Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Military RhetIraq: Sec. Rumsfeld & Gen. Casey
Who: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld & General George Casey
Sources: Fox News Sunday and Department of Defense
Quotes:
From Fox News Sunday - June 26, 2005;
WALLACE: Let's start with these reports of these direct meetings between U.S. officials, including allegedly a representative of the Pentagon, and insurgent commanders. Did they happen, and, if so, what did they accomplish?
RUMSFELD: Well, the first thing I would say about the meetings is they go on all the time.
Second, the Iraqis have a sovereign government. They will decide what their relationships with various elements of insurgents will be. We facilitate those from time to time.
And if you think about it, there aren't the good guys and the bad guys over there. There are people all across the spectrum.
There's the government, people who strongly support the government, people that are leaning and not quite sure what to do, people who are leaning the other way and not quite sure what to do, and then insurgents and people who oppose it, which is a mixture: There's the jihadists, there's the Zarqawi group, there are criminals, there's the Sunni Baathists (search) who would like to take back the government.
Meetings take place all the time...
From DOD Press Briefing - June 27, 2005;
QUESTION: General Casey, I know it was addressed over the weekend, but could you clarify, as much as possible, what types of meetings are being held with insurgent groups in Iraq? Who is the United States meeting with? What are the goals? What have you been discussing? What are these meetings all about?
GEN. CASEY: Yeah. Our leaders, down to the divisional, even brigade level, routinely meet with local and tribal leaders. We also continue to meet at the national level with senior Sunni leaders. Characterizing these discussions as "negotiations" is probably not right. They're discussions, and they're discussions primarily aimed at bringing these Sunni leaders and the people they represent into the political process. But to characterize them as negotiations with insurgents about stopping the insurgency, we're not quite there yet.
Sources: Fox News Sunday and Department of Defense
Quotes:
From Fox News Sunday - June 26, 2005;
WALLACE: Let's start with these reports of these direct meetings between U.S. officials, including allegedly a representative of the Pentagon, and insurgent commanders. Did they happen, and, if so, what did they accomplish?
RUMSFELD: Well, the first thing I would say about the meetings is they go on all the time.
Second, the Iraqis have a sovereign government. They will decide what their relationships with various elements of insurgents will be. We facilitate those from time to time.
And if you think about it, there aren't the good guys and the bad guys over there. There are people all across the spectrum.
There's the government, people who strongly support the government, people that are leaning and not quite sure what to do, people who are leaning the other way and not quite sure what to do, and then insurgents and people who oppose it, which is a mixture: There's the jihadists, there's the Zarqawi group, there are criminals, there's the Sunni Baathists (search) who would like to take back the government.
Meetings take place all the time...
From DOD Press Briefing - June 27, 2005;
QUESTION: General Casey, I know it was addressed over the weekend, but could you clarify, as much as possible, what types of meetings are being held with insurgent groups in Iraq? Who is the United States meeting with? What are the goals? What have you been discussing? What are these meetings all about?
GEN. CASEY: Yeah. Our leaders, down to the divisional, even brigade level, routinely meet with local and tribal leaders. We also continue to meet at the national level with senior Sunni leaders. Characterizing these discussions as "negotiations" is probably not right. They're discussions, and they're discussions primarily aimed at bringing these Sunni leaders and the people they represent into the political process. But to characterize them as negotiations with insurgents about stopping the insurgency, we're not quite there yet.
