New U.S. Envoy to Rethink Reconstruction
Khalilzad
wants to give Iraqis more control of the effort while keeping up
American guidance. He also plans to focus on police training.
By Paul Richter
Times Staff Writer
July 14, 2005
WASHINGTON — The new American ambassador to Iraq said Wednesday that he
planned to rethink the troubled Iraq reconstruction program and would
intensify U.S. efforts to help the country move toward stability.
Zalmay Khalilzad, who soon will begin his assignment as the top U.S.
diplomat in Baghdad, told foreign journalists that he wanted to give
Iraqis "greater control and responsibility" for the reconstruction
effort at the same time that the U.S. adopted a more "proactive"
approach in most other areas.
Khalilzad also said that he
intended to begin talks with Iraqis about developing a schedule for
reducing the U.S. troop presence there. But he cautioned that troop
strength would be reduced only when Iraqi forces were prepared to take
over. "We will not leave Iraq in the lurch," he said.
His
comments came amid signals that Washington was changing the course
mapped out by former Ambassador John D. Negroponte, who had sought to
give Iraqis the leading role and U.S. officials a supporting one. That
approach left squabbling among Iraqi groups unresolved and led some
Iraqi officials to urge the U.S. to assert its leadership.
The
ambassador's job has been vacant since April, when Negroponte was sworn
in as the first U.S. director of national intelligence. Khalilzad's
swearing-in as ambassador and his arrival in Baghdad have been delayed
by his ailments, including hospitalization for a respiratory illness.
Khalilzad
said Iraq was different from Afghanistan, but he added, "I have a
particular style and a particular approach. I will be proactive."
Although he said he would prefer that Iraqi leaders settle problems
themselves, he suggested that the Americans would not stand by if
issues were not resolved. "Failure is not an option," he said.
Khalilzad said he wanted to "take a look at the reconstruction program
to ensure that we are not over-promising and under-delivering."
Since the reconstruction program began two years ago, there have been
complaints that although Iraqis were always consulted on major
projects, American officials had too much influence.
Khalilzad
would grant Iraqis greater control of reconstruction projects, one
aspect of the stabilization effort, while continuing U.S. guidance. For
instance, Khalilzad said he wanted to put a "higher priority on
private-sector development."
U.S. officials recently voiced
concern that Iraq's private sector remained weak, and they have been
looking for ways to diversify it beyond the government-controlled oil
sector.
Khalilzad also emphasized that he hoped to improve the
training of Iraqi police. U.S. military officials have criticized the
program, saying authorities have accepted too many unqualified recruits
and have sometimes failed to prevent infiltration by insurgents.
The incoming ambassador said he intended to review all training
programs for Iraqi security forces.
"I will specifically ensure that the police training program is based
on a jointly developed U.S.-Iraqi plan that is recruiting and vetting
candidates properly," he said.
Khalilzad said the questions of when and how quickly to reduce U.S.
forces would be "condition-driven."
The composition of U.S. forces and their size may vary as conditions in
the country change, he said, adding, "We will provide assistance that
is needed for Iraq to be able to stand on its own feet."
Khalilzad's first goal will be to work with Iraqis to develop a
"national compact," laid out in a constitution, that would outline how
power is shared among the country's ethnic and religious groups. Iraqi
leaders are working to draft a constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.
The ambassador spoke at a time when U.S. officials have been concerned
about Iraq's slow pace of economic progress.
The Bush administration has been pushing, without success, for reforms,
including in the government's huge subsidies to Iraqis for food and
energy. It has resisted Iraqi officials' pleas that the U.S. make up
for foreign aid that other countries have promised but not delivered.
