By Xinhua
Washington : U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended on Friday Iraq war policy worked out by the Bush administration, saying “we ought to stick” to the policy.
“I understand people’s concern. I understand people’s impatience,” but “we ought to stick” to the troop buildup strategy that President George W. Bush announced in January, Rice said in a TV interview.
She said that people should wait until September when commanding Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker are scheduled to deliver a new assessment of conditions in Iraq.
“Let’s look at the whole picture,… We’ll have a much better view of that whole picture when Gen. Petraeus and (U.S. Ambassador)Ryan Crocker report in September,” the secretary said.
Rice said she believes letting Bush’s strategy play out “is the wisest course.”
Rice, who is due to travel with Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the Middle East in early August, also reiterated U.S. support for Iraq’s government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, noting al-Maliki is “a man who wants to do the right thing for his country.”