| ABC News | - |
U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the United States will
support Iraq's fight against al-Qaida-linked militants who have overrun
two cities, but won't send in American troops.
Kerry: US Will Support Iraq, but Without Troops
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the United States
will support Iraq's fight against al-Qaida-linked militants who have
overrun two cities, but won't send in American troops.
Kerry said the militants are trying to destabilize the region and
undermine a democratic process in Iraq, and that the U.S. is in contact
with tribal leaders in Anbar province who are standing up to the
terrorists.
But, he said, "this is a fight that belongs to the Iraqis. That is
exactly what the president and the world decided some time ago when we
left Iraq, so we are not obviously contemplating returning. We are not
contemplating putting boots on the ground. This is their fight. ... We
will help them in their fight, but this fight, in the end, they will
have to win and I am confident they can."
Al-Qaida linked gunmen have largely taken over the cities of Fallujah
and Ramadi in an uprising that has been a blow to the Shiite-led
government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Bombings in the
Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killed at least 20 people Sunday.
Anbar, a vast desert area on the borders with Syria and Jordan, was the
heartland of the Sunni insurgency that rose up against American troops
and the Iraqi government after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled
Saddam Hussein.
In 2004, insurgents in Fallujah killed four American security
contractors, hanging their burned bodies from a bridge. Ramadi and other
cities have remained battlegrounds as sectarian bloodshed has mounted,
with Shiite militias killing Sunnis.
"We are very, very concerned about the efforts of al-Qaida and the
Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant, which is affiliated with al-Qaida,
who are trying to assert their authority not just in Iraq, but in
Syria," Kerry said.
"These are the most dangerous players in that region. Their barbarism
against the civilians in Ramadi and Fallujah and against Iraqi security
forces is on display for everyone in the world to see."
Kerry made the comments as he left Jerusalem for talks with leaders in
Jordan and Saudi Arabia about his Mideast peace-making efforts after
three days of lengthy meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Kerry said some progress was made in what he described as "very serious,
very intensive conversations," but key hurdles are yet to be overcome.
His talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh covered the peace process, Syria and Iraq.
After his short stay in Amman, Kerry flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and
then took a 30-minute helicopter ride to King Abdullah's desert palace.
The Saudi leader developed an initiative in 2002 in which the Arab world
offered comprehensive peace with Israel in exchange for a full pullout
from all territories it captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
The initiative, revolutionary when it was introduced, has been endorsed by the Arab League and, technically, remains in effect.
"Saudi Arabia's initiative holds out the prospect that if the parties
could arrive at a peaceful resolution, you could instantaneously have
peace between the 22 Arab nations and 35 Muslim nations, all of whom
have said they will recognize Israel if peace is achieved," Kerry said.
"Imagine how that changes the dynamics of travel, of business, of
education, of opportunity in this region, of stability. Imagine what
peace could mean for trade and tourism, what it could mean for
developing technology and talent, for job opportunities for the younger
generation, for generations in all of these countries," Kerry said.
Kerry said after his meeting with the Saudi leader that the king said he
supported Kerry's peace efforts and the Abdullah's initiative "has been
part of the framework that we've been piecing together — both in
inspiration and substance."
Kerry, who arrived in the region Thursday, is trying to nudge Abbas and
Netanyahu closer to a peace pact that would establish a Palestinian
state alongside Israel.
The talks have entered an intense phase aimed at getting the two sides
to agree on a framework and provide guidance toward a final settlement.
Reaching a deal on that framework is not expected on this trip, Kerry's
10th to the region for peace talks.
On another issue roiling the Middle East, Kerry did not dismiss the idea
that Iran could play a constructive role in finding a resolution to the
civil war in Syria, even if Tehran is not a full participant in a
conference on Syria this month in Switzerland.
The U.S. has objected to Iran's participation because it hasn't publicly
endorsed the principles from an earlier peace conference that called
for a transitional government in Syria, and is backing militias,
including the Iranian-allied Lebanese Hezbollah group that has aided the
troops of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"If Iran doesn't support that, it's difficult to see how they are going to be a ministerial partner in the process," Kerry said.
"Now could they contribute from the sidelines? Are there ways for them,
conceivably, to weigh in? ... It may be that there are ways that that
could happen," Kerry said.
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