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No quick fix for Iraq, George Bush warned

Suzanne Goldenberg

Top adviser may call for a phased withdrawal of American forces

Washington: James Baker, the Bush family confidant charged by Congress with devising a strategy for the war on Iraq, has warned there are no quick fixes to the rapidly deteriorating situation.

On one of the deadliest days for U.S. forces in Iraq since the beginning of the war, the White House on Wednesday came under renewed pressure from Republicans for a change of strategy in Iraq.

But Mr. Baker, the co-chair of a study group on Iraq, warned it was unrealistic to expect an immediate solution. ``There is no magic bullet for the situation in Iraq. It is very, very difficult,'' he said in a speech to the World Affairs Council, in Houston, on Tuesday. ``Anybody who thinks that somehow we're going to come up with something that is going to totally solve the problem is engaging in wishful thinking.''

Deepening pressure

The Bush administration has faced growing pressure in recent days to abandon its strategy of maintaining U.S. troops in Iraq until Iraqi forces can take over.

Pressure for such changes deepened on Wednesday after the Pentagon confirmed nine U.S. soldiers and a Marine had been killed by roadside bombs and under Iraqi fire on Tuesday. The casualties raise the U.S. death toll for October to 69, making this one of the deadliest months for U.S. forces since January 2005.

The administration has also faced increasing doubts about the wisdom of its strategy at home after Mr. Baker indicated that his bipartisan commission would recommend radical changes in U.S. policy when it released its report.

The commission is not expected to report until several weeks after the November 7 mid-term elections, but it is believed Mr. Baker will call for a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Until now that approach has been stiffly resisted by the White House, which has condemned calls for a gradual drawing down of forces as ``cut and run'' policy.

But the administration's strategy of training Iraqi forces to take over has become untenable. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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