM will meet President George Bush in Washington today to assess ways of ending the bloodshed in Iraq.
Their talks will also cover a section of the US report that was particularly galling for Mr Bush.
The document, produced by a committee of Democrats and Republicans, said that the West should start talking seriously to Iran and Syria in a bid to stabilise the Middle East.
But President Bush has accused both those states of being part of an “axis of evil”.
Mr Blair was asked by Mr Cameron if he shared the view of Robert Gates — confirmed as new US Defence Secretary last night — that the war in Iraq was not being won. The PM replied: “Of course. In July I said that the situation in Baghdad, with sectarian killing, was appalling and the bloodshed was appalling.
“What is important however is, as he went on to say, that we do go on to succeed in the mission we have set ourselves.”
Mr Gates’ selection as Defence Secretary heaps further pressure on Mr Bush. Members of both parties backed him as the man to help overhaul war policies in Iraq.
The US report, by former US Secretary of State James Baker’s Iraq Study Group, called the situation “grave and deteriorating”.
It said US soldiers should switch from combat duties to reconstruction and other help, while letting Iraqi security forces take control.
Group co-chairman Lee Hamilton said: “If the Iraqi government does not make significant progress towards the achievement of milestones, the US should reduce its political, military or economic support for Iraq.
“The US must encourage Iraqis to take responsibility for their own destiny. This responsible transition can allow for the reduction of the US presence in Iraq over time. Our ship of state has hit rough water.
“It must now chart a new way forward.
“No course of action in Iraq is guaranteed to stop a slide towards chaos, yet in our view not all options have been exhausted.”
Mr Baker said: “There is no magic bullet. The task ahead is daunting and very difficult. But it is not by any means lost.” However, Mr Bush’s old strategy of “staying the course” was no longer viable, he said.
Mr Bush is under no obligation to accept the recommendations of the ISG. But the president said he would take the findings “very seriously” and would act on them in a “timely fashion”.
Speaking at the White House after being given the report he accepted that it gave a “very tough assessment” of the Iraq situation.
But he urged Congress to forget party bickering and find common ground to achieve peace. He said: “While they won’t agree with every proposal, and we probably won’t agree with every proposal, it nevertheless is an opportunity to come together and to work together on this important issue.”
HERE'S A BRITISH SOLDIER WHO VERY MUCH SUPPORTS THE WAR IN IRAQ
lotus
Age:
Town/Place:
Guildford
Country:
United Kingdom
Football Team:
Manchester United
For a Soldier, fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and Extremists in Iraq is what we all joined up for.
Ridding the world of terrorists and murderous fanatics is a job well worth doing and worth doing well.
Immediately after the 1st Gulf War we all agreed we would have to come back one day and finish the job, or watch our Sons go over and complete the job. The same can be said now, if after all this sacrifice we pull out without completing the job, it will come back and haunt us in the future.
This is our opportunity to make history and rid the world of these evil people once and for all, whether it be in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea or Syria.
Soldiers know this is not an overnight job, it might take a decade or two, but they all know its a job that must be done, either now or in years to come. These evil excuses for human beings are not going to go away, especially if we concede now, they will just get stronger and their atrocities will be all the more outrageous.
Give the Armed Forces the right equipment, good pay and conditions, 1st class treatment when they get injured, and most of all, your full support, and they will not fail in their task, nor will they complain of their lot.
Before you start gobbing off about pulling the troops out of these countries, just remember who we are fighting and what they eventually want:
TO WIPE ISRAEL FROM THE MAP OF THE WORLD AND KILL EVERY JEW!
TO TURN THE WHOLE WORLD INTO AN ISLAMIC STATE!
Thank God the generations before us had more stomach for a fight than we do, we might all be walking around in Jack Boots and Swastikas if they had not!
thesun.co.uk
Talks ... Blair, left, and Bush will discuss the new Iraq report
Deputy Political Editor
December 07, 2006
PRIME Minister Tony Blair was forced to concede in the Commons yesterday that the war in Iraq was not being won.
It came as a damning American report said “current US policy is not working” and that all combat troops could be out in 18 months.
Mr Blair’s admission came as he was quizzed by Tory leader David Cameron.
The PM will meet President George Bush in Washington today to assess ways of ending the bloodshed in Iraq.
Their talks will also cover a section of the US report that was particularly galling for Mr Bush.
The document, produced by a committee of Democrats and Republicans, said that the West should start talking seriously to Iran and Syria in a bid to stabilise the Middle East.
But President Bush has accused both those states of being part of an “axis of evil”.
Mr Blair was asked by Mr Cameron if he shared the view of Robert Gates — confirmed as new US Defence Secretary last night — that the war in Iraq was not being won. The PM replied: “Of course. In July I said that the situation in Baghdad, with sectarian killing, was appalling and the bloodshed was appalling.
“What is important however is, as he went on to say, that we do go on to succeed in the mission we have set ourselves.”
Mr Gates’ selection as Defence Secretary heaps further pressure on Mr Bush. Members of both parties backed him as the man to help overhaul war policies in Iraq.
The US report, by former US Secretary of State James Baker’s Iraq Study Group, called the situation “grave and deteriorating”.
It said US soldiers should switch from combat duties to reconstruction and other help, while letting Iraqi security forces take control.
Group co-chairman Lee Hamilton said: “If the Iraqi government does not make significant progress towards the achievement of milestones, the US should reduce its political, military or economic support for Iraq.
“The US must encourage Iraqis to take responsibility for their own destiny. This responsible transition can allow for the reduction of the US presence in Iraq over time. Our ship of state has hit rough water.
“It must now chart a new way forward.
“No course of action in Iraq is guaranteed to stop a slide towards chaos, yet in our view not all options have been exhausted.”
Mr Baker said: “There is no magic bullet. The task ahead is daunting and very difficult. But it is not by any means lost.” However, Mr Bush’s old strategy of “staying the course” was no longer viable, he said.
Mr Bush is under no obligation to accept the recommendations of the ISG. But the president said he would take the findings “very seriously” and would act on them in a “timely fashion”.
Speaking at the White House after being given the report he accepted that it gave a “very tough assessment” of the Iraq situation.
But he urged Congress to forget party bickering and find common ground to achieve peace. He said: “While they won’t agree with every proposal, and we probably won’t agree with every proposal, it nevertheless is an opportunity to come together and to work together on this important issue.”
HERE'S A BRITISH SOLDIER WHO VERY MUCH SUPPORTS THE WAR IN IRAQ
lotus
Age:
Town/Place:
Guildford
Country:
United Kingdom
Football Team:
Manchester United
For a Soldier, fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and Extremists in Iraq is what we all joined up for.
Ridding the world of terrorists and murderous fanatics is a job well worth doing and worth doing well.
Immediately after the 1st Gulf War we all agreed we would have to come back one day and finish the job, or watch our Sons go over and complete the job. The same can be said now, if after all this sacrifice we pull out without completing the job, it will come back and haunt us in the future.
This is our opportunity to make history and rid the world of these evil people once and for all, whether it be in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea or Syria.
Soldiers know this is not an overnight job, it might take a decade or two, but they all know its a job that must be done, either now or in years to come. These evil excuses for human beings are not going to go away, especially if we concede now, they will just get stronger and their atrocities will be all the more outrageous.
Give the Armed Forces the right equipment, good pay and conditions, 1st class treatment when they get injured, and most of all, your full support, and they will not fail in their task, nor will they complain of their lot.
Before you start gobbing off about pulling the troops out of these countries, just remember who we are fighting and what they eventually want:
TO WIPE ISRAEL FROM THE MAP OF THE WORLD AND KILL EVERY JEW!
TO TURN THE WHOLE WORLD INTO AN ISLAMIC STATE!
Thank God the generations before us had more stomach for a fight than we do, we might all be walking around in Jack Boots and Swastikas if they had not!
thesun.co.uk