IRAQ: U.S secretary of State Rice makes surprise visit to Iraq and praises its leaders and people for their reconciliation efforts
Record ID:
572890
IRAQ: U.S secretary of State Rice makes surprise visit to Iraq and praises its leaders and people for their reconciliation efforts
- Title: IRAQ: U.S secretary of State Rice makes surprise visit to Iraq and praises its leaders and people for their reconciliation efforts
- Date: 15th January 2008
- Summary: (W3)BAGHDAD, IRAQ (JANUARY 15, 2008) ( AGENCY POOL - ACCESS ALL) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOSHYAR ZEBARI GIVING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE SAYING: "This law, the accountability and justice law is clearly a step forward for national reconciliation, it is clearly a step forward for the process of healing the wounds of the past." JOURNALISTS WRITING DOWN NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (English) US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE SAYING: "I must say that from the time I was here a month ago, I have seen also a continuing progress on the political front, particularly on the reconciliation that the Iraqi people themselves are carrying out at the grassroots level. You are seeing citizens emerge who are determine to fight the extremists, the terrorists, the foreign fighters, who has been a scourge in this country and who have endanger of the lives of Iraqis END OF NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF RICE (ON THE LEFT) SEATED WITH TALEBANI (ON THE RIGHT) RICE SEATED TALEBANI SEATED RICE (ON THE LEFT) SEATED WITH IRAQI PRESIDENT JALAL TALABANI (ON THE RIGHT)
- Embargoed: 30th January 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Iraq
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAC410O1U9FMV0Q6DW2KJDLKM91
- Story Text: On a surprise visit to Baghdad U.S. Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice gives a positive assessment of Iraq's progress towards reconciliation.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Iraq on Tuesday (January 15) for passing the first in a series of critical laws meant to reconcile warring Iraqis, saying progress was remarkable even though more was needed.
Rice said it was a time of hope for Iraq and gave one of the most upbeat assessments of progress by a senior U.S. official after she met Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and President Jalal Talabani.
Washington wants Maliki's splintered government to match recent security gains with progress on political reconciliation between majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Arab Muslims.
Iraq's parliament voted on Saturday to let thousands of members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party return to government jobs, the first of a batch of what Washington has called benchmark reconciliation laws to be passed.
"This law ... is clearly a step forward for national reconciliation, it is clearly a step forward for the process of healing the wounds of the past," Rice told a news conference following a surprise visit to Baghdad.
The laws, which also include a bill on sharing oil revenues and another on provincial elections, are designed to draw Sunni Arabs, who were dominant under Saddam, back into the political process and away from Iraq's bloody insurgency.
"I must say that from the time I was here a month ago, I have seen also a continuing progress on the political front, particularly on the reconciliation that the Iraqi people themselves are carrying out at the grassroots level. You are seeing citizens emerge who are determine to fight the extremists, the terrorists, the foreign fighters, who has been a scourge in this country and who have endanger of the lives of Iraqis," Rice said.
There has been little sign of significant progress on either the oil law or the provincial elections bill.
Zebari said Baghdad must capitalise on the political and security progress which has made its neighbours less fearful of Iraqi instability spreading through the region.
Bitter sectarian conflict has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam in 2003 and threatened to tip Iraq into all-out civil war.
Rice briefed Maliki on U.S. President George W. Bush's Middle East tour and told him that a secure Iraq was vital for the stability of the region.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Rice had told Maliki that Bush wanted to go ahead with a gradual troop withdrawal of 20,000-30,000 soldiers by the middle of this year.
Iraq would be ready to take on security responsibility for all 18 provinces by the end of 2008, Dabbagh added. Coalition forces have handed back nine provinces to Iraqi control.
Rice had been with Bush before it was decided she should break away for a visit to Iraq while Bush went to Saudi Arabia. Bush told reporters in Riyadh he would not travel to Iraq on this trip but joined Rice in praising Iraq's leaders.
Maliki's government fractured last year with the withdrawal of the main Sunni Arab bloc as well as ministers loyal to anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The stalled political progress came at a time when significant security improvements were being made after the U.S. military poured the extra 30,000 U.S. troops into Iraq. Levels of violence are now down by about 60 percent since June.
Bush said on Saturday the new strategy had reversed a descent into mayhem and that security gains were allowing some U.S. troops to return home. - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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