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."