Baker report could point way to Iraq exit

[Snowden]

Baker report could point way to Iraq exit

Philippe Naughton and agencies in Washington

President Bush will today formally receive a long-awaited study that is expected to call for a radical change of US policy in Iraq and could offer him his best chance to set a clear exit strategy from the conflict.

NI_MPU('middle');Only one in three Americans support Mr Bush's handling of a conflict in which almost 3,000 Americans have been killed, as well as tens of thousands of Iraqis. Pressure on Mr Bush to come up with a new approach on Iraq will only intensify when the new Democrat-controlled Congress is sworn in next month.

Although White House officials have made clear that the Iraq Study Group, a ten-strong bipartisan panel co-chaired by the former Secretary of State James Baker, is just one of a number of voices informing Iraq policy, its recommendation are nevertheless expected to carry a lot of weight.

Reports this morning suggested that the panel would make 79 separate recommendations, key among them a gradual phasing of the US mission from a combat to a support role.

Quoting extracts from the report, which is to be released at 11am (1600GMT), CNN said that it stops short of recommending a specific timetable for withdrawal but calls on the Iraqis to take greater responsibility for tackling the insurgency.

"The primary mission of US forces should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army," it quoted the report as saying.

The panel is also expected to urge a more energetic effort to involve Iraq’s neighbours in ending the violence, including Iran and Syria, which the Bush Administration considers pariah states.

The Washington Post reported today that the commission will also recommend that Mr Bush threaten to reduce economic and military support for the Iraqi Government if it does not meet certain benchmarks for improving security.

Mr Bush has rejected establishing timetables for withdrawing troops and says that he is not looking for "some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq".

But he was directly contradicted yesterday by Robert Gates, his nomination to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Defence Secretary who said during a revealing Senate confirmation yesterday hearing that a fresh approach was needed.

In a extraordinarily candid assessment, Mr Gates conceded that the US was not winning the war in Iraq and the Pentagon had clearly sent too few troops to Iraq to stabilise the country after the fall of Saddam.

"My greatest worry if we mishandle the next year or two and leave Iraq in chaos is that a variety of regional powers will become involved in Iraq, and we will have a regional conflict on our hands," he added.

Mr Gates, who headed the CIA under the first President Bush, gave gave few firm signals about his own favoured options for Iraq, preferring to portray himself as a pragmatist open to all options. He made clear, however, that he had concerns about a rapid military withdrawal, and said the Baker group's recommendations would be important but not "the last word."

"It’s my impression that frankly there are no new ideas on Iraq," Mr. Gates added. "The question is: Is there a way to put pieces of those different proposals together in a way that provides a way forward?"

Mr Bush was briefed about the report by Mr Baker when they lunched alone yesterday and will receive it formally at 7am today, four hours before its publication. A White House official said that Mr Bush's reaction was "generally pretty positive".

Member of the study group are expected to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow, while Mr Bush meets Tony Blair to discuss options on Iraq.



Baker report could point way to Iraq exit - World - Times Online

[Shooterman]

Parse, spin, and tease ( the hallmark of all Pilesofcrapticians ) time is here. Oh, glorious day.