Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq

White House ^

[SandRat]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 10, 2007

Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq

      Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review (PDF)
      Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials
      In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

The President's New Iraq Strategy Is Rooted In Six Fundamental Elements:

1. Let the Iraqis lead;
2. Help Iraqis protect the population;
3. Isolate extremists;
4. Create space for political progress;
5. Diversify political and economic efforts; and
6. Situate the strategy in a regional approach.

• Iraq Could Not Be Graver – The War On Terror Cannot Be Won If We Fail In Iraq.  Our enemies throughout the Middle East are trying to defeat us in Iraq.  If we step back now, the problems in Iraq will become more lethal, and make our troops fight an uglier battle than we are seeing today.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Security

Iraqi:

• Publicly acknowledge all parties are responsible for quelling sectarian violence.
• Work with additional Coalition help to regain control of the capital and protect the Iraqi population.
• Deliver necessary Iraqi forces for Baghdad and protect those forces from political interference.
• Commit to intensify efforts to build balanced security forces throughout the nation that provide security even-handedly for all Iraqis.
• Plan and fund eventual demobilization program for militias.

Coalition:

• Agree that helping Iraqis to provide population security is necessary to enable accelerated transition and political progress.
• Provide additional military and civilian resources to accomplish this mission.
• Increase efforts to support tribes willing to help Iraqis fight Al Qaeda in Anbar.
• Accelerate and expand the embed program while minimizing risk to participants.

Both Coalition And Iraqi:

• Continue counter-terror operations against Al Qaeda and insurgent organizations.
• Take more vigorous action against death squad networks.
• Accelerate transition to Iraqi responsibility and increase Iraqi ownership.
• Increase Iraqi security force capacity – both size and effectiveness – from 10 to 13 Army divisions, 36 to 41 Army Brigades, and 112 to 132 Army Battalions.
  • Establish a National Operations Center, National Counterterrorism Force, and National Strike Force.
  • Reform the Ministry of Interior to increase transparency and accountability and transform the National Police.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Political

Iraqi:

• The Government of Iraq commits to:
  • Reform its cabinet to provide even-handed service delivery.
  • Act on promised reconciliation initiatives (oil law, de-Baathification law, Provincial elections).
  • Give Coalition and ISF authority to pursue ALL extremists.

• All Iraqi leaders support reconciliation.
• Moderate coalition emerges as strong base of support for unity government.

Coalition:

• Support political moderates so they can take on the extremists.
  • Build and sustain strategic partnerships with moderate Shi'a, Sunnis, and Kurds.
• Support the national compact and key elements of reconciliation with Iraqis in the lead.
• Diversify U.S. efforts to foster political accommodation outside Baghdad (more flexibility for local commanders and civilian leaders).
  • Expand and increase the flexibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) footprint.
  • Focus U.S. political, security, and economic resources at local level to open space for moderates, with initial priority to Baghdad and Anbar.

Both Coalition And Iraqi:

• Partnership between Prime Minister Maliki, Iraqi moderates, and the United States where all parties are clear on expectations and responsibilities.
• Strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption.
• Build on security gains to foster local and national political accommodations.
• Make Iraqi institutions even-handed, serving all of Iraq's communities on an impartial basis.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Economic

Iraqi:

• Deliver economic resources and provide essential services to all areas and communities.
• Enact hydrocarbons law to promote investment, national unity, and reconciliation.
• Capitalize and execute jobs-producing programs.
• Match U.S. efforts to create jobs with longer term sustainable Iraqi programs.
• Focus more economic effort on relatively secure areas as a magnet for employment and growth.

Coalition:

• Refocus efforts to help Iraqis build capacity in areas vital to success of the government (e.g. budget execution, key ministries).
• Decentralize efforts to build Iraqi capacities outside the Green Zone.
  • Double the number of PRTs and civilians serving outside the Green Zone.
  • Establish PRT-capability within maneuver Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs).

• Greater integration of economic strategy with military effort.
  • Joint civil-military plans devised by PRT and BCT.
  • Remove legal and bureaucratic barriers to maximize cooperation and flexibility.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Regional

Iraqi:

• Vigorously engage Arab states.
• Take the lead in establishing a regional forum to give support and help from the neighborhood.
• Counter negative foreign activity in Iraq.
• Increase efforts to counter PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).

Coalition:

• Intensify efforts to counter Iranian and Syrian influence inside Iraq.
• Increase military presence in the region.
• Strengthen defense ties with partner states in the region.
• Encourage Arab state support to Government of Iraq.
• Continue efforts to help manage relations between Iraq and Turkey.
• Continue to seek the region's full support in the War on Terror.

Both Coalition And Iraqi:

• Focus on the International Compact.
• Retain active U.N. engagement in Iraq – particularly for election support and constitutional review.

# # #

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

[msnimje]

Not particularly good news for the evil doers.

[SandRat]

The good news for them came on November 8th when the RATs won both houses.

[msnimje]

The good news for them came on November 8th when the RATs won both houses.

What are they going to do? The press likes to pretend like the Dems have the power to withdraw forces from Iraq but they don't.

[Alia]

'marking.

[El Gato]

The press likes to pretend like the Dems have the power to withdraw forces from Iraq but they don't.

Ultimately they do, by refusing to fund them. There will be a supplemental appropriation up passage in the February time frame.

They have the power, but hopefully not the cojones to use it.

However something like the Cape Cod Orca's bill to deny authorization for any increase in troops would be vetoed, and there's not the votes to override. With the appropriation, it's different, because Bush can't veto what is never passed, and it would be difficult to veto a bill that had some appropriations in it, even if much less than needed.

The President has some flexibility in spending money already appropriated and authorized, but to do so would mean disrupting the process throughout the military. IOW, he move funds from say, training to operations, as both are "Operations and Maintenance" funds. He could delay refurbishment of equipment, but that's a very short term solution, as the equipment is needed, as is the training, for to sustain the forces.

[msnimje]

They technically have the power but they will not do it. Democrats not funding our fighting men and women is a tremendous boon for the Republicans.

[SandRat]

Just like during Nam they cut the $$$$$$$ going to it.

[msnimje]

Just like during Nam they cut the $$$$$$$ going to it.

This set of Dems simply cannot do that after 9/11. They all want to be POTUS and no congress critter who cuts the funds to the troops can be POTUS after 9/11.

[SandRat]

They'll let Swimmer, Rump-Ranger Frank, Rum Breath-Rangel, Mouthy Murtha, Congressman McDamn-it, etc. do their heavy lifting for them. Yes IMO they'll try it.

[msnimje]

Yes IMO they'll try it.

Try and do are two completely different things. There are plenty of Democrats who would never dream of stopping funding and only a 20 or so seat majority in the house and NO seat majority in the Senate as long as Tim Johnson is incapacitated.