US govt lowers political targets for Iraq
Monday, 26 November 2007
WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (AFP):The administration of US President George W Bush has whittled its political goals for Iraq, setting achievable targets so it can continue claiming success, The New York Times said on its website late Saturday.
Citing unnamed administration officials, the newspaper said one of these goals includes assuring passage of a 48-billion-dollar Iraqi budget that the Iraqi parliament is bound to do in any case.
The report follows a statement by US military spokesman Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, who said last week that all types of attacks in Iraq had dropped by 55 percent since the US troop 'urge' became fully operational in June.
Smith warned, however, that progress was fragile and 'far from irreversible'.
Sheikh Abdul Hadi al-Mohammedawi, an aide of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr warned during Friday prayers in the central Iraqi town of Kufa that an operation by Iraqi and US forces targeting the Mahdi Army could have grave consequences.
Citing unnamed administration officials, the newspaper said one of these goals includes assuring passage of a 48-billion-dollar Iraqi budget that the Iraqi parliament is bound to do in any case.
The report follows a statement by US military spokesman Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, who said last week that all types of attacks in Iraq had dropped by 55 percent since the US troop 'urge' became fully operational in June.
Smith warned, however, that progress was fragile and 'far from irreversible'.
Sheikh Abdul Hadi al-Mohammedawi, an aide of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr warned during Friday prayers in the central Iraqi town of Kufa that an operation by Iraqi and US forces targeting the Mahdi Army could have grave consequences.