Zalmay Khalilzad

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday that he supported the Iraqi prime minister's plan to disband sectarian militias through negotiations while using his military to go after the most extreme elements. Khalilzad said he disagreed with recent complaints by U.S. military officials in Iraq and politicians in Washington that Prime Minister Nouri Maliki hasn't been doing enough to rein in Shiite militias implicated in thousands of death squad killings. Khalilzad said complaints by senior U.

America's sometimes-freewheeling ambassador to the United Nations ran afoul of his superiors by taking part in unauthorized debate with two high-ranking Iranian officials during a conference of world leaders last week in the luxury Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

With a final wave, departing U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad boarded a U.S. military helicopter and flew out of Baghdad on Monday, warning Iraqi leaders that they risk losing the support of impatient U.S. voters if they don't "step up" and make the tough decisions necessary to bring peace to the strife-torn nation.

With a final wave, departing U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad boarded a U.S. military helicopter and flew out of Baghdad on Monday, warning Iraqi leaders that they risk losing the support of impatient U.S. voters if they don't "step up" and make the tough decisions necessary to bring peace to the strife-torn nation.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD is not the kind of soft-spoken diplomat who goes over well at the United Nations. President Bush's choice for U.S. ambassador to the U.N., dubbed "the viceroy" during his stint as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, is a neoconservative hawk known for his autocratic style. Yet he is also charismatic and can be charming; certainly compared to his predecessor, he's a breath of fresh air. Former Ambassador John R. Bolton was a spectacularly poor choice for the U.N.

President Bush's nominee to be ambassador to Iraq offered a seven-point plan Tuesday to tackle the challenge of stabilizing the troubled country, but experts questioned whether chaotic conditions there would allow him to set it in motion.

The U.S. ambassador here on Monday urged war-weary Americans to dig in for the long haul: a years-long effort to transform Iraq and the surrounding region, now one of the world's major trouble spots. "We must perhaps reluctantly accept that we have to help this region become a normal region, the way we helped Europe and Asia in another era," Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "Now it's this area from Pakistan to Morocco that we should focus on."

President Bush intends to nominate Zalmay Khalilzad as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the White House announced Monday, signaling that Washington plans to work with the U.N. in a high-profile way, with a high-flying troubleshooter. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the official announcement, which had been anticipated since last week, saying Khalilzad performed "heroically and at great personal risk" as the U.S.

America's sometimes-freewheeling ambassador to the United Nations ran afoul of his superiors by taking part in unauthorized debate with two high-ranking Iranian officials during a conference of world leaders last week in the luxury Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad flew to the hometown of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on Thursday to pitch a joint civilian and military project as the model for this battered country's reconstruction. In a muted ceremony on a U.S. base in this northern city, Khalilzad inaugurated the reconstruction team for Salahuddin province, the last of seven teams the U.S. has established. In addition, Britain, Italy and South Korea are sponsoring a team each.

This is what all of Iraq was supposed to look like four years after Saddam Hussein's fall: a construction boom of apartment blocks and commercial buildings, universities full of students, an airport with direct flights to Europe and the Middle East and visitors pouring in. Outgoing U.S.

President Bush intends to nominate Zalmay Khalilzad as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the White House announced Monday, signaling that Washington plans to work with the U.N. in a high-profile way, with a high-flying troubleshooter. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the official announcement, which had been anticipated since last week, saying Khalilzad performed "heroically and at great personal risk" as the U.S.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD is not the kind of soft-spoken diplomat who goes over well at the United Nations. President Bush's choice for U.S. ambassador to the U.N., dubbed "the viceroy" during his stint as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, is a neoconservative hawk known for his autocratic style. Yet he is also charismatic and can be charming; certainly compared to his predecessor, he's a breath of fresh air. Former Ambassador John R. Bolton was a spectacularly poor choice for the U.N.

The abrupt departure of John D. Negroponte as the nation's spy chief prompted angry responses from Capitol Hill and triggered new debate Thursday over whether a position created to fix the nation's intelligence problems is itself fundamentally flawed. President Bush is expected to announce today that Negroponte will become the top deputy at the State Department. Bush also is set to nominate retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell to be the next director of national intelligence.

A nephew of Saddam Hussein serving a life sentence in a northern Iraqi prison escaped Saturday in what authorities believe might have been an inside job. Ayman Sabawi, the son of Hussein's half-brother, was captured last year during a raid near Tikrit, Hussein's hometown. He was convicted of possessing illegal weapons and manufacturing explosives for Sunni insurgents.

Iraq's prime minister sharply criticized U.S. policy Friday during a private meeting with the American ambassador, pointing to the United States' failure to either reduce violence or give his government authority over security matters, aides to the Iraqi leader said. The criticism was the latest example of tension between the two governments and stood in contrast to a joint public statement issued after the meeting. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and the U.S.

This is what all of Iraq was supposed to look like four years after Saddam Hussein's fall: a construction boom of apartment blocks and commercial buildings, universities full of students, an airport with direct flights to Europe and the Middle East and visitors pouring in. Outgoing U.S.

A nephew of Saddam Hussein serving a life sentence in a northern Iraqi prison escaped Saturday in what authorities believe might have been an inside job. Ayman Sabawi, the son of Hussein's half-brother, was captured last year during a raid near Tikrit, Hussein's hometown. He was convicted of possessing illegal weapons and manufacturing explosives for Sunni insurgents.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad flew to the hometown of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on Thursday to pitch a joint civilian and military project as the model for this battered country's reconstruction. In a muted ceremony on a U.S. base in this northern city, Khalilzad inaugurated the reconstruction team for Salahuddin province, the last of seven teams the U.S. has established. In addition, Britain, Italy and South Korea are sponsoring a team each.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday that he supported the Iraqi prime minister's plan to disband sectarian militias through negotiations while using his military to go after the most extreme elements. Khalilzad said he disagreed with recent complaints by U.S. military officials in Iraq and politicians in Washington that Prime Minister Nouri Maliki hasn't been doing enough to rein in Shiite militias implicated in thousands of death squad killings. Khalilzad said complaints by senior U.