Rumsfeld says graft hampers Iraq efforts

WASHINGTON – Corruption and graft threaten to sink any progress that Iraq has made in trying to create a democracy, and U.S. military forces lack the expertise needed to build civilian government, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday.

Rumsfeld, testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee, discussed corruption, lack of basic services and the looming threat of civil war in Iraq with members of the committee.

Corruption in Iraq has claimed hundreds of millions of dollars. Last year, for example, fraudulent weapons purchases all but emptied the Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s treasury.

Specialists from U.S. government agencies and other countries are needed to work together with U.S. troops, Rumsfeld said.

“If the task is a military one, we can do that. If the task then becomes one of creating a justice system in a country, or border patrols or customs, and things that are different, off-line from the Defense Department’s major responsibilities, the task is more difficult,” he said.

Iraqi infrastructure suffered decades of neglect and will take years to rebuild, the defense secretary said. In the end, he added, the task of rebuilding Iraq will be up to the Iraqi people.