U.S. envoy unhappy with Iraq's progress
Crocker, during a visit to Baghdad, signals his status report to Congress next month won't be upbeat.
BAGHDAD -- The United States ambassador today described Iraq's progress on issues vital to national reconciliation as "extremely disappointing" as he laid out his thoughts in advance of delivering a status report to Congress next month.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker's comments, in a session with journalists in Baghdad, included citations of what he and other U.S. officials say are positive signs: a decline in civilian killings, particularly in the capital; a trend toward communities taking charge of their own security in cooperation with U.S. and Iraqi forces; and recent attempts by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to patch up differences among feuding political blocs.
But Crocker's bluntness about the Iraqi parliament's failure to pass reforms sought by Washington, and his critical remarks on other issues such as many Iraqis' lack of trust in the national police, indicated his assessment for Congress will be less than stellar.
Crocker acknowledged that things could change before he gives his report, which he said was not yet written. But for now, he said, "obviously the progress on the national-level issues has been extremely disappointing."
Asked if the U.S. had unwavering support for Maliki, who heads a government dominated by members of his Shiite Muslim majority, Crocker said he believed the prime minister was making serious efforts to end a parliamentary boycott by politicians from the Sunni Arab minority.
"Our support is not a blank check," he added. "At the same time, we know it's not easy."
Crocker said issues facing Iraq's government, such as overcoming distrust toward former members of ex-leader Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath Party, would be hard to resolve in any society. "Here, where they're dealt with in the shadow of a huge national trauma ... it helps give you some perspective on why this is hard to do," he said.
As Crocker spoke, a piece of that national trauma was being retold in a courtroom in Baghdad, where 15 members of Hussein's regime went on trial in connection with the deaths of thousands of Shiites in 1991. The so-called 1991 Intifada Trial is the third to be conducted by the Iraqi High Tribunal, which was created to handle crimes associated with the Hussein era.
The defendants, including three already sentenced to death in an earlier tribunal case, are charged with crimes against humanity for allegedly targeting Shiites in southern Iraq who had staged an uprising against Hussein in February 1991. About 90 witnesses are expected to be called.
tina.susman@latimes.com
