Mon, Oct 06, 2003 page1

• Rebuilding in Iraq must continue, Bush tells critics

  FINISHING THE JOB While the US president pleaded for support, violence in Iraq failed to let up as former Iraqi soldiers clashed with US troops over back pay

  • AFP AND REUTERS
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  Confronting mounting opposition to the US role in Iraq, US President George W. Bush vowed on Saturday to finish what he started and secure and rebuild the country, while the Democratic opposition cried foul and US troops clashed with disgruntled former Iraqi soldiers.

  With gunbattles on the streets of Baghdad, Bush chose to put a positive spin on his successes in Iraq during a weekly radio address.

  "Our forces know that a secure and sovereign Iraq will be a setback for terrorists, and an inspiration to all who dream of freedom in the Middle East," Bush said.

  "And the world can be certain, this essential mission in the war on terror will be completed."

  But the Democrats accused Bush of putting Iraq's needs before those of Americans.

  "Democrats believe that the responsibility for rebuilding Iraq should be shared by the international community, not just American taxpayers," said Governor Bob Holden of Missouri.

  "Otherwise," he said, referring to Bush's US$87 billion budget request for Iraq, "this effort will force major cutbacks in important American priorities."

  Sharing that responsibility looked a long way off at the UN where support has waned for a new US resolution on Iraq's short-term future.

  France, Russia and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan have all dashed Washington's hopes of an early deal.

  Annan told the 15-member Security Council last week he could not accept the terms of the US draft because it did not incorporate his suggestions on how to handle the eventual transfer of political power in Iraq.

  Annan said his proposal to let Iraqis form a government first, before writing a constitution and then holding new elections, could help stem the guerrilla-style attacks against the US occupation.

  The latest US proposals call for writing a constitution first -- a process that would take months -- before a "progressive" handover of political power to Iraqis could take place.

  French President Jacques Chirac said Saturday that "little progress" was being made on contentious issues in the new resolution, but left the door open for further negotiations.

  And Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "We are not satisfied with the draft by our American partners, though they are trying to find a compromise."

  Bush has been repeatedly forced in recent weeks to justify the March invasion. And opinion polls have indicated that public confidence in his foreign policy in Iraq and elsewhere is slipping badly.

  With US troops still suffering casualties in Iraq, the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction that Bush cited to justify the war has added to the doubts.

  But the US president highlighted progress he insisted has been made since Saddam Hussein was brought down as Iraqi leader."This weekend in Iraq, 750 Iraqi citizens completed their military training and became the first battalion of the new Iraqi army. For decades, Iraq's army served the interests of a dictator," he said.

  "Today a new army is serving the Iraqi people. And less than a year from now, Iraq will have a 40,000-member military force, trained and dedicated to protecting their fellow citizens," Bush said.

  Underscoring the US role in training a new army, Bush said, "Iraq now has a Civil Defense Corps of nearly 2,500, a border guard force of 4,700, and a facility protection service of over 12,000.." he said.

  "And more than half of the Iraqis under arms are police officers, instructed by professionals like New York City's outstanding former police chief, Bernard Kerik."

  But all that has failed to stem the bloodshed so far.

  Two Iraqis were killed in confrontations between Iraqi army veterans and coalition forces over back pay and a US soldier died in an attack overnight, as the occupation of Iraq approached the six-month mark.

  The US military said two US soldiers were wounded in the exchange of fire in Baghdad between US troops and former Iraqi servicemen seeking overdue wages, while medical sources said an Iraqi was killed and two dozen were hurt.

  In Basra, coalition forces shot dead an Iraqi during a similar demonstration, a British military spokesman and witnesses said.

  US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel George Krivo blamed the violence on Saddam loyalists, saying they had spread rumors that the former soldiers would not be paid.

  The death toll among US forces rose further when a soldier from the 4th Infantry Division was killed and another wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms attack in Baghdad, the military said.

  The casualty brought to 90 the number of Americans killed in action in Iraq since May 1.

  Meanwhile, Jordanian Information Minister Nabil al-Sharif denied yesterday reports that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were moved to Jordan.

  US chief weapons inspector David Kay said last week his team, hunting for the arms in Iraq, was investigating multiple reports from Iraqis that banned weapons or weapons-related substances were moved across borders into Iran, Syria and Jordan.
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