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Iraq Fails To Pass Benchmark Laws
By Staff
Jun 13, 2007
The Iraqi government, despite pressure from U.S. officials, has failed to pass nearly every law demanded by the United States as benchmarks.
Congress, the White House and top military commanders have pressed Iraqi lawmakers to pass the benchmark laws -- including a law that would reintegrate former Baathists into the government -- and only three months remain until progress reports are turned in to the U.S. government, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The failure to pass the measures has led to questions of whether major laws will be approved by the Iraqi government before the end of 2007.
The laws often get hung up on debate between the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions, the newspaper said. Shiite clerics blocked the passage of the Baathist legislation and Kurdish lawmakers prevented Parliament from voting on a new oil law. Sunnis are pushing the government to give more power to the country's next president.
"Being here, you can't be optimistic until things happen," Ashraf Qazi, the U.N. special representative for Iraq, told the Times.
"There are no guarantees," he said. "In fact, it would be overambitious to say all these things can be solved." (c) UPI
Someone get Unocal on the phone, we may need more time for the "surge" to work.
The_Lounge
By Staff
Jun 13, 2007
The Iraqi government, despite pressure from U.S. officials, has failed to pass nearly every law demanded by the United States as benchmarks.
Congress, the White House and top military commanders have pressed Iraqi lawmakers to pass the benchmark laws -- including a law that would reintegrate former Baathists into the government -- and only three months remain until progress reports are turned in to the U.S. government, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The failure to pass the measures has led to questions of whether major laws will be approved by the Iraqi government before the end of 2007.
The laws often get hung up on debate between the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions, the newspaper said. Shiite clerics blocked the passage of the Baathist legislation and Kurdish lawmakers prevented Parliament from voting on a new oil law. Sunnis are pushing the government to give more power to the country's next president.
"Being here, you can't be optimistic until things happen," Ashraf Qazi, the U.N. special representative for Iraq, told the Times.
"There are no guarantees," he said. "In fact, it would be overambitious to say all these things can be solved." (c) UPI
Someone get Unocal on the phone, we may need more time for the "surge" to work.
The_Lounge