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Skriven 2006-06-13 23:33:42 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606134) for Tue, 2006 Jun 13
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Fact Sheet: Camp David Meetings: Building on Progress in Iraq
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 13, 2006

Fact Sheet: Camp David Meetings: Building on Progress in Iraq


ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

"My message to the Iraqi people is this: seize the moment; seize this
opportunity to develop a government of and by and for the people. And I
also have a message to the Iraqi people that when America gives a
commitment, America will keep its commitment."

-- President Bush, 6/13/06

The Unity Government In Iraq Is A New Opportunity For Progress. Prime
Minister Maliki has laid out his plan to advance his most pressing
priorities in Iraq. And the events of last week _ completing the formation
of the government and eliminating the terrorist leader Zarqawi _ mark
significant progress toward realization of our shared goal of a free and
peaceful Iraq that is an ally in the War on Terror.
  þ 

    This Week, The President Called Together His National Security Team And
    Other Key Members Of His Cabinet At Camp David To Build On That
    Progress And Ensure That The New Iraqi Government Succeeds.
      þ 

        On Monday At Camp David: General Casey and Ambassador Khalilzad
        provided the President and his National Security team with an
        assessment of the opportunities and challenges in Iraq. The
        President and his advisors heard from outside experts with a range
        of views as to possible approaches to the economic, political, and
        security challenges that remain. On Monday afternoon, the President
        and his National Security team, including the Secretaries of State
        and Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were
        joined by the Attorney General and the Secretaries of Agriculture,
        Energy, and Commerce for a discussion of the new Iraqi government's
        plans to address its most urgent challenges. The group assessed how
        best to align the efforts of the U.S. government to support the
        plans of Iraq's new government. Each of these agencies is engaged
        in helping advance the priorities of the new Iraqi government.
      þ 

        On Tuesday At Camp David: With the President in Baghdad, the group
        was joined for breakfast Tuesday by Iraq's Ambassador to the U.S.,
        Samir Sumaidaie. Following breakfast and earlier Baghdad meetings
        between the President and the Iraqi Prime Minister, the two leaders
        and the Iraqi cabinet met via secure teleconference. The Prime
        Minister discussed his top priorities for the new government, and
        he and members of his cabinet briefed the President and the U.S.
        team on Iraqi plans for improving security, national
        reconciliation, and economic reform. The President hailed the Prime
        Minister for the leadership he has shown and for laying out a bold
        agenda for Iraq. American and Iraqi leaders discussed how the U.S.
        government could best support the Prime Minister's agenda and
        together advance security and renewal in Iraq.
The Iraqi Government Has A Plan To Move Iraq Forward

Prime Minister Maliki Is Focused On Taking Immediate Actions In Three
Areas:

1. Improve security by both military and political actions; secure Baghdad;
eliminate armed gangs; and promote national reconciliation and the rule of
law.

2. Immediately build economic and government capacity; increase production
of oil and electricity; and build a foundation for prosperity.

3. Engage the nations of the region and the world in Iraq's democratic and
economic development.

The President Discussed The New Iraqi Government's Plan In Detail With His
National Security Team And Other Cabinet Officials. They assessed ongoing
U.S. efforts in each area of the Iraqi plan and directed adjustments to
U.S. plans as necessary to fully align with the plans of the new
government.

We Continue To Comprehensively Work With The Iraqi Government To Build
Security Forces, To Create The Government Institutions Necessary To Provide
Essential Services To The People, And To Build The Institutions Of
Democracy And Prosperity.

Examples Of Specific Actions The U.S. Government Will Take In The Short
Term To Advance The Iraqi Government Plan

On Security And Reconciliation:

Securing Baghdad:The Prime Minister has made the security of Baghdad his
top priority. He has briefed the U.S. government on his campaign to crack
down on the violence and at the same time promote reconciliation.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: Prime Minister Maliki will soon announce more
    specifics of his plan to secure Baghdad. The President will provide,
    through the Commander, MNF-I, 12 battalions (approximately 7,200
    troops) of Coalition forces in Baghdad to support 36 battalions of
    Iraqi Army forces (approximately 26,000) and nearly 23,000 Iraqi police
    who will work together to secure the city. Their goal will be to deny
    terrorists safe haven in areas around Baghdad and to deny terrorists
    freedom of movement in the city.

Securing Ramadi: Terrorists/insurgents have been focusing on destabilizing
Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, both to undermine the government
in that province and as a transfer point and staging ground for attacks
elsewhere.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: Coalition forces are working with the Iraqi
    Government to stabilize the city by keeping the pressure on
    terrorists/insurgents while recruiting, training, and fielding Iraqi
    army units to serve in and around Ramadi. A locally recruited police
    force is also being built.

Building Confidence In Iraq's Security Forces: Prime Minister Maliki is
committed to both increasing public confidence in Iraqi security forces and
improving the ability of those forces to take the lead in and eventually
responsibility for the security of Iraq.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: The Coalition has embedded Transition Teams in Iraqi
    Police and Military units to assist in the professionalization of Iraqi
    Security Forces and to help them achieve Prime Minister Maliki's goals.
    These teams will also help inculcate ethical and professional
    standards. The Department of Defense has interagency advisory teams in
    place, working with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the
    Interior to build administrative capacity. Now that Iraq's new
    Ministers of Defense and Interior are in place, our advisory teams will
    assist them in building internal affairs bureaus, Inspector General
    functions, and other capabilities.

Judicial Capacity: Prime Minister Maliki recognizes that a secure and
prosperous society requires a functioning and independent judiciary. A
society needs courts, prosecutors, investigators, and correctional
facilities to enforce the rule of law, deter violence, prosecute
wrongdoers, and justly punish the guilty.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: The State, Defense, and Justice Departments have
    produced a comprehensive rule of law initiative to build on past
    efforts to strengthen the Iraqi judicial system. The initiative builds
    on what has already been accomplished in the judicial sector with
    special emphasis on increasing the number of trained and qualified
    judges; ensuring those judges have adequate security to do their work;
    providing technical assistance to the Higher Juridical Council (which
    oversees the Iraqi judiciary); enhancing prison capacity to meet
    international standards; completing the training of Iraqi correctional
    personnel; and integrating the roles of police, courts, and prisons to
    act under one rule of law. In addition, we will be working with the
    European Union, the United Nations, and other international partners to
    provide technical assistance to Iraqi legislators as they work to
    complete important judiciary laws called for under Iraq's new
    constitution. These initiatives are being developed in consultation
    with the Iraqi government and a comprehensive strategic plan will be
    presented to top Iraqi officials _ including the Prime Minister and
    Iraq's Chief Justice _ later this month.

Bringing Armed Groups Under Control Of The Government:The Prime Minister
intends to develop a plan to ensure that no entities outside the Iraqi
government wield force in Iraq. His strategy will involve enforcing
existing laws against illegal armed groups and dedicating additional
resources to ensure members of militias have an alternative means of
supporting themselves and their families.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: Coalition leaders are working with the new Iraqi
    government to implement a program to disarm, demobilize, and
    reintegrate members of militias and other illegal armed groups. To
    overcome these armed gangs, Iraqi forces must be better equipped than
    their adversaries and easily distinguishable from them. Multi-National
    Forces, working closely with the NATO Training Mission, are providing
    the training, mentoring, and equipment needed to stand up a
    professional, volunteer, trained, and equipped Iraqi Security Force
    capable of taking the lead for internal security and over time the lead
    for Iraq's entire security. The President directed General Casey and
    Ambassador Khalilzad to coordinate with the new Ministers of Interior
    and Defense as well as provincial governments to determine what
    additional steps should be taken to ensure that Iraqi forces have a
    military edge over those they are fighting.

Reconciliation: Prime Minister Maliki has called on all Iraqis to overcome
ethnic and sectarian differences and forge a new path as the free people of
Iraq. The President congratulated him on his efforts to unify the Iraqi
people, including the release of more than 2,500 detainees. The Prime
Minister has said he will appoint a reconciliation committee to focus on
resolving specific concerns of Iraq's diverse communities. The United
Nations has a team in Baghdad focused on bridging divides and resolving
differences between groups peacefully.
  þ 

    Coalition Action:Any reconciliation effort must be Iraqi-led for it to
    succeed. At the same time, the United States is supporting the efforts
    of NGOs and other institutions to bring Iraqi leaders together with
    leaders from other countries, such as South Africa, so that Iraqis can
    benefit from the experience of others. We are also intensively engaged
    with countries in the region to urge them to reach out to Iraq's
    communities to encourage national dialogue, full participation in
    Iraq's political process, and the renunciation of violence. Finally, we
    welcome initiatives by other international bodies to provide forums to
    bring Iraqis together.

On Economic And Government Capacity-Building:

Revitalized Economy: The Prime Minister is committed to a policy of
national revitalization. This demands the creation of a new economic
framework that rewards innovation and investment and the removal of market
distortions that abet smuggling and corruption. Today the President
welcomed Prime Minister Maliki's plan to spur growth and create a better
investment environment.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: The President has asked the Treasury Department to
    send additional professionals to Iraq to provide technical support for
    creation of a public finance system that is accountable and
    transparent. The State Department will coordinate a broad effort to
    support an economic policy framework that enhances investment, job
    creation and growth. The President has also asked Secretary of
    Agriculture Michael Johanns to travel to Iraq to meet with his
    Department's counterparts and determine what additional actions the
    United States can take to help return Iraq to its former status as a
    breadbasket for the region.

Oil And Electricity: Insurgents and terrorists have tried to cripple Iraq's
economy by crippling its oil industry. Prime Minister Maliki is committed
to sustainable oil exports and improving the delivery of electricity.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: The President has directed Secretary of Energy Samuel
    Bodman and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez to travel to Iraq and
    work with their counterparts to identify what further assistance from
    the U.S. government is needed to help the Iraqi government increase oil
    production and electricity generation. General Casey and Ambassador
    Khalilzad will work with Iraq's new ministers to continue the effort to
    build rapid repair teams and to create new initiatives to protect key
    infrastructure nodes. We are providing resources and technical
    expertise to the Oil and Electricity ministries for the development of
    operation and management practices. We are working with the ministries
    on steps such as metering and the tagging of trucks to increase
    transparency and efficiency and reduce corruption in the oil industry.
    We are encouraging other oil-producing countries, in particular Iraq's
    neighbors, to provide their technical expertise and know-how to help
    Iraq sustain and expand oil production and exports. And we are engaged
    with the Iraqis in refurbishing oil wells in the south to ensure
    predictable oil exports and increase Iraq's overall capacity.

On Engaging The Nations Of The World In Iraq's Success:

International Compact: The international community has made pledges to
support Iraq's fledgling democracy, but many are unfilled. It is time for
the international community to meet its obligations. Prime Minister Maliki
is asking international organizations to take the lead with his government
in developing a compact between the international community and the Iraqi
government and people. This compact will bind actions by Iraq to actions by
other countries and international institutions, and make Iraq's success a
shared objective and commitment. The Prime Minister envisions a compact in
which Iraq will undertake a series of political, economic, and security
steps in exchange for more robust political and financial support from the
international community.
  þ 

    Coalition Action: The President directed his Cabinet to work with the
    international community to build this compact with Iraq. The President
    designated Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt to lead
    these efforts. Deputy Secretary Kimmitt will be supported by State
    Department Counselor Philip Zelikow and other senior U.S. government
    officials. They will travel soon to the United Nations and then to Iraq
    for consultations, and then will travel _ as necessary _ to Europe,
    Asia and the Middle East to build support for the compact. This effort
    is expected to culminate in a conference later this year where the
    Iraqi government can lay out its commitments and engage the financial,
    technical, and other support of a broad group of nations to continue
    rebuilding its country.

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