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Posted on 11/17/2007 12:36:34 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen presented an Iraq update to the press at the Pentagon Thursday.
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Gates and Mullen talked about political and economic progress, future objectives for the Iraqi government to achieve and remaining challenges for Coalition forces.
One major issue was the Anbar awakening and how provincial level politics is working.
“There have been developments, positive developments politically and economically, that we did not anticipate. We've talked before about the Anbar awakening and what has happened in Al Anbar,” said Gates. “There are other things happening. Some of the Sunni sheiks are now talking to Shi'a sheiks, you're getting some cross- sectoral, sectarian contact and dialogue and de- Ba'athification is taking place as thousands of Sunnis are rejoining or joining the police and the Army.”
The movement of the sheiks and tribal leaders in Anbar province turning against al Qaida is spreading to other provinces in Iraq. According to Mullen, more than (67,000) Iraqis have joined Concerned Local Citizens groups, helping with security and taking back their villages and towns.
With provinces gaining strength, pressure is placed on the ministries of the central government to solve problems and for parliament to legislate for the republic, said Gates.
“We are beginning to see some very tentative indications that there is increasing pressure from some of the provinces on the ministries and on the central government to get on with sorting out some of these other problems and to become more effective.
“There have been some positive developments in the political arena, (but) they have not been on the benchmark legislation,” Gates continued. “They have passed a slew of other legislation.”
When asked about future challenges, Gates said “this continues to be an extraordinary, complex challenge, and reconciliation at the national level is something that we know needs to happen; and the pressure needs to stay there.”
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