Straw Admits Coalition Troops a Problem : Juan Cole

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http://www.juancole.com/
Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Straw Admits Coalition Troops a Problem
Seven Marines Killed in Western Iraq
At Least 41 Others Killed Tuesday

First the Polish Prime Minister didn't have the talking points from Karl Rove. Now the UK Foreign Minister, Jack Straw, has had an attack of frankness:


' First there is Iraq. “Things are not good there at the moment,” he says, acknowledging the strength of the terrorist insurgency. But he believes a new Iraqi constitution can be agreed by the deadline of the middle of next month. “The more certainty you have on that, the more you can have a programme for the draw-down of troops which is important for the Iraqis,” he says. “Because – unlike in Afghanistan – although we are part of the security solution there, we are also part of the problem.” '

He said what? It looks to me as though Blair really is determined to get most British troops out of Iraq during the coming year, if his defense minister is making such a huge admission.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that the Iraqi parliament has passed a law abrogating the proportional election system used in the January 30 polls. Instead, each province will elect members of parliament from itself (i.e. the system will be more like that practiced in the US for congressional elections). The new law elicited a protest from some academics and attorneys who point out that it will disadvantage groups that are spread around through the country and lack a firm geographical base. On the other hand, I would observe, this system will ensure that Sunnis get elected to parliament roughly in their proportion to the population. The old system allowed them to be woefully under represented in parliament. I have not seen news elsewhere that the parliament passed this law.

The same source says that President Jalal Talabani is calling on Sunni clerics to form their own source of religious authority . He says they need to clearly and unambiguously condemn all forms of terrorism.