Bush pressed to change course in Iraq, Middle East (2nd Roundup)

By Tony Czuczka Dec 6, 2006, 20:46 GMT

Washington - A high-level panel Wednesday urged US President George W Bush to change course in Iraq, calling for diplomacy with foes Syria and Iran and a possible pullout of most US combat troops by early 2008 to help reverse a 'grave and deteriorating' situation.

Co-led by former US secretary of state James Baker III, the 10- member group said US policy in Iraq 'is not working.' Its long- awaited report also calls for a new push for Arab-Israeli peacemaking, which it says is it a condition for achieving US goals in the Middle East.

'There is no magic formula that will solve the problems of Iraq,' Baker said in presenting the report in Washington. 'It is time to find a new way forward, a new approach.'

In its 79 recommendations, the panel encouraged Bush to tell Iraqi leaders that US patience is limited and that troop reductions 'cannot be made hostage to the actions or inactions of the Iraqi government.'

Bush has staunchly opposed reaching out to Iran and Syria, viewing them as part of the problem in Iraq. He has also refused to offer any hint of a timetable for a US troop withdrawal, saying this would embolden US enemies.

Faced with a bleak assessment, Bush pledged to take the Iraq Study Group's ideas seriously and 'act in a timely fashion.' But he said he was unlikely to accept all of the proposals.

Bush has vowed to fight until victory, but the report warned that even his goal of building an Iraq that can 'govern, sustain and defend itself' - which the panel endorsed - may be unreachable.

'The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating,' the report said. 'There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved.'

Bush's spokesman noted that the administration had already taken up some of the suggestions, including putting US pressure on Iraqi leaders to stop sectarian killings and take on more security tasks.

'We look at this as a very positive document,' Tony Snow told reporters. Its title, The Way Forward - A New Approach, is 'what the president has been talking about,' Snow said.

The group, launched in March by the US Congress, said its proposals would help shore up US global interests and unite Americans behind a strategy of eventual disengagement in Iraq.

'A military solution will not end the violence in Iraq,' Baker said. 'We must help the Iraqis help themselves.'

The report called for a sharp boost in the number of US troops training Iraqi forces, allowing US soldiers to shift to a support role while the Iraqi army takes over primary responsibility for combat operations.

US combat troops 'not necessary for force protection' could be withdrawn by the first quarter of 2008 if the security situation allows, the report said.

It also called for a broad diplomatic initiative on Iraq involving the United Nations, the European Union, US regional allies like Saudi Arabia but also US enemies Iran and Syria.

'Given the ability of Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage them constructively,' the report said.

The group also called for a 'renewed and sustained commitment to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts.'

'The United States cannot achieve its goals in the Middle East unless it deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict and regional instability,' the report said.

Baker expressed sympathy for the fate of ordinary Iraqis since the US-led invasion in March 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein.

'Struggling in a world of fear, the Iraqis themselves dare not dream,' Baker said Wednesday. 'They have been liberated from the nightmare of a tyrannical order, only to face the nightmare of brutal violence.'

The US 'has both a national and a moral interest in doing what it can to give Iraqis an opportunity to avert anarchy,' the report said.

Bush received the group's report at the White House hours before its public release and said its assessment of Iraq was 'very tough.'

Pressure to bring US troops home or at least move more of them out of harm's way has grown dramatically since Bush's centre-right Republican Party lost November 7 congressional elections to the centre-left Democrats, who campaigned for an exit strategy from Iraq.

Baker, 76, is a Bush family friend and veteran troubleshooter who served Bush's father as secretary of state. A Republican, he co- chaired the panel with former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton. Other members included former top aides in the Clinton and Reagan administrations.

Bush aides have rejected speculation that the report will offer a fig-leaf for a retreat from Iraq, where months of gruesome sectarian killings and a fractious government have blighted US hopes for a stable democracy.

Bush plans to weigh the panel's ideas as part of a broader review of strategy in Iraq, which includes an assessment by US military commanders.

Wednesday's proposals offered no dramatic departures from ideas that have kept Washington abuzz for months. But signs that the Bush administration is looking to cut its engagement are increasing.

Defence secretary nominee Robert Gates, at his confirmation hearing Tuesday in the Senate, said that the US is 'not winning' in Iraq. He said he would explore a 'wide range' of ideas to conclude the war and insisted that 'all options are on the table,' though he avoided specifics.

Gates, a former head of the CIA spy agency, was tapped when Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned the day after the election, making way for what Bush pledged would be a fresh approach at the Pentagon after three-and-a-half years of war in Iraq.