Iraq will reach democratic milestones, Myers insists
Iraq will agree a constitution and elect a new government this year despite an insurgency that is likely to continue, United States General Richard Myers said.
Gen Myers drew a comparison between the persistent counter-insurgency battle in Iraq and the US struggle for independence from the British, which continued beyond the official day of celebration.
“That was July 4, 1776, and yet we fought for seven more years to secure our independence,” he said.
“Clearly there’s going to be more violence ahead as there are people that don’t want this kind of progress to happen.
“The interesting thing is, they do not have an alternative plan for what should happen, other than go back to a regime that was even more threatening to its people than what we saw in the last couple of days.”
Gen Myers was referring to Saturday’s attack south of Baghdad in the town of Musayyib, near Kerbala, in which a suicide bomber killed 98 people. That attack was one of many over the weekend.
“It is difficult to explain after you have a situation where apparently a suicide bomber and a gasoline truck coincided to blow up aim maim, kill and injure many people,” said Gen Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
However, he said the Iraqi people and the international community had achieved progress, such as the historic January elections, on the road to a free and democratic nation.
“We’ve been in Iraq now since 2003. Every major milestone that has been set by Iraqi people… has been met… that will continue, in my belief, to happen,” Gen Myers told reporters after talks with German armed forces chief Wolfgang Schneiderhan.
Iraq should have a draft constitution within a month, a referendum on it is planned for October and elections for a new government are due in December.
“I think the situation, security, political, economic will allow that to happen,” Gen Myers said, although he acknowledged violence was unlikely to fade in the lead-up to these events.
ABC NEWS, USA
