All NATO
Allies to Join Iraq Training Mission by Feb. 22
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
NICE, France, Feb. 2005 - All NATO allies will be part of
the alliance's mission of training Iraqi forces by the time the
alliance's heads of state converge for a major summit meeting
Feb. 22, Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said here
today.
He spoke at a news conference during informal meetings of
NATO defense ministers that began Feb. 9 and conclude today.
Scheffer said that by the time the summit begins, all 26 NATO
nations would be conducting training inside or outside Iraq, or
contributing money to the training mission's trust fund. The
secretary-general took a bottom-line approach when asked if
France would participate as a member of the alliance or through
bilateral arrangements.
"Who does what, exactly - and we know there are allies
training inside and there are allies training outside Iraq - is,
I must say, not of great concern to me," Scheffer said. All
26 nations have supported the mission politically, he added.
NATO's transformation agenda was a key topic of discussion,
the secretary-general said. "We looked at how to ensure
deeper consultation on possible troop operations to ensure the
broadest possible political support for those operations,"
he said. "We discussed establishing a longer-term and more
comprehensive approach to force iteration to ensure more
predictability in what forces are available when we need them.
And if we need them, the forces we have available should be ...
usable forces - forces we can really need in our
operations."
That area is an essential part of NATO's military
transformation, he said. "I think we can do better there; a
lot has happened, but we can do better," he acknowledged.
"We can do better in the usability discussion. We can do
better in getting the forces ready when we need them. We can do
better in ... transferring them from A to B, and deploying them
in theater, and sustaining them."
NATO is expanding its mission to the west and south in
Afghanistan, with two U.S.-run provincial reconstruction teams
transferring to the alliance's control and two new NATO PRTs
scheduled to begin operations, Scheffer said. As the alliance's
role grows larger in Afghanistan, he added, the allies must work
on the synergy between NATO's International Security Assistance
Force and Operation Enduring Freedom, which are separate
entities.
"All allies agree we need more synergy between OEF and
ISAF," he said. The notion of unity of command was
"very much on the table" at today's discussions, he
noted, though further discussions on the matter will need to
take place.
"We are going to work in an incremental way and start
with some form of unity of command," he said, adding that
unity of command doesn't necessarily have to be at the highest
levels.
Elections Mark
Turning Point in Iraqi History
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2005 -- "Tomorrow the world will
witness a turning point in the history of Iraq, a milestone in
the advance of freedom, and a crucial advance in the war on
terror," President George W. Bush told the nation and the
world today in his weekly radio address.
Bush said Iraqis continue to prepare for Jan. 30 elections
and campaign for their candidates even though they face
assassination, brutal violence and calculated intimidation.
"They know what democracy will mean for their country: a
future of peace, stability, prosperity and justice for
themselves and for their children," the president said.
He quoted a Baghdad resident as saying, "This election
represents what is possible. To me, it's the start of a new
life."
The election in Iraq is also important for America because
this "nation has always been more secure when freedom is on
the march," Bush said.
"As hope and freedom spread, the appeal of terror and
hate will fade," he continued. "And there is not a
democratic nation in our world that threatens the security of
the United States. The best way to ensure the success of
democracy is through the advance of democracy.
"Tomorrow's vote will be the latest step in Iraq's
journey to permanent democracy and freedom," the president
said.
Those elected to Iraq's transitional National Assembly will
help appoint a new government that will fully and fairly
represent the diversity of the Iraqi people, Bush said. The
assembly will also draft a permanent constitution that will be
put to a vote of the Iraqi people this fall.
"If approved, a new nationwide election will follow in
December that will choose a new government under this
constitution," Bush noted.
On the Jan. 30 national ballot, voters will choose from
nearly 19,000 candidates competing for seats in the Transitional
National Assembly, in the country's 18 provincial councils, and
in the Kurdistan National Assembly, the president said.
"The terrorists and those who benefited from the tyranny
of Saddam Hussein know that free elections will expose the
emptiness of their vision for Iraq," Bush said.
"That's why they will stop at nothing to prevent or disrupt
this election."
Bush said Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi -- who has
planned and ordered many car bombings and beheadings in Iraq --
recently declared "a fierce war against" democracy in
Iraq.
"He denounced as infidels all who seek to exercise their
right to vote as free human beings," the president said.
"Yet in the face of this intimidation, the Iraqi people are
standing firm. Tomorrow's elections will happen because of their
courage and determination. All throughout Iraq, these friends of
freedom understand the stakes."
As democracy takes hold in Iraq, America's mission there will
continue, the president said. "Our military forces,
diplomats and civilian personnel will help the newly elected
government of Iraq establish security and train Iraqi military
police and other forces," he said. "Terrorist violence
will not end with the election. Yet the terrorists will fail,
because the Iraqi people reject their ideology of murder."
Over the past year, successful elections have been held in
Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Georgia, Ukraine and the
Palestinian territories, the president noted.
"In countries across the broader Middle East, from
Morocco to Bahrain, governments are enacting new reforms and
increasing participation for their people," he said.
Bush said Iraq's election will add to the momentum of
democracy. He noted that an Iraqi speaking about the upcoming
vote said, "Now, most people feel they are living in
darkness. It is time for us to come into the light."
"Every Iraqi who casts his or her vote deserves the
admiration of the world," Bush said. "And free people
everywhere send their best wishes to the Iraqi people as they
move further into the light of liberty."
Upcoming
Elections Represent 'Historic Moment," Iraqi Minister Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2005 – Iraq's Jan. 30 elections mark
"the beginning of the end of the miseries and difficulties
that the people of Iraq have endured for so many decades,"
Iraq's interim deputy prime minister told Pentagon reporters
today during a videoconference from Baghdad.
The elections will select 275 assembly members who will write
Iraq's new constitution.
The interim Iraqi government has implemented several
emergency procedures to enhance public safety during the voting
period, observed Barham Salih. They include closing the borders
and airports, imposing a countrywide evening curfew, placing a
ban on civilian-carried weapons, and declaring Jan. 29-31 public
holidays.
"No weapons may be carried by civilians on the 30th of
January, even if they own weapons cards," Salih said,
noting there will also be restrictions on vehicle traffic during
the election period.
Iraqi and multinational security services have labored over
the past month "to make sure that we disrupt the ability of
the terrorists to destabilized the political process," he
said.
The deputy prime minister announced that Iraqi security
forces recently seized another close associate of Jordanian
terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi. The new detainee, he noted,
"served as a military adviser to high-ranking Zarqawi
affiliates and assisted in financing terrorist operations in
Baghdad."
Salih said the recent detainee joins two other suspected
senior terrorists caught in Iraq in recent weeks. During the
past two months, he observed, Iraqi security forces have picked
up "at least a dozen senior Zarqawi associates."
More than 20 other suspected Zarqawi network operatives have
been rounded up as part of a national dragnet that has led to
the arrest and questioning of nearly 2,000 suspects over the
past two weeks, Salih said.
Iraqi citizen-provided tips precipitated most of the arrests,
the deputy prime minister noted. It is important, Salih
emphasized, that Iraqi citizens and government agencies work
together "to eradicate this terrorist plague and make sure
that Iraq will be a safe and secure place, not only for the
elections, but beyond."
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