‘Fear’ is the mood in Iraq, envoy says

WASHINGTON – Iraq is a nation gripped by fear and struggling to meet security and political goals by September, U.S. officials said Thursday from Baghdad, dashing hopes in Congress that the country might turn a corner this summer.

One general said not to expect a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup until November.

“If there is one word, I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq – on the streets, in the countryside, in the neighborhoods and at the national level – that word would be ‘fear,’ ” Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“For Iraq to move forward at any level, that fear is going to have to be replaced with some level of trust and confidence and that is what the effort at the national level is about,” he said by video link from the Iraqi capital.

In briefings to the news media as well as members of Congress, officials warned that making those strides could take more time than first thought.

Most lawmakers have hoped Iraq would show more signs of stability this summer, long before the 2008 U.S. elections.

For months, Republicans in particular have regarded September as pivotal. If substantial gains could not be found by then, they say, President Bush would have to rethink his military strategy, which relies on 158,000 U.S. troops.

“I’m not optimistic,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said of the September assessment. She spoke after attending a classified briefing at the Pentagon by Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq.

While bruised by the Iraq debate, Bush has thwarted repeated attempts by Democrats to force the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The administration also tries to minimize the importance of the September report, trying to make clear it is not the final judgment. Beyond that, the administration is saying U.S. forces will play a role in Iraq through the end of Bush’s presidency, in January 2009.

Early Thursday morning, some 50 House members and 40 senators took buses to the Pentagon for separate question-and-answer sessions with Crocker and Petraeus.

According to attendees, lawmakers were told that the political process was slow-moving and that it would be very difficult for Iraq to meet its 18 reform goals in the next 45 days.

In open testimony later Thursday, Crocker played down the importance of meeting major changes right away and said less ambitious goals, such as restoring electricity to a neighborhood, can be just as beneficial.

Crocker also warned against a withdrawal of U.S. troops. He contended that such a move could increase sectarian attacks and create a “comfortable operating environment” for al-Qaida.

On the military front, Petraeus told members of Congress in the private meeting that he had seen some “tactical momentum” since infusing Baghdad with additional U.S. soldiers.