|
Former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, said Monday that Iraq’s government is far from “resolving sectarian differences” and that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has underperformed as the country’s leader. Hamilton also said in an interview with NBC’s “Today Show” that Iraq’s forces will not be able to provide the complete security for the country any time soon. “These Iraqi forces that we have been training now for several years simply have not measured up overall,” Hamilton said, adding that it would take “a remarkable bit of progress in a very short period of time for them to meet the prime minister’s goals” of allowing Iraq’s forces to take over security by the end of the year. Hamilton was highly critical of Maliki: “He’s had quite a bit of time now,” the former congressman said. “He’s known exactly what he has to do; he hasn’t done it. His rhetoric is pretty good; his performance is pretty bad.” The Iraqi parliament “has been a huge disappointment all along” and is “not dealing with the fundamental problems of the country,” Hamilton said. He pointed to the failure to achieve national reconciliation as a key cause for concern. “That’s the only way you’re going to resolve the violence in Iraq,” Hamilton said. The former congressman criticized the Bush administration for giving Iraq a satisfactory rating on the issue in last week’s assessment report on the country’s progress. “What they have actually done is create a committee to look at it,” Hamilton said. “Now, creating a committee is a matter of process. It is not a matter of result. It is not close to resolving the sectarian differences that are required to bring about national reconciliation.” |
