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Rumsfeld In Iraq On Unannounced Visit
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Praising Iraq's fledgling democracy and noting the improving capabilities of Iraqi security forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq early Tuesday on an unannounced visit.
The defense chief was meeting with officials of the new Iraqi government, as well as U.S. commanders and American troops.
Rumsfeld landed in Baghdad about 6 a.m. Tuesday (10 p.m. Monday ET) -- his arrival previously undisclosed for security reasons.
Following a meeting with Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Rumsfeld said the tentative first steps of Iraq new government are being closely monitored.
"I know (the political process) is something that is being watched -- not just in this country, not just in this region -- but is having an effect in the region.
"We are pleased to see what's taking place and certainly wish them well in their further considerations in the development of this important Iraqi transition government," the secretary of defense said.
Rumsfeld also met with Iraq's new president, former Kurdish rebel leader Jalal Talabani; interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi; and with leaders of the country's Kurdish minority.
Speaking to reporters on his way to Iraq, the defense secretary said Iraq's January elections for a transitional parliament had generated a momentum that needed to be maintained. He said he would stress the need for Iraqi leaders to stick with a timetable for drafting a permanent constitution and holding the next round of elections.
Several million Iraqis braved insurgent threats to elect a National Assembly in January. But lawmakers agreed to name Talabani as president only last week, and they have yet to sign off on a government under al-Jaafari.
Iraq's transitional administrative law calls for a referendum on a permanent constitution by mid-October, followed by elections for a permanent government.
Rumsfeld's visit is his ninth trip to Baghdad since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
At a town hall meeting with U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, Rumsfeld handed out medals for valor and answered questions from troops anxious to know when their tours might end, winning cheers for his candid response.
"We don't really have an exit strategy," he said. "We have a victory strategy."
While recruiting and retention remain a problem for the Army in general, more than 100 service members took the opportunity of Rumsfeld's visit to re-enlist on the spot.
The Pentagon chief told reporters there were several positive trends in the two-year-old war but would not make any predictions about when significant numbers of U.S. troops could be brought home. Roughly 137,000 U.S. forces are serving in Iraq.
"The goal of the United States and the coalition is to work the Iraqi security forces to help to build them, increase their size, improve their equipment, and increase their capability in command and control -- and increasingly transfer responsibility to the Iraqi security forces," Rumsfeld said at a news conference with al-Jaafari.
"Our goal is to be able to transfer full responsibility to the Iraqi security forces as soon as they're capable of taking over that responsibility. At which point, obviously, the coalition forces would be able to reduce their presence in the country."
Nearly 1,550 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since the invasion. Most have died battling a persistent insurgency that followed Saddam's fall, but attacks on U.S. troops have declined since the January elections.
Several thousand protesters converged on Baghdad's Firdos Square on Saturday in a peaceful protest to urge the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. The protests took place on the second anniversary of the collapse of Saddam's government, when U.S. troops pulled down a statue of Saddam in the square.
For more information, visit http://www.cnn.com.
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