http://udn.com/NEWS/WORLD/WOR3/4296980.shtml
布希暫停自伊撤軍 讓新政府傷腦筋
 
【聯合報╱編譯蔡繼光／綜合11日外電報導】 2008.04.12 02:23 am
 
 
美國總統布希10日宣布對伊拉克的「重大戰略改變」，包括今年7月後暫停撤軍行動。民主黨國會領袖隨即出面譴責，指布希此舉不啻將伊拉克決策這個燙手山芋，丟給即將於今年底選出的新總統，屆時不論誰當選，都將面臨是否從伊拉克大幅撤軍的難題，對這位新總統很不公平。

布希決定暫停自伊拉克撤軍，意味明年1月他將政權移交給新總統時，駐伊美軍幾乎確定仍有逾10萬兵力。民主黨人士立刻指責布希刻意在僅剩的10個月任期擺爛，發動伊拉克戰爭卻不負責收拾善後。

明年美國新總統一上任就將面臨超級難題，若不自伊拉克大幅撤軍，巨額軍費將持續拖累低迷的美國經濟；若大幅撤軍，又將面臨伊拉克局勢可能惡化至難以收拾的後果。

布希總統表示，美軍去年增兵三萬的行動已扭轉伊拉克頹勢，但也警告伊國局勢仍不穩定，美軍將在7月暫停撤軍行動。不過布希強調，「這場戰爭雖然難打，但絕非毫無止境」。

民主黨籍的眾院議長波洛西說，布希在談話中對讓駐伊美軍返家的條件為何等關鍵問題，避而不答，而這些問題卻與美國陷入經濟衰退有關。他必須給個答案。

布希在演說中還宣布，部隊輪調部署伊拉克及阿富汗的時間，自8月1日起將由15個月縮短為一年，以紓解美軍因伊戰需求導致兵力吃緊情形。他支持駐伊指揮官裴卓斯將軍的建議，將在7月1日完成撤回去年增派的兩萬兵力，之後留下的近14萬兵力則先凍結45天，以評估安全情勢。

布希並為其戰爭策略辯護，指出在伊拉克的勝利對美國安全利益十分關鍵。他說，伊戰「仍有嚴峻複雜的挑戰，面對凱達、伊朗破壞性影響力，使伊國政治進展困難重重。不過，在增兵之後，戰略已有重大轉變」。

民主黨參院領袖瑞德則歡迎布希縮短美軍輪調駐伊期間的決定，但對暫停撤軍表示無法接受。他批評布希在玩「進一步，退兩步」的策略。

【2008/04/12 聯合報】

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200804/20080411031477.html
布希下令七月起暫停自伊撤軍　保持14萬兵力
法新社╱法新社 2008-04-11 08:20     

 
 
（法新社華盛頓十日電）美國總統布希今天在白宮發表演說，下令從今年七月起，暫停從伊拉克撤軍，但縮短每梯次美軍在伊拉克停留的時間。

布希是在聽取美國在伊拉克戰區最高指揮官裴卓斯中將的簡報和建議後，作出這項決定。

裴卓斯中將過去兩天在國會作證時表示，為了維持美軍在伊拉克辛苦贏得的戰果，他建議在七月最後一批增援伊拉克戰鬥部隊撤回後，暫停撤軍行動四十五天，以便將領們有足夠的時間評估伊拉克的安全條件，以決定是否建議進一步撤軍。

根據布希這項暫時凍結撤軍的決定，預計到十一月美國新總統產生時，駐伊拉克美軍人數將還維持在十四萬人左右。

布希也決定從八月份起，派駐伊拉克軍隊駐守時間從目前的十五個月縮短為十二個月。但八月以前抵達伊拉克的美軍，仍將駐滿十五個月。　

布希在演說中捍衛他的伊拉克政策，強調十五個月前增兵伊拉克的政策已經奏效，伊拉克的派系動亂已經減少，軍民死傷人數也降低。伊拉克軍隊已掌握戰爭的主動性，勝利的遠景已重現。

不過布希也承認伊拉克戰爭的複雜性仍然存在，蓋達恐怖份子及伊朗支持的武裝份子仍隨時伺機展開攻擊行動。

布希於去年初增派五個戰鬥旅到伊拉克。這些增援部隊將於七月完成撤離。這將使目前駐伊美軍人數從十五萬八千人減為十四萬人。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080410/wl_mideast_afp/usiraqpoliticsbush_080410211152;_ylt=AooJkNe9pH1F0RqkWuNm1r.aOrgF
Bush: Iraq withdrawals to freeze in July

by Olivier Knox
Thu Apr 10, 5:11 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Thursday ordered an indefinite halt to US troop withdrawals from Iraq come July, warning that the strife-torn country remains too fragile five years after Baghdad fell.
 
"Serious and complex challenges remain in Iraq, from the presence of Al-Qaeda to the destructive influence of Iran to hard compromises needed for further political progress," Bush said in a speech defending his strategy.

With his fellow Republicans worried about the vastly unpopular conflict's cost in November elections, Bush said he was also shortening troop deployments, and promised that "while this war is difficult, it is not endless."

Still, the president's remarks underlined that his successor in January 2009 will decide whether and how to end the war, which is now in its sixth year, after claiming the lives of more than 4,000 US troops and countless Iraqis.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that, while he expected more drawdowns if the situation improves, he did not think that US force levels could drop to 100,000 by year's end as he had once hoped.

In his speech, Bush explained that he was accepting advice from the top US commander in Iraq, Army General David Petraeus, and the US ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, who testified to US lawmakers for two days this week.

"I've accepted these recommendations," he said, underlining the central one of pursuing a limited drawdown from 20 brigades of combat troops to 15 brigades as scheduled by the end of July, but freezing further withdrawals.

"Beyond that, General Petraeus says he'll need time to consolidate his forces and assess how this reduced American presence will affect conditions on the ground before making measured recommendations on further reductions," he said.

"And I've told him he'll have all the time he needs," the president said, without setting a timeframe.

The White House said it would last 45 days, and Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee it would be a "brief pause for consolidation and evaluation."

"I do not anticipate this period of review to be an extended one, and I would emphasize that the hope, depending on conditions on the ground, is to reduce our presence further this fall," he said.

Facing warnings from top military commanders that the war is putting a heavy strain on US forces and their families, Bush also said he was cutting tours of duty for troops deployed after August 1, from 15 months to one year.

"We'll also ensure that our Army units will have at least a year home for every year in the field," he said.

Democrats, including White House hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, have stepped up calls to bring more US troops home, and said Bush's only strategy is to hand off the conflict to his successor.

"We cannot press Iraq's leaders to resolve their differences and spend their money if our plan is to stay in Iraq indefinitely," said Obama.

"As president, I will do what this president has failed to do: recognize reality and end the war responsibly," Clinton said.

Bush, who brushed off such criticisms as "simply wrong," also said he was launching an all-out diplomatic offensive to rally Arab support for Iraq and warned arch-foe Iran that it faced "a choice" on how to treat its neighbor.

Bush lumped Tehran and Al-Qaeda together as "two of the greatest threats to America in this new century" and left little doubt that he was threatening Iran with military action if it threatens US interests in Iraq.

"If Iran makes the right choice, America will encourage a peaceful relationship between Iran and Iraq. If Iran makes the wrong choice, America will act to protect our interests and our troops and our Iraqi partners," he said.

His speech came as two US air strikes in Baghdad's embattled Sadr City district killed six people as fighting flared for a fifth straight day between Shiite militiamen and security forces hunting mortar and rocket teams.

Separately, Petraeus called for a "very, very sensitive" approach in dealing with militias allied with radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, warning that overly harsh measures could lead them to abandon a unilateral ceasefire Sadr imposed in August.

On the diplomatic front, Bush said he was ordering Petraeus and Crocker to Saudi Arabia and sending top US diplomats to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt to convince them to reopen their embassies in Baghdad.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will also travel to an April 22 regional conference on Iraq in Kuwait and an international meeting on Iraq in Stockholm, officials said.

http://news.yam.com/cna/international/200804/20080411030310.html
布希下令七月起暫停自伊撤軍　保持14萬兵力
中央社╱中央社 2008-04-11 02:33     

（中央社記者劉坤原華盛頓十日專電）美國總統布希今天在白宮發表演說，下令從今年七月起，暫停從伊拉克撤軍，但縮短每梯次美軍在伊拉克停留的時間。

布希是在聽取美國在伊拉克戰區最高指揮官裴卓斯中將的簡報和建議後，作出這項決定。

裴卓斯中將過去兩天在國會作證時表示，為了維持美軍在伊拉克辛苦贏得的戰果，他建議在七月最後一批增援伊拉克戰鬥部隊撤回後，暫停撤軍行動四十五天，以便將領們有足夠的時間評估伊拉克的安全條件，以決定是否建議進一步撤軍。。

根據布希這項暫時凍結撤軍的決定，預計到十一月美國新總統產生時，駐伊拉克美軍人數將還維持在十四萬人左右。

布希也決定從八月份起，派駐伊拉克軍隊駐守時間從目前的十五個月縮短為十二個月。但八月以前抵達伊拉克的美軍，仍將駐滿十五個月。

布希在演說中捍衛他的伊拉克政策，強調十五個月前增兵伊拉克的政策已經奏效，伊拉克的派系動亂已經減少，軍民死傷人數也降低。伊拉克軍隊已掌握戰爭的主動性，勝利的遠景已重現。

不過布希也承認伊拉克戰爭的複雜性仍然存在，蓋達恐怖份子及伊朗支持的武裝份子仍隨時伺機展開攻擊行動。

布希於去年初增派五個戰鬥旅到伊拉克。這些增援部隊將於七月完成撤離。這將使目前駐伊美軍人數從十五萬八千人減為十四萬人。

http://1-apple.com.tw/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Article&Sec_ID=3&ShowDate=20080410&IssueID=20080410&art_id=30438344&NewsType=1&SubSec=11
蘋果日報2008年4月10日

美駐伊指揮官 建議凍結撤軍
【蔡筱雯╱綜合外電報導】美軍攻下巴格達，推翻伊拉克海珊政權昨屆滿五周年，美軍駐伊拉克最高指揮官佩崔斯（David Petraeus）在此時赴國會聽證會，他表示伊拉克安全雖顯著改善但仍「脆弱」，建議今年7月撤回2萬駐伊美軍之後，美國暫時「凍結」撤軍行動45天，以強化及評估伊拉克情勢發展。

希拉蕊意見相反
而民主、共和兩黨三名總統參選人昨都來到參議院，藉質詢佩崔斯宣揚政見，主戰派的麥肯（John McCain）篤定獲共和黨提名，他支持沙場老將佩崔斯，認為倉促從伊拉克抽身，將是美國「政治與道德領袖的失敗表現」；爭取民主黨提名的希拉蕊（Hillary Clinton）主張撤軍，強調「堅持失敗的政策，就是不負責任」；她的對手奧巴馬（Barack Obama）也要求佩崔斯訂出撤軍時間表，他說美國恐須接受伊拉克「混亂又鬆散的現狀」，只要沒有激烈動亂就好。
在聽證會之後，布希將會晤國會兩黨領袖，並在美國時間周四，針對伊拉克情勢發表演說。

http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,110504+112008041000522,00.html
中國時報 2008.04.10　
麥肯、希拉蕊、歐巴馬 同台質詢伊戰
尹德瀚／綜合報導

    　駐伊拉克美軍最高指揮官裴卓斯8日出席美國國會參議院軍事委員會和外交關係委員會兩場聽證會，在座有三位未來可能成為美軍最高統帥的聯邦參議員－紐約州的希拉蕊．柯林頓，伊利諾州的歐巴馬和亞利桑納州的麥肯，讓伊拉克戰爭議題與年底總統大選形成有趣的交集。

    　與裴卓斯一同出席的還有駐伊拉克大使克勞可，這兩人去年上任以來的表現均受肯定，而麥肯、希拉蕊和歐巴馬對他們的質詢也都相當克制，過程中並未出現劍拔弩張的火藥場面，顯然三位總統參選人都不想表現得太過強硬，以免讓自己的選戰失分。

    　先開始的是軍事委員會聽證會，共和黨準總統候選人麥肯拜年資較深之賜，排在第二位發言，他開宗明義就呼籲，要美國人民拒絕「鹵莽且不負責的」從伊拉克撤軍的主張，聲稱美軍在伊拉克的表現大有改善，並指不管撤軍後果如何，都是政治與道德領導的失敗。

    　輪到爭取民主黨總統候選人提名的希拉蕊發言時，她則針對麥肯的發言強力反駁。希拉蕊說，有人對任何撤軍主張，即使是經過仔細規劃且負責的撤軍，都說成是不負責任或缺乏領導，而對這種指詰，「我基本上不同意，我認為公平來說，繼續執行導致今天這個結果且將一再重蹈覆轍的政策才是不負責任。」

    　三人中最後發言的歐巴馬說，當初美國決定入侵伊拉克造成的直接結果，就是恐怖組織「基地」的勢力在伊拉克坐大，伊朗對伊拉克的影響力漸增，但他也指出，這個問題不能歸咎於裴卓斯和克勞可，因為「你們只是事後來收拾爛攤子。」

    　裴卓斯在評估伊拉克當前情勢時表示，情勢雖有好轉，但離開香檳慶功還早，目前用兵的確有進展，但進展微弱且可能逆轉，因此他建議原定7月進行的一系列撤軍行動應該暫緩45天，之後他再進行評估，以確定情勢是否容許更多美軍撤離伊拉克。

    　但希拉蕊顯然不吃這一套，她主張立刻開始從伊拉克撤軍，以應付其他地區的問題。希拉蕊說：「我認為現在就該開始有秩序地撤離美軍，並且把焦點放在阿富汗、全球恐怖組織以及美國當前其他問題所形成的挑戰。」

    　與希拉蕊角逐民主黨總統候選人的歐巴馬則稱，伊拉克的現狀亂七八糟，如果要達成布希政府對伊拉克所設定的目標，美軍可能要在伊拉克駐紮30年，因此他主張利用外交「增兵」策略－包括與伊朗談判，才能穩定伊拉克的情勢。歐巴馬強調，如果伊拉克總理馬里奇能容忍與伊朗發展正常鄰邦關係，那美國也該和伊朗談判。

    　這兩場聽證會還有多位參議員出席，包括麻州的甘迺迪和康乃狄克州的李柏曼等等，但麥肯、希拉蕊和歐巴馬才是矚目焦點；例如當希拉蕊走進會場時，裴卓斯立刻起身與她打招呼。而希拉蕊這回也一改去年9月質詢裴卓斯咄咄逼人的態度，整個質詢過程語氣平和。

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200804/20080410027435.html
駐伊美軍指揮官赴國會 總統參選人嚴加質詢
法新社╱張佑之 2008-04-10 00:20   

 
 
（法新社華盛頓八日電）美國駐伊拉克軍隊指揮官裴卓斯將軍暫別伊拉克戰區，面對二零零八年總統競選活動的砲火，他今天在國會接受三位參選總統的參議員嚴厲質詢。

這是競選活動的一個最新插曲，而此次競選一再違反慣例。指揮伊拉克戰爭的裴卓斯任由共和黨篤定的總統提名人馬侃以及民主黨參選人希拉蕊．柯林頓和歐巴馬測試其能耐。

自比為英國戰時英雄邱吉爾的馬侃在參院軍事委員會的聽證會中，對伊拉克戰事表示強烈支持，並稱，伊拉克對美國而言，已不再是個「深淵」。

希拉蕊為了十分鐘的亮相而等候了三個小時，她發揚政治家精神而厭惡誇張，但她的語音仍充滿對布希政府所謂大舉增兵伊拉克戰略已奏效的鄙夷之情。

美國參議員是依照年資來排列質詢順序，歐巴馬在參院外交委員會一項聽證會的長時間等待，反映出他步入華府政壇的時間尚短。參選對手指他的經驗不足以擔任總統，他則辯稱，這證明他不是墮落政治體系的一員。

希拉蕊最後告訴裴卓斯和美國駐伊拉克大使克勞可：「過去五年來，我們不斷聽到政府說，情況正在好轉中，我們即將渡過危險期。」

她說，「每一次伊拉克領導人都無法實現這個目標」；並說，現在已經是美軍開始「有秩序」撤出伊拉克的時候了。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080408/pl_afp/usvoteiraqcandidates_080408213849;_ylt=ApWGYhD9uHLBlivktVdytfesOrgF
Clinton, McCain play to gallery, Obama awaits, in Iraq hearing

by Stephen Collinson
Tue Apr 8, 5:38 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - General David Petraeus swapped the war zone in Iraq for the crossfire of the 2008 White House campaign Tuesday, as he endured a Capitol Hill grilling from the three senators who would be president.
 
In the latest tense twist to a campaign that has repeatedly defied convention, the man running the Iraq war was put through his paces by presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Later, in an exhausting day of Senate hearings, he was due to face the Democratic pace-setter Barack Obama, the third White House hopeful searching for a headline.

McCain, who has compared himself to the British wartime icon Winston Churchill, reeled off a version of his familiar "Never Surrender" mantra, proclaiming America was no longer staring at the "abyss" in Iraq.

Clinton, who waited three hours for her 10 minutes in the spotlight, played the stateswoman, abhoring theatrics, but her voice dripped with disdain for Bush administration claims that the US troop surge strategy in Iraq was a success.

Obama's long wait for a question was testimony to his short tenure in Washington, which his rivals point out makes him too inexperienced to be president, but which he argues proves he is the best person to fix a poisoned political system.

Barring a political earthquake of unimagined proportions, one of the trio will inherit the bloody, costly and unpopular war in just nine months from outgoing President George W. Bush.

Their interventions were likely to set the course for the Iraq debate for the rest of the 2008 campaign -- between strong war supporter McCain, and either Clinton or Obama who vow to bring US troops home.

As 71-year-old McCain headed off the first hearing for the Republican side, Clinton, 60, looked on, her head resting on her hand, wearing the same black-framed glasses she sported in a controversial television ad which said only she could handle a White House crisis breaking at 3:00 am.

McCain showed just how closely he has pinned his hopes of winning the White House in November's general election to events in Iraq.

"We are no longer staring at the abyss of defeat, and we can now look ahead to the geniune prospect of success," McCain told Petraeus and the US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker, who was also testifying.

"Success is within reach. Yet should the United States instead choose to withdraw from Iraq before adequate security is established, we will exchange for this victory, a defeat that is terrible and long lasting."

The Arizona senator was interrupted during his question and answer period by an anti-war protestor who stood on her chair and chanted "Senator McCain, there is no military solution," and held up a banner with an identical slogan.

McCain at first tried to continue speaking, but was interrupted by Democratic committee chairman Carl Levin calling for order.

"I have had this experience previously, Mr Chairman," McCain said.

Clinton listened quietly to the testimony, in one of her few moments of inactivity after more than a year on the frenetic campaign trail, occasionally sipping from a large white paper coffee cup.

When her turn finally came, her deeper than usual voice bore testimony to the endless treadmill of the campaign.

"For the past five years, we have continually heard from the administration that things are getting better, that we are about to turn the corner," the New York senator told Petraeus and Crocker.

"Each time, Iraqi leaders fail to deliver," she said, saying it was time to start an "orderly" US withdrawal from Iraq.

Clinton, who appeared more disdainful yet less confrontational than in a previous hearing involving Petraeus in September, dwelt on the huge costs to US troops and their families of remaining in Iraq.

Knowing he would have to cede the early spotlight to Clinton and McCain, Obama took to breakfast television to refute claims by the Bush administration that the surge is working.

"At some point, we have to say to ourselves that the Iraqi government has to stand up and make the difference. And they've not done that," Obama said on NBC.

"The premise of the surge was that we were going to go ahead, give them the breathing room to let them take advantage of the stable situation. That has not happened."

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200804/20080409024438.html
駐伊美軍將領：七月後應暫停撤軍以評估狀況
法新社╱陳昶佑 2008-04-09 00:50     

 
 
（法新社華盛頓八日電）美軍駐伊拉克指揮官裴卓斯中將今天呼籲，在七月後的任何撤軍行動應暫停四十五天，同時他也指責伊朗在伊拉克境內衝突中扮演「破壞性」角色。

裴卓斯今天在國會聽證會中表示：「我向我的指揮體系建議繼續減少增援戰鬥部隊，等到最後一批增援戰鬥部隊在七月撤回後，我們將展開四十五天的強化與評估。」

參議院軍事委員會與外交委員會今天各自舉行聽證會，會中裴卓斯與美國駐伊拉克大使克勞可均提出看法，而這也是七個月來兩人首次向國會進行報告。

裴卓斯向國會進行冗長的作證，他說，自伊撤離增援部隊將會在七月完成，並呼籲屆時任何進一步減少駐軍的行動都應該暫停四十五天。

裴卓斯說：「這段時間結束，我們將展開評估過程，檢視戰場狀況，經過一段時間決定何時能建議進一步裁減駐軍。」

他說：「這將是持續的過程，如果條件許可將建議進一步裁減駐軍。」

美軍目前正在撤離去年初派往伊拉克的五個戰鬥旅，將於七月完成撤離。這將使目前駐伊美軍人數從十五萬八千人減為十四萬人。

克勞可說：「隨著增派軍隊展開的戰略正在發揮功效。」

他說：「然而，這不代表美國的支持是毫無限制的，也不代表我國的保證在程度與本質上不會隨著時間而減少。」

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080408/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_080408170624
Iraq violence casts pall on key US Congress report

50 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US lawmakers Tuesday grilled the top US general in Iraq amid fierce fighting on the ground as Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr threatened to end a truce which has helped quell the bloodshed.
 
Sadr's threat hung over the key hearing in the US Congress, as General David Petraeus urged the troop withdrawals to be frozen for at least 45 days after July to allow military commanders to review security in the ground.

"I recommend to my chain of command that we continue the drawdown of the surge combat forces and that, upon the withdrawal of the last surge brigade combat team in July, we undertake a 45-day period of consolidation and evaluation," Petraeus told Congress.

His concerns came as Sadr threatened to end the truce agreed in August which helped lead to a sharp drop in violence in Iraq in the second half of last year.

As fighting between Sadr's Mahdi Army militia and US and Iraqi forces raged for a third day, the radical leader also cancelled a massive anti-US demonstration set for Baghdad for Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the toppling of late dictator Saddam Hussein.

"The Jaish al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) is hand in hand with the Iraqi people to achieve security, stability and liberation. If it is of interest to lift the ceasefire to achieve the aims and goals, it will be announced in a separate statement," Sadr said in a communique.

Sadr's threat to end the eight-month-old truce came after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered a major crackdown on militias in southern Basra sparking deadly clashes between the Mahdi Army and government troops.

Iraqi and US forces have clashed with Sadr's militia in Baghdad and Basra since Maliki ordered a crackdown on the Shiite militiamen in the southern city on March 25.

The fighting died down after Sadr called his fighters off the streets on March 30, but continued sporadically in Basra and Baghdad before erupting again in the militia's Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City on Sunday.

Petraeus, who was accompanied by the US Ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, told the Senate Armed Services Tuesday that the Iraqi government offensive was "not adequately planned and prepared."

And he accused Iran of meddling in Iraq saying the upsurge in violence "highlighted the destructive role Iran has played in funding, training, arming and directing the so-called special groups."

Tuesday and Wednesday's Congress testimony will shape the coming months of Iraq policy, and US President George W. Bush was to address the nation on Thursday.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush would make a 15 to 20 minute long speech, but she refused to indicate what he might announce.

The US military is currently withdrawing five combat brigades sent into Iraq early last year -- to be completed by July. That would bring troop levels down from about 158,000 to 140,000.

Republicans have supported a pause in troop withdrawls, but Democrats argue Iraqi politicians have failed to use the improved security conditions to forge political reconciliation and want troops home as soon as possible.

A freeze in bringing US troops home is likely to be unpopular in the US, which has seen more than 4,000 soldiers killed in the conflict, now stretching into its sixth year.

The number of Iraqis killed in March climbed to 1,082, most of them civilians, the highest monthly figure reported by government ministries since August, confirming a resurgence in violence in recent months.

Nine US soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the past three days, eight of them in Baghdad where American and Iraqi forces have been battling heavily armed Shiite militiamen in their Sadr City bastion since Sunday.

More than 30 Iraqis have been killed in the clashes and scores wounded, Iraqi security officials said.

Witnesses said fierce clashes erupted again soon after midnight (2100 GMT Monday) as US tanks attempted to push into Sadr City and were met with rocket, mortar and rocket-propelled grenade fire from militiamen of Sadr's Mahdi Army.

US helicopters could be seen hovering above the vast neighborhood, and loud explosions were heard sporadically during the day. Thick palls of smoke drifted across the skyline.

http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,110504+112008040800539,00.html
中國時報 2008.04.08　
國內戰場上的政治將領
郭崇倫

    　以美國總統布希對伊拉克最高統帥裴卓斯的寵信之專、倚重之深，近代很少有戰場指揮官與國家領導人關係是這麼親近的，也許清朝雍正帝與撫遠大將軍年羹堯的關係差可比擬。

    　裴卓斯與布希間有許多層級，包括中央指揮部、參謀首長聯席會議、國防部、以及白宮的軍事幕僚，但是兩人卻發展出直接的指揮參謀關係，讓其他高階將領忌妒的要命。

    　在戰爭成敗攸關領導人的政治前途時，這本是無可厚非的，但經由現代科技，是布希與裴卓斯將政治領導與戰場指揮關係賦予新的意義。

    　每周一在白宮戰情室會舉行「戰爭會議」，華盛頓與巴格達視訊連線，布希與裴卓斯「面對面」的討論各地戰情，裴卓斯是非常好的簡報者，不會堆砌一大堆圖表傷亡數字，而是適時提出分析，等布希下政治決斷。

    　每周一次的會議，自然讓裴卓斯迅速贏得布希總統的信任，而且甚至反向影響白宮的決定，今年一月，布希在伊拉克邊境基地與裴卓斯見面時，原來想試探是否能夠提前開始減少部隊人數，營造戰爭開始要結束的印象，以減輕白宮政治壓力，可是被裴卓斯拒絕，布希在會面後對著攝影機說：「我的立場是，如果他﹝裴卓斯﹞不願意減少，我也沒問題」。

    　裴卓斯認為，目前伊拉克相對平靜，是靠「增兵」與政治策略才奏效，這14萬美軍是不能動的，必須要等到七月再做評估，國防部與聯參首長們對此不以為然，他們擔心伊拉克戰場師老兵疲，美軍整體戰力下降，有人更主張要抽調部隊增援阿富汗，但是沒有人能夠動搖布希對裴卓斯的信任，有異議的，不是嘴巴閉上，就是像中央指揮部總司令法倫﹝裴卓斯的上級﹞一樣去職。

    　年羹堯當時統領西部六省軍務，調兵遣將、動用糧餉、奏派人事，雍正完全授權，目的只為平定青海之亂，現在布希則面臨兩面作戰，不僅是伊拉克主戰場，還有國內的政治戰場，布希不僅需要裴卓斯清剿反政府游擊隊，而且還要他來對付國內的政敵。

    　本周二與周三，裴卓斯預定要在國會報告伊拉克情勢，這本是定期的半年報告，上次九月的報告，原本磨刀霍霍要砍預算要求撤軍的參眾兩院，炫於裴卓斯的卓越表現，結果贏得議員們的一致讚揚，輕騎過關，白宮希望這次也能重施故技，安排程序完全一樣，持異議者，一律排除在出席名單外。

    　但是這次政治情勢大變，美國總統大選已經如火如荼，三位總統候選人都是參議員，也都在參議院的相關委員會上，麥肯與希拉蕊在軍事委員會、歐巴馬在外交委員會，對伊拉克的選舉辯論勢必延燒到報告人身上，畢竟裴卓斯是布希政策的執行者。

    　民主黨的希拉蕊與歐巴馬都主張儘快、儘早將部隊撤出伊拉克，他們下一次初選是在兩周以後，都有空，更有意願出現在全國注目的大舞台上，他們兩人的發言不會輕易放過伊拉克政策的失敗。

    　但是反過來，面對裴卓斯，對他們兩人也是考驗，如何面對前線將領回報自己不想聽的情勢，是兩人能不能成為「三軍統帥」的試煉，而且美國傳統上對職業軍人非常尊重，不當的嚴詞詰問，搞不好會惹火上身。

    　裴卓斯的回答，則更會小心翼翼，目前民主黨勝算很大，兩人任何一個都可能是未來的老闆，裴卓斯不會笨到讓民主黨覺得被冒犯，他會呈現出沒有黨派色彩的專業意見，他更注意自己的一言一行所產生的政治效應，甚至透過助理對外表示，「將軍從2001年之後就沒有投過票」。

    　裴卓斯還要面對麥肯，兩人的看法本來沒有什麼不同，加上三月麥肯訪問巴格達時，已經先行向他下過工夫做過簡報，但現在保守派正在創造「艾森豪第二」的輿論，鼓動麥肯挑選裴卓斯擔任他的副總統候選人，讓兩人的互動格外敏感。

    　不過萬一民主黨當選，保守派現在已經未雨綢繆，預想在2012年徵招提名裴卓斯為總統候選人，不過除了艾森豪之外，軍人從政都沒有好下場，韓戰後的麥帥，越戰後的魏摩蘭聲望在退伍後迅速下跌，第一次波灣戰後的鮑威爾僅試了試空氣，就連忙止步，裴卓斯被稱為是「自麥克阿瑟以降最政治的軍人」，應該不會往政治墳場裡跳吧。

    　﹝clkuo@mail.chinatimes.com.tw﹞

http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,110504+112008040700319,00.html
中國時報 2008.04.07　
對伊出兵決議案 年底失效
陳文和／綜合報導

    　美國國會參眾兩院2002年10月通過國聯席會議決議案，授權華府當局對伊拉克動武，決議案列出了出兵伊拉克的兩項條件，其中「因應伊拉克持續對美國國家安全構成的威脅」這一部分，已因美軍推翻了伊拉克的哈珊政權而不再適用，所以美軍當前在伊拉克的軍事干預行動純然是基於「執行聯合國安全理事會所有與伊拉克相關決議案」這項條件。

    　根據華盛頓郵報報導，聯合國安全理事會決議案即將於今年12月31日失效，華盛頓當局已經表明不會尋求安理會新決議案好繼續授權美國在伊拉克的軍事行動，美國意圖透過美伊雙邊協定談判以取代聯合國授權。

    　但這並不意味美國在伊國軍事行動面臨的合法性問題將全盤解決，因為華府當局並不打算將美伊雙方可能達成的協定交付美國國會批准。而依據美國憲法，對外宣戰權歸屬國會，美軍在伊軍事行動的合法依據失效後，總統就必須要重新尋求國會的授權，不能以美伊兩國政府之間的合意來替代美國國會的同意。

    　這項問題目前尚未獲得總統候選人們的重視，他們目前辯論都聚焦於未來兩年或多年後，美軍應否繼續留駐伊境，而輕忽了未來幾個月即將面臨的這項迫切問題。而現任總統布希的政府甚至仍持續以各種不當的辯辭，不斷片面地擴張美軍在伊國的軍事目標。

    　事實上，解決美國在伊軍事行動合法性問題的最簡單方式就是尋求聯合國安理會的持續授權，只要取得安理會授權，美軍在伊國的軍事行動不論在國際社會或在美國國內就都具備合法性基礎。

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200804/20080406018512.html
佔領容易撤離難　海珊垮台反成美國夢魘
法新社╱鄭詩韻 2008-04-06 13:35     

 
 
（法新社巴格達六日電）二零零三年，美國坦克部隊僅僅花了三週時間，即橫越伊拉克沙漠，直搗巴格達心臟地帶，並於四月九日推翻海珊。

但要撤離這個伊拉克首都，對這支世界最強大的軍隊來說，卻是更加艱難的挑戰。

海珊的軍隊士氣低落、亂無章法，美軍一進攻馬上瓦解，把爛攤子留給民兵團體，但也無力阻擋美軍。

當時擔任將軍的哈珊回憶說，「大部分伊拉克士兵都逃跑，他們知道反抗無用」。他說，他留在巴格達北部的據點直到最後一刻。

當時美軍上校麥柯伊在巴勒斯坦飯店前走下坦克車，嘴邊掛了一抹微笑。他志得意滿不是沒有理由。

麥柯伊的部下幫伊拉克人民推倒海珊雕像時，他告訴法新社，「民眾以鮮花與喜悅的歌聲歡迎我們，感謝我們讓他們脫離」海珊。海珊鐵腕統治伊拉克長達二十五年。

麥柯伊興高采烈的發言五年後，美軍還留在伊拉克，留在美國史上他們首度佔領、而原本要加以解放的阿拉伯首都。　　遜尼派叛軍、什葉派民兵與隸屬蓋達的極端份子，將一場輕鬆的勝利，轉為永久的戰爭。

此後伊拉克安全部隊與什葉派民兵多次交戰，讓人對美國七月撤離二零零七年增派的三萬駐伊美軍、之後再分階段撤出十六萬美軍的計畫產生質疑。

海珊垮台五年以來，共有成千上萬伊拉克人喪生，數百萬人逃離家園，留下來的人當中有許多人生活環境惡劣，沒有工作，能使用的基本服務少之又少。

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2008/April/focusoniraq_April32.xml&section=focusoniraq&col=
Toppling of Saddam turns into nightmare for US
(AFP)

6 April 2008

BAGHDAD - It took US tank crews just three weeks to charge through the Iraqi desert into the heart of Baghdad and topple Saddam Hussein on April 9, 2003.

But pulling out of the Iraqi capital is posing far more of a challenge for the world’s most powerful army.

Saddam Hussein’s troops, demoralised and disorganised, melted away as the American troops advanced. It was left to paramilitary groups to try, in vain, to halt the foreign invasion.

“Most Iraqi soldiers simply fled,” recalls Ahmed Hassan, then a general, who says he remained at his post in the north of Baghdad until the last moment.

“They knew that it was useless to fight,” he told AFP.

Descending from his tank in front of the Palestine Hotel, Colonel Brian McCoy, a smile on his lips, had reason to be satisfied.

“We were met with flowers and joyful singing,” McCoy told the international media.

“People who met us thanked us for having freed them” from Saddam Hussein, he said, while his men helped Iraqis topple a tall statue of the dictator who had ruled the country with an iron fist for 25 years.

Saddam’s effigy was smashed with hammers while an Iraqi crowd beat the head of the fallen figure with their shoes in an act considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture.

The man who had dreamed of dominating the Middle East would flee his capital a few hours later, finally being captured on December 13, 2003 and executed on December 30, 2006 for crimes against humanity.

Five years after Colonel McCoy’s upbeat comments, American troops remain in Iraq and continue for the first time in their history to occupy an Arab capital, which they had come to free.

The US army, which had sped so easily and quickly through Iraqi territory after President George W. Bush gave the order to advance on March 20, 2003, from that point onwards found itself trapped in Iraq.

Sunni insurgents, Shia militias and extremists affiliated to Al-Qaeda transformed an easy victory into a permanent battle.

More than 4,000 US soldiers have been killed, tens of thousands have been wounded or maimed, hundreds of billion dollars have been spent and the reduction in violence of the past few months is far from guaranteed.

“The gains are fragile,” US ambassador Ryan Crocker acknowledged on Thursday after days of intense clashes between Iraqi security forces and Shia militiamen in Baghdad and the southern city of Basra killed at least 700 people.

In the aftermath of the clashes, plans for a phased withdrawal of the 160,000 US soldiers deployed in Iraq is in doubt, beyond a reduction by July of around 30,000 troops who were sent as part of a surge in numbers in 2007.

In the five years since Saddam was toppled, tens of thousands of Iraqis have died, millions have fled their homes and many of those who have stayed live in atrocious conditions, without jobs and with little access to basic services.

The songs of joy which greeted the American tank crews when they reached Baghdad have long since become cries of hatred.

“To begin with, we were happy. But today the Americans are hated,” said Moieb Sfeih, a 33-year-old baker in Sadr City, the Baghdad bastion of fiercely anti-American Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

His views reflect the disillusionment of those who acclaimed Colonel McCoy and his troops—Iraq’s Shia majority who were marginalised by Saddam’s Sunni-dominated regime.

The bitterness of Sfeih finds an echo with those who were driven from power.

“I am a soldier, but I am against war. It is not a good way to resolve problems,” said Hassan, the former general.

“And I am also against the occupation,” he added. “I want this country to be free and independent.”

Sfeih recalled the high hopes sparked by Saddam’s overthrow and the disappointment that followed.

“We had beautiful dreams,” the baker said. “We thought we would become like the countries of the Gulf”—rich in oil and prosperous.

“Today, there are many people who say that it was better during the time of Saddam Hussein. Before there was only one tyrant, now there are many more.”

A majority of Iraqis consider their US-supported government, dominated by Shias and Kurds, to be weak and corrupt and busy plundering the country’s wealth.

“The choice is simple,” said Sfeih. “Either we do nothing and wait for things to change, or we revolt against the Americans.”