By DPA
Washington : The Iraqi government has failed to meet half the benchmarks outlined by the US Congress, including adequate progress toward national reconciliation or completion of an important oil revenue sharing law, the White House said in a report.
President George W. Bush, however, said the report released Thursday was “cause for optimism”, pointing to improved security since his troop build-up as a crucial step toward progress on the political front, namely at bringing Iraq’s rival ethnic and religious groups closer together.
“Our strategy is built on the premise that progress on security will pave the way for political progress,” Bush said at a press conference following the report’s release. “So it’s not surprising that political progress is lagging behind the security gains we are seeing.”
The congressionally mandated report was seen as a preliminary update ahead of a second, more exhaustive report due in mid-September.
Bush reiterated Thursday that he would wait until the September report before considering any changes. He believes it will provide a more thorough assessment because the troop surge he ordered in January only reached its full level during the last few weeks.
But the latest report has fuelled criticism and emboldened Democratic demands that their Republican counterparts abandon Bush and vote in favour of legislation setting a timeframe for the withdrawal of American troops.
“While we’re waiting for Republican senators to build up their political courage, the casualties are building up in Iraq,” Senator Richard Durbin told reporters after Bush’s appearance.
The US Senate is set to begin debate on an amendment next week that will call for the beginning of redeployment within 120 days of passage and an end to the combat role by April 2008.
The House voted 223-201 in favour of a similar bill Thursday. Democratic lawmakers have previously failed to legislate withdrawal deadlines because of a presidential veto.
Bush, however, is now facing discord within his own ranks. Several Republican senators have said they no longer support Bush’s policy and two have declared they will vote in favour of deadlines.
Bush acknowledged that people were “tired of the war” in Iraq, but insisted the war was winnable and pleaded for more time to allow an additional 20,000 troops sent to Iraq to have an impact.
“There’s war fatigue in America. It’s affecting our psychology,” Bush said. “I believe we can succeed, and I believe we are making security progress that will enable the political track to succeed as well.”
Congress has identified 18 benchmarks for measuring progress by the Iraqi government in addressing the country’s challenges. The White House report showed the Iraqi government’s effort toward meeting eight of them were satisfactory, while another eight were unsatisfactory. The remaining two were inconclusive.
Bush warned he would continue to veto any effort by the Congress to impose a deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
“I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war. I think they ought to be funding our troops,” Bush said. “I’m certainly interested in their opinion. But trying to run a war through resolution is a prescription for failure.”
The report credited the Iraqi government for forging ahead on establishing reliable security forces, especially in Baghdad, but that even-handed enforcement of the law based on religion was still a problem.
The Iraqi government had still not done enough to promote national and political reconciliation to diffuse sectarian tension especially between Sunnis and Shiites. There was also inadequate progress on an oil law to ensure revenue is fairly distributed along ethnic lines.
In describing the report, Bush said the Iraqis had “much more work to do”.
But there was optimism that sectarian violence was coming under control. The New York Times reported Thursday there was a substantial decline in the number of sectarian killings in Baghdad from 1,650 in January to 300 in June. The number of large bombings and suicide attacks fell below 90 in June from more than 180 in March.
“Those who believe that the battle in Iraq is lost will likely point to the unsatisfactory performance on some of the political benchmarks,” Bush said. “Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the satisfactory performance on several of the security benchmarks as a cause for optimism.”
Bush said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates would travel to the Middle East in early August to underscore that the region “remains a strategic priority for the US.”
Bush has refused to give in to mounting political pressure to announce a shift in his Iraq policy, but has held a flurry of meetings with key Republicans to keep them on board. Democrats control the house and senate, but do not hold enough seats to override a presidential veto without Republican support.