By Thom Shanker and Christine Hauser
New York Times
12 April 2005
SALAHUDDIN, Iraq, April 12 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld spent today in a whirlwind of travel that took him from Iraqi government compounds in Baghdad to "town hall" meetings with American troops outside the capital to a final stop here. In this Kurdish stronghold beneath snow-capped mountains, anti-Saddam Hussein forces plotted for years against the Iraqi dictator - and against other Kurds.
The defense secretary's agenda today required a certain balancing. He was here as the first Bush cabinet secretary to congratulate newly chosen Iraqi government officials in person, but he also came to express thanks to the outgoing prime minister who campaigned, but failed, to stay in office.
And Mr. Rumsfeld's repeated message of American steadfastness in the mission was laced with stern warnings to the Iraqi leadership about the dangers of political cronyism and partisan purges, especially as the effort to organize, equip and train a capable Iraqi security force is seen as reaching a critical juncture.
He cautioned against any plans that would delay writing a constitution by August, approving it by October and electing a new Iraqi government by December.
"We don't really have an exit strategy," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "We have a victory strategy."
The motto drew applause from a dining hall filled with troops of the Third Infantry Division, which is back in Iraq for a second deployment with almost half its troops veterans of the armored rush that seized Baghdad two years ago.
"What the United States wants to see is what the Iraqi people want to see, and that is an end to the insurgency, and the development of the Iraqi security forces to the point where they are capable of assuming responsible for security for the Iraqi people," Mr. Rumsfeld said later in the day.
"It isn't so much a matter of continuity as a matter of competence, capability. It's a matter of not causing undue turbulence in the Iraqi security forces and not setting back the important progress that has been achieved."
In their public comments after meetings with Mr. Rumsfeld, Iraqi leaders expressed agreement with the defense secretary's message.
"I don't deny there is a challenge," said Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the leader of a Shiite religious party who has been nominated to serve as prime minister, adding "But I am sure we are going to form very good ministries" populated by "good technocrats" from "diverse backgrounds."
Ayad Allawi, who had strong American support during his tenure as interim prime minister but thus far has lost out in the competition to keep the post, said the entire Iraqi leadership opposes any delay in the political process.
That view was echoed by Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish militia leader who is the new president. He pledged the government would battle corruption and had no plans to delay the constitution or the next round of elections.
Mr. Rumsfeld's last stop in Iraq was here, at Salahuddin in the north, where he thanked Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish Democratic Party leader, for the combat prowess his militiamen brought to the coalition offensive to topple Mr. Hussein.
But a more subtle message was of thanks for agreeing to compromises that, at present, leave him without a prestigious portfolio in the new government.
Mr. Barzani agreed that to build a democratic Iraq, national reconciliation "is a necessity," and that former Baathists with skills needed by the new government could be asked to serve - except for those who committed crimes against Iraqi people.
Mr. Rumsfeld also held a closed-door strategy session with Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, who said the confidence of Iraqi security forces has significantly improved since the Jan. 30 election.
The biggest challenge facing the coalition military now as it trains Iraqi forces and begins handing off security responsibilities is forming a larger and more competent Iraqi command structure to lead the troops, he said. Today, he said, not enough Iraqi units can operate independently of American or coalition forces.
Military officials in Iraq said the number of American forces here would drop just below 138,000 by the end of the month, back to the levels before the January election.
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Citation: Thom Shanker and Christine Hauser, "Rumsfeld, in Talks in Iraq, Warns About Corruption," New York Times, 12 April 2005.
Original URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/12/international/middleeast/12cnd-rumsfeld.html?pagewanted=print&position=
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