[Kabar-indonesia] 3 Articles: Iraq Panel May Offer Hope; Seen Unlikely To End War

[Joyo at aol.com]

Debate

also: Australia: Don't Count On Syria, Iran To End Iraq
Violence; Howard warns Iraq defeat will devastate US;
Aussie: U.S. Exit May Embolden Terrorists

Iraq Panel May Offer Hope; Seen Unlikely To End War Debate

By Anne Plummer Flaherty Of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON, November 14 (AP)--Bitterly divided on Iraq,
Republican and Democratic lawmakers are eagerly awaiting
recommendations from an advisory group led by Republican and
Bush family friend James A. Baker III and former Democratic
Rep. Lee Hamilton.

But even if the bipartisan Iraq Study Group is able to forge
a consensus on how to deal with Iraq - a prospect that
remains unclear - the panel is unlikely to offer a solution
so groundbreaking it will stave off a brewing partisan feud.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who is in line to be the chairman
next year of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said
Monday the Bush administration did not see that "we're
getting deeper and deeper into a hole" in Iraq.

Two options under discussion at one point by the study group
- greater cooperation with Iran and Syria, and a phased
withdrawal of U.S. troops - would require a major policy
shift by the Bush administration.

Republicans oppose setting any type of timetable for
withdrawal from Iraq, and the U.S. has no diplomatic ties
with Iran.

The panel's members, gathered at the White House, spoke
Tuesday with U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair by
teleconference from London.

Blair has insisted that U.K. troops will remain in Iraq
until Iraqi forces can take control of their nation's
security. In a speech Monday, he advocated seeking Iran's
help in ending the violence in Iraq. Aides say he also wants
to encourage dialogue with Syria.

Weighing into the debate, Australian Prime Minister John
Howard said if the U.S. and its allies leave Iraq without a
clear victory, it will embolden terrorists from the Middle
East to Indonesia and damage international efforts to
contain North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Howard said the allies should not expect much help from Iran
and Syria and that efforts to find a lasting solution to the
Israel-Palestinian conflict must be revitalized. He ruled
out an early withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq.

The Iraq study panel, established by Congress in March, is
not expected to unveil its findings until some time after
the end of November. According to a Democratic aide, Baker
told a senator he will not issue any plan unless the group
finds consensus.
The panel consists of five Democrats and five Republicans,
each prominent members in their political camps and holding
their own ideas on how Iraq should be settled.

Yet Baker's group has become the beacon of hope for
lawmakers who want to resolve the Iraq war before the 2008
presidential elections. Polls of voters in last week's
congressional elections, which returned Democrats to power
in the next Congress, found a majority - about six in 10 -
disapproved of the war in Iraq. Two-thirds of independent
voters said they disapproved of the war.

Later Tuesday, the study group was to meet at the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington with
foreign policy advisers from the Clinton administration,
including Sandy Berger, Clinton's national security adviser;
Richard Holbrooke, former ambassador to the U.N.; and Warren
Christopher, former secretary of state.

On Monday, Blair said Iran and Syria's aid should be
solicited to help stem the violence in Iraq. Resolving the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stabilizing Lebanon also
would help to unite the region behind peace, he said.

Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, said the White House
would consider opening talks with Syria and Iran if Baker
and Hamilton recommended it.

Baker's group also has been briefed by Democrats on their
plan to begin pulling out some troops right away. Levin and
other Democrats agree this is a necessary first step to put
political pressure on the Iraqis.

Aside from that initial step, Democrats remain divided on
what should happen next, how many troops should leave and
how many should stay.

Despite the major effort by the administration and Baker's
group, any recommendations that surface are unlikely to
solve Iraq's volatile security situation immediately or
forge an easy bipartisan consensus in Congress.

According to the foreign policy and military experts
advising Baker's panel, the final plan will probably back
one or several options already being debated. And, they say,
the proposal will come with substantial cost because nothing
is easy about solving the sectarian violence in Iraq.

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Australia:Don't Count On Syria, Iran To End Iraq Violence

SYDNEY, November 14 (AP)--Washington and its allies
shouldn't expect much help from Iran and Syria in ending the
Iraq chaos, and should focus on halting the Israel-
Palestinian conflict to quell anti-Western sentiments
fueling terrorism, Australia's leader said Tuesday.

Weighing into the debate on new strategies in Iraq, Prime
Minister John Howard joined his British counterpart Tony
Blair by advocating a broadening of the discussion to
include other Middle East issues.

Howard - also like Blair - again ruled out an early
withdrawal of his country's troops from Iraq, warning that
pulling out coalition forces too soon would severely damage
America's world standing and weaken global efforts to fight
terrorism and contain North Korea.

U.S. President George W. Bush, Blair and Howard form a
troika of leaders who sent invasion forces to topple former
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, but escalating violence has
frustrated their goal of a democratic replacement.

Bush established a task force to study new approaches in
Iraq after U.S. voters delivered a stinging rebuke to his
Republican party last week in elections that put Democrats
in control of Congress.

Howard welcomed the review, but said the prevailing goal, to
have the Iraqi government take charge of its affairs, is
unchanged.

"If the coalition leaves Iraq in circumstances seen as
defeat, the ramifications of that throughout the Middle East
will be enormous," Howard said in written excerpts of a
speech to the Australian American Association, released by
his office.

"It will embolden the terrorists and extremists not only
there but also in our own region, especially in neighboring
Indonesia," he said. "Iraq will become a haven for
terrorists."

This would, in turn, have an impact on other global security
issues, Howard said.

"A weaker America, a withdrawn America would significantly
change the power dynamics in our region," he said. "A strong
and engaged America is essential to dealing with all our
regional security challenges, not least the nuclear
brinkmanship of North Korea."

Addressing Blair's proposal that the West should be open to
involving Iran and Syria in stemming the bloodshed in Iraq,
Howard said: "By all means let us talk to countries such as
Syria and Iran, but let us do so with a realistic mindset
about the motivations and behavior of such countries."

On Monday, Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio
he was "very skeptical" that Iran and Syria would help.

"Far more importantly ... let us intensify our efforts
towards a sustainable and just solution to the Palestinian
issue," which is fueling anti-Western sentiment among
Muslims, Howard said.

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Howard warns Iraq defeat will devastate US

CANBERRA, November 14 (AAP) - Prime Minister John Howard has
warned that defeat for the coalition in Iraq would deal a
terrible blow to American prestige and to the security of
its allies, including Australia.

In a speech to a dinner at the Australian American
Association in Sydney tonight, Mr Howard says that for all
its faults and flaws, America remains a powerful force for
good in the world.
"We should never forget that no more powerful nation than
the United States has emerged in mankind's history extolling
the universal values of personal liberty and political
democracy," the text of Mr Howard's speech reads.

"What happens to American power and prestige in the 21st
century is not some abstract topic that we can all discuss
over dinner or in a lecture hall as if it has no bearing on
Australia's political and economic future, and especially on
our national security."

Mr Howard said a withdrawal of coalition forces that left
Iraq at the mercy of the terrorists would do enormous damage
to the reputation, prestige and influence of the United
States.

"If the coalition leaves Iraq in circumstances seen as
defeat, the ramifications of that throughout the Middle East
will be enormous," Mr Howard said.

"It will embolden the terrorists and extremists not only
there but also in our own region, especially in neighbouring
Indonesia."

Mr Howard said he looked forward to seeing the US
government's Iraq Study Group report of James Baker and Lee
Hamilton which will map out options for how the coalition
should deal with the conflict.

He said the essential goal should be to prevail in Iraq so
that the Iraqi government could take charge of its affairs.

"We need to remember what is at stake here, not only for
Iraq and the Middle East but also for American power and
prestige around the world. We also need to remember that
good friends stick by each other in the difficult times as
well as in good times," he said.

------------------------------------------------

Aussie: U.S. Exit May Embolden Terrorists

By ROHAN SULLIVAN Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY, November 14 (AP) - If the United States and its
allies leave Iraq without a clear victory, it will embolden
terrorists from the Middle East to Indonesia, and damage
international efforts to contain North Korea's nuclear
ambitions, Australia's leader said Tuesday.

Weighing into the debate on new strategies for ending the
chaos in Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard said the allies
should not expect much help from Iran and Syria and that
efforts to find a lasting solution to the Israel-Palestinian
conflict must be revitalized.

Howard ruled out an early withdrawal of Australian troops
from Iraq, warning that pulling out too soon would severely
damage America's influence and standing in the world.

"A strong and engaged America is essential to dealing with
all our regional security challenges, not least the nuclear
brinkmanship of North Korea," he said in excerpts of a
speech to the Australian American Association released by
his office.
President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Howard
form a troika of leaders who sent invasion forces to topple
Saddam Hussein, but escalating violence has frustrated their
goal of a democratic replacement.

Bush established an advisory group led by Republican and
Bush family friend James A. Baker III and former Democratic
Rep. Lee Hamilton to study new approaches in Iraq. Howard
welcomed the review, but said the goal, to have the Iraqi
government take charge of its affairs, is unchanged.

"If the coalition leaves Iraq in circumstances seen as
defeat, the ramifications of that throughout the Middle East
will be enormous," Howard said.

"It will embolden the terrorists and extremists not only
there but also in our own region, especially in neighboring
Indonesia," he said. "Iraq will become a haven for
terrorists."

Addressing Blair's proposal that the West be open to
involving Iran and Syria in stemming the bloodshed in Iraq,
Howard said: "By all means let us talk to countries such as
Syria and Iran, but let us do so with a realistic mind-set
about the motivations and behavior of such countries."

On Monday, Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio
he was "very skeptical" that Iran and Syria would help.

"Far more importantly ... let us intensify our efforts
towards a sustainable and just solution to the Palestinian
issue," which is fueling anti-Western sentiment among
Muslims, Howard said.

Blair was due to hold talks Tuesday via video link with the
Washington panel conducting the Iraq strategy review.

No similar consultations with Howard have been announced,
but the Australian leader is due to meet with Bush on Friday
on the sidelines of the annual Asia Pacific leaders' summit
in Vietnam.

At the same function Tuesday where Howard spoke, Australian-
born media mogul Rupert Murdoch said widespread opposition
to the Iraq war should not be allowed to damage Australia-
U.S. relations.

"Australians must resist and reject the facile, reflexive,
unthinking anti-Americanism that has gripped much of
Europe," said Murdoch, chief of News Corp., whose Fox
television network supported the invasion.

"The Australian people must not allow their perfectly
legitimate doubts about one policy or one American
administration to cloud their long-term judgment."

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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