The Quit-Iraq Proposal
By the Editor

AMID fresh scenario, the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group has called for an end to the direct military role of US troops in Iraq and proposed a supporting role including training of the Iraqi forces.

The report also suggested for involvement of Iran and Syria in the dialogue process to meet the ‘grave and deteriorating’ situation in Iraq.

President Bush has termed the report as ‘a very tough assessment of the situation’ and promised to take it ‘very seriously’.

Though it’s due to the circumstantial compulsions, yet President Bush’s categorical statement to take the Baker-Hamilton Group’s report seriously is a pleasant surprise for the world at large.

Understandably, the outcome of the mid-term US Congressional polls, hawkish Rumsfeld’s stepping down and non-approval of his nominee Bolton as US Ambassador in the UN as well as various other developments have seemingly made him shun arrogance and start viewing the situation with a sense of propriety.

We hope that he will be guided by scruples and establish norms of interstate relationship rather than his impulsive mindset of coercion, pre-emption and occupation in the process of response to the report.

As for the report itself, it’s simply injudicious on the part of the Study Group to endorse continued occupation of a sovereign country by the United States by proposing change of the US troops’ role from active military operations to the supporting one for training of the Iraqi forces.

Why shouldn’t the alien forces be withdrawn from the soil of the oil rich country in order to restore Iraq’s sovereignty. There ought to be no role whatsoever for the US forces in Iraq.

They have already massacred about half a million Iraqis in their onslaught of death and destruction over the past four years. Iraq has been rendered into ruins.

The only honourable course open to the US is to involve UN and Iraq’s neighbouring countries as well as the Arab States in the dialogue process to chart out timeframe for the vacation of US aggression against the war-ravaged country.

As a matter of fact, the sooner it’s done the better will it be for the US, Iraq and the region as a whole. There has been enough of bloodshed in Middle East.

The US should also strive to help resolve the Palestinian issue to bring peace to the region in turmoil over the past half a century.●