Violence overshadows G8 pledges

Promises of support by G8 leaders for US plans in Iraq were overshadowed by a week of intense violence in the country, writes Khaled Dawoud in Washington

---

Click to view caption

A masked demonstrator joins a protest at the end of the G8 summit in Georgia, demanding the truth behind the attacks of 11 September 2001. Other demonstrators carried banners that read: "Stop the 9/11 cover-up," while many accused the US government of favouring financial gains and deception over accountability and transparency (photo: AP)

Celebration of the diplomatic victories won by US President George W Bush at the summit of the Group of Eight industrialised nations (G8) held last week on Sea Island, Georgia, have been eclipsed by a week of intense violence in Iraq. Iraqi insurgents stepped up attacks on US occupation troops, foreign contractors, Iraqi officials and vital oil facilities, inflicting heavy casualties.

President Bush had hoped to use the G8 summit to improve relations with much of the rest of the world and to pledge support for Iraq's future ahead of presidential elections in November. Indeed, some of the world's staunchest opponents of the war, namely France, Germany and Russia, have now declared their support for US plans to transfer power to an Iraqi government -- selected by the UN/US -- on 30 June. Yet support stopped there; there were no pledges for more troops or cash.

Clearly hoping to build on unanimous UN support for the new resolution that provides international cover for US occupation troops, President Bush said members of the NATO alliance should now consider sending troops to Iraq. French President Jacques Chirac quickly objected, saying he did not think there was any agreement on NATO's future role in Iraq. And while President Bush reportedly pressed for a pledge from France and Russia to waive Iraqi debts to the tune of billions of dollars, the leaders of both nations were defiant, saying the subject remained open to discussion.

In light of French opposition, President Bush quickly retracted his original proposal, saying he did not expect NATO to provide more troops for Iraq, explaining that the suggestion was merely a proposal for the organisation to train more Iraqi police. "That's an unrealistic expectation. Nobody is suggesting that. What we are suggesting is for NATO, perhaps, to help train," Bush said in a news conference marking the end of the G8 summit on 10 June.

Barely 24 hours after the conclusion of the summit, insurgents in Iraq escalated their campaign of violence with nearly daily car bombings and carefully planned attacks on convoys carrying what US officials call "contractors" and senior members of the Iraqi government. On Tuesday, two major explosions at an oil pipeline near Basra in southern Iraq forced a total shutdown of the country's oil export terminal, dealing a serious blow to US plans to make use of Iraqi oil money to fund reconstruction and the restoration of security. With the onset of the hot Iraqi summer, US military experts fear rising public anger over deteriorating public services, their failure to deliver on reconstruction promises and their inability to restore electricity coverage to pre-war levels.

US officials and the US media are clearly disappointed with the progress of the plan for restoring security to the country, the core concept of which comprises the training of more Iraqi police. Images of young Iraqis cheering and shouting anti- US slogans while standing on top of the torched vehicles in which five foreign contractors were killed on Monday was another blow to US claims of progress. In their coverage of the incident, the US media pointed with obvious disappointment to the fact that Iraqi police were unwilling to confront angry Iraqis.

Meanwhile, conflicting statements made by Bush and leaders of Iraq's new government over the fate of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein -- whether or not he will be handed over to the interim government upon the transfer of sovereignty on 30 June -- could only have been an embarrassment to the US president.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, known for his close connections with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) told the Qatari satellite television channel Al-Jazeera that the imprisoned Iraqi president would certainly be handed over with thousands of prisoners to the new government when it assumes power in less than two weeks. Yet as soon as US officials expressed their disagreement with that demand, Allawi quickly backtracked. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Allawi said he expected Saddam to be handed over to Iraqis, and that he had received such "promises" from US officials at the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). He added that the issue remained open for negotiations with US officials.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Bush refused to set a date for handing over Hussein to Iraqis and continued to insist that "full sovereignty" be ceded first. "We're working with the Iraqi government on a couple of issues. One is the appropriate time for the transfer of Saddam Hussein. And secondly, we're working to make sure there's appropriate security," Bush said in his joint news conference with Afghani President Hamid Karzai. "One thing we don't want, and I know the Iraqi interim government doesn't want, is for there to be lax security and for Saddam Hussein to somehow not stand trial for the horrendous murders and torture that he inflicted upon the Iraqi people," he added.

Marking another shift in his strategy towards Iraq, Bush also gave up his earlier request for the capture and trial of rebellious Shia leader Moqtada Al-Sadr. "The interim Iraqi government will deal with Al-Sadr in the way they see fit ... and they will deal with him appropriately," said Bush, who earlier dubbed Al-Sadr a "thug".

Observers believe Bush's new strategy is aimed at restoring stability at any cost ahead of upcoming presidential elections in which the Iraq war is likely to be a key factor in determining his own political future and that of the entire so-called neo- conservative project.

Bush's statements on Al-Sadr came despite continued clashes between his followers and US soldiers in Baghdad and other southern Iraqi cities. But Al-Sadr supporters said that he was now seeking to form a political party and compete in the elections scheduled for January 2005. Newly appointed Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawar praised Al-Sadr's plans, excluding further any possibility that the anti-US leader would stand trial in the near future.

At the conclusion of the G8 summit, President Bush also highlighted the support he won from the group's leaders for his new plan to promote political and economic reforms in the "Broader Middle East and North Africa", reaffirming his belief that both the war on Iraq and the promotion of democracy in the region were the best way to defeat terrorist groups. The final draft of the proposal offered a long "ˆ la carte" menu of ambitious projects to encourage free elections and the rule of law, eradicate illiteracy, train teachers, empower women and create a new class of small and medium-sized businesses. Summit participants, however, did not pledge funds to back these plans. US officials downplayed the significance of the dearth of financial pledges, saying the important thing during the summit was to agree on the general principles, leaving the details for their next meeting.

Though the final declaration entitled "Partnership for Progress and a Common Future with the Region of the Broader Middle East and North Africa" was clearly toned down to satisfy European and Arab allies, observers agreed that this ambitious project would likely remain on hold until after November's US presidential elections.