Posted on 01/26/2007 8:29:44 PM PST by NormsRevenge
BAGHDAD (AFP) - The new Democrat speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), made a surprise visit to Baghdad where she urged Iraqi leaders to pursue political solutions to end spiraling sectarian violence.
But US and Iraqi officials announced tough new tactics to starve sectarian violence of outside support with US forces now targeting Iranian agents in Iraq for capture or killing.
Despite US and Iraqi efforts to increase security in the capital, bombers on Friday killed 15 people in Baghdad's famous pet market.
Pelosi, 66, the first female Speaker of the House who is known for her strong anti-war stance, arrived in Baghdad along with several other senior Democratic lawmakers.
Pelosi is the spearhead of Democratic opposition to US Presideng George W. Bush, who asked critics of his new Iraqi strategy Tuesday to "give it a chance."
But in meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and US officials she advocated the Iraqis reaching political solutions rather than relying on a surge in US troops to end sectarian violence.
"The sooner Iraqi leaders make necessary political accommodations, including amending their constitution to resolve outstanding differences among all Iraqi communities, the better the chances for ending the sectarian violence," the lawmakers said in a statement released by Pelosi's office after the meetings.
They said that in their meetings they stressed their belief that Iraqis must take "primary responsibility" for the country's security.
"The delegation's view is that American forces should quickly begin to transition from a combat role to one focused on training, counter-terrorism, force protection, and controlling Iraq's borders."
Maliki assured Pelosi the that Baghdad was determined "to assume security missions currently handled by US-led forces in Iraq," but asked that the training and equipping of Iraqi forces with modern weapons be speeded up, a statement from his office said.
The California Democrat is second in line to assume the US presidency, behind Vice President Dick Cheney.
The US Senate, meanwhile, confirmed Friday Lieutenant General David Petraeus as the new commander of US forces in Iraq, replacing General George Casey.
Bush said on Friday he had issued orders to confront those who target Iraqis or US forces in Iraq, as US and Iraqi officials confirmed tough new tactics against Iranian agents there.
"If somebody's trying to harm our troops, or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, we will stop them," Bush said.
At the same time, Bush said as he met with Petraeus that it would be wrong to think that such efforts mean a coming war with Iran.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Washington had made clear it fears that Iran was supplying Shiite Iraqi insurgents with technology to make sophisticated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to attack US forces.
"We have every right to go after those Iranian paramilitary intelligence agents engaged in this activity inside Iraq," Burns told reporters.
In Baghdad, Maliki outlined to Pelosi his plan to quell violence in Baghdad, a necessity underscored by the bombing earlier Friday of the Al-Ghazil market that killed 15 people, the latest in a bombing spree targeting shopping areas that has killed more than 150 people this week.
The bombing was another gruesome example of the current trend followed by insurgents to attack markets to inflict as many civilian casualties as possible.
Elsewhere on Friday, five more Iraqis were killed in violence, while police in Baghdad discovered 27 bodies bearing bullet wounds.
"The prime minister underscored his government's determination to deal with terrorist groups. This confrontation will not be based solely on military force however, but also on political means," Maliki's office said.
US and Iraqi authorities stress their new security plan will target militiamen involved in sectarian killing, and its focus was expected to be the Mahdi Army, the armed unit headed by anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, has made a surprise visit to Baghdad where she urged Iraqi leaders to pursue political solutions to end spiraling sectarian violence. But US and Iraqi officials announced tough new tactics to starve sectarian violence of outside support with US forces now targeting Iranian agents in Iraq for capture or killing.(AFP/Mannie Garcia )
.. she advocated the Iraqis reaching political solutions rather than relying on a surge in US troops to end sectarian violence.
"The sooner Iraqi leaders make necessary political accommodations, including amending their constitution to resolve outstanding differences among all Iraqi communities, the better the chances for ending the sectarian violence," the lawmakers said in a statement released by Pelosi's office after the meetings.
They said that in their meetings they stressed their belief that Iraqis must take "primary responsibility" for the country's security.
"The delegation's view is that American forces should quickly begin to transition from a combat role to one focused on training, counter-terrorism, force protection, and controlling Iraq's borders."
Sumbich, why didn't WE think of that?
Analysis: Pelosi Iraq trip is symbolic
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774401/posts
Bloomberg had this on yahoo as well
Pelosi in Iraq as Democrats Plan to Block Bush Policy
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070126/pl_bloomberg/anwtmfrw93ua_1
The mind boggles to wonder why it was the Nancy woman wasn't down there at that pet market picking out a plump puppy for dinner.
She doesn't have a clue about the enemy, does she?
Nancy so reminds me of a George Carlin (I think ) gag... He said his mom used to say "Son,Dear the better man walks away from a fight" when you did that, everybody else on the block just thought they were a punk !!!!
Sick!! Other words fail me at this point!!!!
She wants a political solution.
But you know she and her meg million dollar husband are out for the kill with their business deals.
She's trying the same strategy that's worked so well to control violence in all the Democrat controlled cities here in the U.S.</s>
Great, now Iraq is infected with Pilosium 210. What a waste.
No she doesn't. She believes that it's just two groups of schoolage bullies fighting each other and all you have to do is sit them down and talk nice to them and everything will be fine. That doesn't work when both groups are intent on waging terror on each other. Before you can sit them down, you have to hit them about the head and shoulders to get their attention, and keep the threat there to prevent the violence from rekindling.
Of course, I don't believe that Pelosi, Murtha, et.al, care a wit about a political settlement. They just want to make our efforts there and the President look bad. Their view, the less power he and the executive branch has, the more for them. They are playing a dangerous game as the foes of the US will see that as weakness and exploit it if possible in a way that is catastrophic for all of us.
are all these people loaded on botox? jesus they don't look human
Take her for a bird hunt.
I wish all the loony leftists would learn, first hand, that talk is cheap. Anybody can say/promise anything they want. Deeds are what matters.
"Can't we all just get along??"
These watermelons just don't get it. Either they are insanely stupid or they really just want the entire world to flip-off the US.
Madame President. ;')
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