The US State Department intends to phase out a network of embassy branch offices in Iraq within three years of the US military’s departure next year, the administration’s choice as the next ambassador to Baghdad told Congress on Tuesday.
James Jeffrey, currently the US ambassador to Turkey, told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his confirmation hearing that a program of police training, to be run by the State Department beginning next year, was also scheduled to be phased out in three to five years.
He said that he would shrink the permanent US diplomatic presence in the embassy in Baghdad, an office overseeing US military sales to Iraq plus one consulate in the north and south.
US troop levels are scheduled to drop to 50,000 by the end of next month. By the same date, the State Department is scheduled to replace the military as the lead US government presence in the country.
US troop levels are scheduled to drop to zero by Dec. 31 next year.
As the withdrawal of military forces proceeds, an existing network of 16 military-civilian posts, known as provincial reconstruction teams, will be transformed into a combination of three embassy branch offices and two consulates, Jeffrey said.
The State Department, rather than the US military, will provide security for the five remaining offices, he said
Jeffrey said polls showed most Iraqis wanted US troops to leave, but the US would remain committed to working with Iraq as a partner in promoting regional peace and stability.
“This commitment first of all has been sealed in blood and treasure, both Iraqi and American,” he said.
Jeffrey spoke optimistically about prospects for breaking the political deadlock over the formation of a new Iraqi government.
Elections in March failed to produce a clear-cut winner and political wrangling has yet to determine whether Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will remain in power.
Jeffrey declined to predict how long the impasse might last but suggested there was reason to hope a solution would be found soon.
At any rate, the US is deliberately taking no direct role, he said.
“Any direct involvement by outside actors is typically ... something that the Iraqis basically don’t like to see,” he said.
If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, Jeffrey will succeed Christopher Hill as the chief US diplomat in Baghdad.
The US Foreign Relations Committee also considered the nomination of Francis Ricciardone Jr to succeed Jeffrey as US ambassador to Turkey.
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