June 30 just a step towards Iraq self rule, says US

1.00pm

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration today called the June 30th transfer of authority in Iraq just a step toward self-rule and not "a magical date" to hand over control of the country to Iraqis.

The Pentagon also said it was weighing whether it would need more money before next year to pay for its larger troop deployment and stepped-up operations in Iraq. The White House had publicly ruled out sending a new spending request to Congress before January 2005, after the presidential election.

Pressed on how Iraq would assume sovereignty amid weeks of spiralling violence, Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz called June 30th "just one step in a process," and not "a magical date" in which the US-led occupation will shift responsibilities to a new Iraqi government.

Wolfowitz's remarks differed somewhat from President George W Bush's at a news conference on last Friday that emphasised the date's significance.

"No citizen of America or Britain would want the government of their nation in the hands of others and neither do the Iraqis. This is why the June 30th date for the transfer of sovereignty will be kept," Bush said.

In two Senate hearings, lawmakers pressed for details on how the US role in Iraq will change after June 30, and on the insurgencies that have produced the highest death rate for US soldiers this month of any time during the war.

In the first three weeks of April, the death toll has about matched the 109 killed in combat from the March 2003 start of the invasion until Bush declared an end to "major combat" operations six weeks later.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, a Virginia Republican, said the White House should say it was handing over "limited" sovereignty to Iraq in June, since the United States would keep control of security and have other major functions.

The term "transferring sovereignty" could "take on a life of its own, causing all sorts of unintended consequences," agreed Senator Hillary Clinton, a New York Democrat.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, said "experiences with inadequate planning and communications" from the White House on Iraq made him more determined to find out what it intended for the US role there after June 30.

A panel of private experts testified at the Foreign Relations Committee hearing. The administration declined to send a high-ranking official from the Pentagon.

At the Armed Services hearings, Democrats ripped into Wolfowitz who they said had few answers about the Iraq operation, but instead focused on the villainy of toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

"Virtually nothing has been said," said Sen Mark Dayton of Minnesota, who called Wolfowitz's presentation "a continuation of this attitude that Congress is to be duped."

Democrats also questioned how the Pentagon will be able to stretch funds for the Iraq war into next year, instead of seeking more emergency money soon.

General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon was "evaluating right now" whether it will need more emergency money for Iraq before next year, which could put debate in Congress on a spending bill at the height of campaigns before November's elections.

"We thought before, with what the services were identifying as shortfalls, that we could bridge the gap for the last month of this fiscal year and cover our expenses," Myers said. "I think we just have to ensure ourselves that's still true given the higher expenses we have now."

As US troops seem increasingly stretched in Iraq, Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of the Foreign Relations Committee, raised the issue of reinstating the draft.

"There is a societal implication here. It's the middle class, lower middle class always the rifle man in the field, that's always on the line. Not the sons and daughters of the wealthy and the powerful. If we've got a generational war then all of us should take some responsibility for this country if it is a nation at war," the Nebraska senator said on CNN.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq