US an obstacle to political solution in Iraq

US an obstacle to political solution in Iraq

By Peter Hartcher and Louise Dodson
February 3, 2005

The United States involvement in Iraq is not helping but is actually impeding a political solution to the insurgency, the Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, has warned in his most strident attack on the Bush Administration's policy.

After previously calling on the US not to become bogged down in a long-running civil war in Iraq, Mr Beazley has now said the continued presence of the Americans could be manipulated by forces opposed to negotiating a political settlement.

"You've now got an elected authority, or you will have very shortly, and a part of the country that did not participate in the election but which has a traditional leadership with which negotiations can be held," Mr Beazley said.

"It is very important that the US is not manipulated into the situation to provide comfort or threats or whatever as the discussion takes place."

The continued presence of the US military in Iraq also compromised its ability to deal with the continuing struggle against fundamentalism, terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction around the world, because it provided fodder for extremist propaganda, he said.
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"If the US gets bogged down in a long-term civil war they find they are suffering more and more casualties, they find because of bad intelligence and the usual fog of war they are doing massive collateral damage to innocent civilians and civilian property. All that you're doing is feeding the terrorists' sense of achievement and feeding their propaganda."

Another consideration was that by committing almost all of its military resources to Iraq, the US could not take up a role as an international leader in the fight against terrorism, Mr Beazley said.

The US had committed at least a portion of all its regular military units to Afghanistan and Iraq and risked becoming vulnerable internationally.

"This is an overcommitment of American resources and America is facing global problems," he said.

Mr Beazley indicated that if the Americans signalled a withdrawal from Iraq, this could spur a negotiated settlement to the violence.

In any case, the Americans would show that they were not prepared to be manipulated and it would enhance the authority of the new Iraqi political leadership.

The Americans have committed an estimated 150,000 troops to Iraq. Australia has about 900, with about half of these on the ground in Iraq and the remainder offshore.

Unlike his predecessor as leader, Mark Latham, Mr Beazley has refrained from committing Labor to a deadline for withdrawing Australian troops, saying they should stay to protect the diplomats there.

Mr Beazley said he had not received any reaction from the Americans to his earlier call to withdraw from Iraq.

He plans to visit Washington to rebuild relations with the Bush Administration, which were strained during Mr Latham's leadership.

But his first priority will be to go to Indonesia, to express sympathy for the damage caused by the tsunami and to demonstrate Labor's determination to maintain close relations with the region.