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Skriven 2007-03-16 23:31:50 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0703165) for Fri, 2007 Mar 16
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Fact Sheet: Four Years Later: New Strategy Requires Patience and
Determination
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary March 16, 2007

Fact Sheet: Four Years Later: New Strategy Requires Patience and
Determination

ÿÿWhite House News


On The Fourth Anniversary Of The Beginning Of Operation Iraqi Freedom, The
Regime Of A Brutal Dictator Has Been Replaced By A Democratically Elected
Government Operating Under One Of The Most Progressive Constitutions In The
Arab World. ÿÿWhile there is much work to be done, there are encouraging
signs of progress.

Achieving Our Goals Will Require Patience And Determination

Iraqi Security Forces Are Stepping Up To Take Control Of Their Country's
Security.ÿIraqi Security Forces continue to gain strength and are fighting
alongside Coalition forces.ÿ Their commitment and sacrifice are real:
Casualty levels for Iraqi Security Forces are now higher than for Coalition
forces.
  þ Iraq is now operating 9 National Police brigades and 31 Iraqi Army
    brigades, meaning almost 329,000 Iraqi Security Force members are now
    risking their lives to secure their country and allow political
    progress to continue.
  þ 9 of Iraq's 10 Army divisions are taking the lead in their areas of
    operation.
  þ 3 of Iraq's 18 provinces have acquired full responsibility for their
    own security.
  þ Iraqi-planned, Iraqi-conducted, and, most important of all, Iraqi-led
    missions continue throughout Iraq.

Iraqis Are Beginning To Meet Benchmarks To Achieve Political
Reconciliation. ÿ
  þ In February 2007, Iraq's Council of Ministers approved a national
    hydrocarbon law that provides for an equitable distribution of oil
    revenues throughout the country. It now needs to be approved by the
    Council of Representatives and then implemented.
  þ Last month, the Iraqi government also approved a $41 billion budget
    that includes $10 billion for reconstruction and capital investment and
    $7.3 billion for development of Iraqi Security Forces and security
    related expenses.ÿ ÿÿ
  þ Iraq's leaders must meet the other pledges they have made.ÿ These
    include:

1) Narrowing the limitations of the de-Baathification law;
2) Establishing the framework and setting a date for provincial elections;
and
3) Continuing to pursue the constitutional review process:ÿ The
Constitutional Review Committee, with representation from all major
political blocs and technical assistance from the United Nations, is now
working and is likely to present potential amendments to parliament in the
next two months.

On March 12, 2007, Iraq Convened A Regional Conference Of Thirteen Nations,
Including Neighboring Countries And The U.S., As Well As The United
Nations, The Islamic Conference, And The Arab League.ÿConference attendees
discussed issues of common concern regarding Iraq and agreed to form
working groups on border security, fuel imports, and refugees.ÿ They plan
to hold another regional meeting at the ministerial level in April, which
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will attend.

On July 27, 2006, Iraq And The UN Announced The Formal Launch Of The
International Compact With Iraq. ÿThis Compact, jointly shared by the
Government of Iraq and the United Nations, with the support of the World
Bank, will bring together the international community and multilateral
organizations over five years to help Iraq implement key reforms and grow
fully integrated into the international economic community.
  þ On March 16, 2007, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon Urged
    Representatives From Over 90 Countries To Back The Compact.ÿ
    Representatives at this meeting closed the text of the Compact and are
    now moving on to the formal signing and implementation stage.

The New Way Forward In Iraq

In January, President Bush Announced A New Strategy For Iraq.ÿ This
strategy has as its top priority reducing violence in Baghdad, to give
Iraqi leaders the breathing room they need to make political progress. It
gives our troops the reinforcements they need, and it demands more from
Iraq's elected government. We have seen tangible progress, but this is work
that will not be accomplished in days or weeks  it requires a sustained
course of action over many months. The strategy includes:
  þ Establishing More Than 45 "Joint Security Stations" Throughout
    Baghdad.ÿ These stations are neighborhood outposts where U.S. and Iraqi
    forces are jointly deployed 24 hours a day to secure the population,
    provide emergency aid to local communities, and gather information to
    root out extremist networks throughout the capital.ÿ
  þ Stepping Up Training The Iraqi Army And Police  So We Can Help Ensure
    That The Iraqi Forces Are Capable Of Providing The Security That Iraq
    Needs.ÿ
  þ Ordering Reinforcements Of More Than 20,000 Combat Forces To Iraq.ÿ The
    vast majority of these troops will go to Baghdad.ÿ Two of the five
    additional American combat brigades we committed to this fight are now
    in place and involved in operations with their Iraqi counterparts. The
    flow and movement of the third brigade to Kuwait has begun, and troops
    continue to arrive every day.
  þ Enhancing Our Civilian And Diplomatic Efforts. As our military
    reinforces its mission in the greater Baghdad area and Anbar province,
    a complementary effort is underway on the civilian side in the form of
    a joint Defense Department and State Department initiative to double
    the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq, with a primary
    focus on Baghdad and Anbar province.ÿ The first wave of civilian
    volunteers has completed training and will deploy to Iraq by the end of
    this month.

Implementing This Strategy Will Require Sustained Action Over Many Months,
But We Have Already Seen Progress.ÿ
  þ The Iraqi government has completed the deployment of three additional
    Iraqi Army brigades to the capital.ÿ These additional forces join the
    nine National Police and seven Iraqi Army brigades already in the
    Greater Baghdad area.
  þ Prime Minister Maliki has affirmed that there will be no political
    interference in security operations.ÿ Iraq's leaders have lifted
    restrictions on Iraqi and Coalition forces that prevented them from
    going into certain areas, and U.S. and Iraqi troops are now pursuing
    the enemy in neighborhoods like Sadr City, where operations were once
    restricted.ÿ
  þ About half of the planned joint security stations have been established
    in neighborhoods across Baghdad.ÿ
  þ Iraqi and U.S. forces have rounded up hundreds of people affiliated
    with violent extremist groups, discovered and destroyed weapons
    production facilities, and recovered large weapons caches, including
    mortar weapons systems and rocket-propelled grenades.ÿ
  þ Iraqi and U.S. forces have launched successful operations against Sunni
    extremists.
  þ Sectarian killings have been lower in Baghdad over the past several
    weeks than in the previous month.
  þ Two major car bomb factories have been destroyed on the outskirts of
    Baghdad.
  þ Several trucks equipped with heavy machine guns used for engaging
    Coalition aircraft have been destroyed.
  þ In Anbar province, a number of Sunni tribes have begun to unite against
    extremists, providing a new wave of Iraqi recruits to join the fight
    against the terrorists.

Millions Of Iraqis Have Risked Their Lives To Secure A Democratic Future
For Their Nation, And America Will Not Abandon Them In Their Hour Of
Need.ÿThe vast majority of Iraq's citizens want to live in peace, and they
are showing their courage every day.ÿ
  þ In October 2005, Iraqi voters approved a new permanent constitution.
  þ In December 2005, nearly 12 million Iraqis braved car bombers and
    assassins to choose a permanent government in free elections under the
    new constitution.
  þ In April 2006, Iraqi leaders announced agreement on the top leadership
    posts for a national government uniting Sunni, Shiite, and Kurd, led by
    President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
  þ In November 2006, an Iraqi Court convicted and sentenced Saddam Hussein
    for the massacres committed by his regime in the town of Dujayl.ÿ The
    former dictator was put to death in December 2006.

Our New Strategy Builds On What Has Proven To Work And Corrects For What
Has Not Worked In Iraq. ÿIt specifically accounts for the heightened levels
of sectarian violence seen over the course of 2006 and is designed to help
Iraqis defeat extremists from all communities and provide the space
necessary for advancing meaningful political reconciliation.ÿ

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