Iraq: Baker Commission report confirms need for a real exit strategy for US from Iraq

Commenting on the recommendations of the Baker Commission, Green MEPs Angelika Beer and Cem Özdemir said:

"The recommendations of the Baker Commission are a resounding indictment of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq to date. Now the courage must finally be summoned to produce a real exit strategy for US armed forces. Only by establishing a clear date for withdrawal, while at the same time strengthening support for the Iraqi security forces and rebuilding efforts, can the country's fall into full-out civil war be prevented.

An orderly withdrawal is one prerequisite for peaceful development in Iraq; the inclusion of neighbouring states such as Syria and Iran is the other. To give the proposals of the Baker report a chance at success, the Bush administration must give up its failed strategy of forced regime change. That also means undertaking parallel and direct negotiations with Iran to find a peaceful solution to the nuclear conflict.

The US is responsible for managing the wreckage of its strategy of forced democratisation. A peaceful solution can work only if the Bush administration immediately undertakes a fundamental change of course in the Broader Middle East. The European Union can and must politically support such a process."

Source: www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/160/160234.iraq@en.htm