Topic: Rumsfeld says 'back off' on setting deadlines for Iraq

Media: The Associated Press
Byline: PAULINE JELINEK
Date: 26 October 2006


WASHINGTON_Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday that critics
should "just back off" and stop demanding specific deadlines for progress in
Iraq, saying it is difficult to predict when the Iraqis will can take
control of their country.

At a Defense Department news conference, Rumsfeld said the benchmarks for
security, political and economic progress that U.S. and Iraqi officials have
been discussing are valuable because "you are in effect establishing
priorities."

But he said the timelines have no specific deadlines, or consequences if
goals are not met by specific dates.

"You're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some
date isn't met. That is not what this is about," Rumsfeld told reporters.

"They've been discussing the way forward through the rest of this year and
next year," Rumsfeld said of discussions between U.S. and Iraqi officials,
adding, "As they do that, they then discuss, Well, when might something
happen? And it isn't a date. And it isn't a penalty if it doesn't" happen.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad announced in Baghdad Tuesday that Iraqi
leaders had agreed that by the end of the year, they will have a plan that
lays out rough times by which they want to accomplish things.

But on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki rejected Khalilzad's
announcement and said his government had not agreed to anything.

Later Wednesday, President Bush said al-Maliki was correct in saying
mandates could not be imposed on Iraq. But he added, "We'll push him, but
we're not going to push him to the point where he can't achieve the
objective."

But Bush also said Iraq's government would have to understand that the
United States would not have unlimited patience.

"You ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's
complicated, it's difficult," Rumsfeld said on the subject of deadlines.
"Honorable people are working on these things together. There isn't any
daylight between them."

Rumsfeld also said the United States is considering whether it should speed
up money planned for recruiting, training and equipping Iraqi security
forces.

Officials have said training Iraqis to take over security is key to
withdrawing U.S. and other coalition forces.

"We intend to increase their budgets," he said, as well as their
capabilities, and officials will work to help make the improvements more
quickly. He did not cite any figures, however. His press secretary, Eric
Ruff, said a review of their needs is under way.