Bush critical of Iraqi forces; stands by Rumsfeld (English)

WASHINGTON (AFP)
President George W. Bush admitted that Iraqi forces were not ready to replace US-led troops and warned that Iraqi elections set for January 30 would not spell the end of deadly violence there.

The president, who faced reporters in an hour-long press conference before the winter holidays, also stood by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, insisting the embattled Pentagon chief was “doing a really fine job.”

Bush vowed to keep working with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite sometimes sharp disagreements; said “now is the time” to make progress on ending the Middle East conflict; and said multilateral diplomacy was the best way to deal with surviving “axis of evil” members Iran and North Korea.

A day after twin bombings killed 66 people in the Iraqi pilgrimage cities of Najaf and Karbala, Bush admitted that violence was taking its toll there but vowed to press forward with the elections in January.

“There are very hopeful signs but, no question about it, the bombers are having an effect,” he said. “They’re trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people and, frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people.”

Bush warned Americans that Iraq‘s elections “are just the beginning of a process” and cautioned that “I certainly don’t expect the process to be trouble-free.”

“Yet I am confident of the result. I’m confident that terrorists will fail, the elections will go forward and Iraq will be a democracy that reflects the values and traditions of its people,” he said.

Bush acknowledged that efforts to train Iraqis to take charge of the country’s security had “mixed” results, and noted “there have been some cases where, when the heat got on, they left the battlefield.”

“That’s unacceptable. Iraq will never secure itself if they have troops that, when the heat gets on, they leave the battlefield,” he said, adding that he was “confident” that training efforts would pay off in the long run.

On the home front, Bush shrugged off a question about news reports that the increasingly embattled Rumsfeld does not sign condolence letters to families of US soldiers killed in Iraq, using a machine instead.

“I know Secretary Rumsfeld’s heart,” said Bush. “Beneath that rough and gruff, no-nonsense demeanor is a good human being who cares deeply about the military and deeply about the grief that war causes.”

“I believe he’s doing a really fine job,” the president said, hoping to quiet a growing chorus of US lawmakers criticizing Rumsfeld and even calling for him to step down or be removed.

Asked about seemingly increasing tensions between Washington and Moscow on issues like Russian democracy and elections in Ukraine, Bush said that he would work to preserve “a good personal relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It’s important for Russia and the United States to have the kind of relationship where if we disagree with decisions we can do so in a friendly and positive way,” he said. “I’ll continue to work with him in a new term.”

On the Middle East, Bush said that “now is the time to move the process forward,” pointing to upcoming Palestinian elections as a starting point for the eventual creation of an independent Palestinian state.

20-12-2004

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