Gates, general tout long stay in Iraq

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a senior U.S. commander said Thursday that they favor a protracted U.S. troop presence in Iraq along the lines of the military stabilization force in South Korea.

In Hawaii, Gates said he is thinking of "a mutual agreement" with Iraq in which "some force of Americans ... is present for a protracted period of time, but in ways that are protective of the sovereignty of the host government." Gates said such a presence would assure Middle East allies that the United States will not withdraw from Iraq as it did from Vietnam, "lock, stock, and barrel."

Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, who oversees daily military operations in Iraq, supported the idea at a news conference where he also said September may be too early to judge the effectiveness of President Bush's troop buildup and revealed that the U.S. military is trying to reach cease-fire agreements with Iraqi insurgents.

Odierno said he sees benefits in maintaining a South Korean-style force in Iraq for years. "I think it's a great idea," he said, adding that the Iraqi and U.S. governments would have to make that decision.

"That would be nothing but helping the Iraqi security forces and the government to continue to stabilize itself, and continue to set itself up for success for years to come if we were able to do that," Odierno said from Baghdad.

The comments represented the second time this week that administration officials invoked the U.S. experience in South Korea in citing the need for a long-range presence in Iraq. Concerns that U.S. forces might stay for a lengthy period have provoked considerable controversy in the region.

The statements echoed those by White House press secretary Tony Snow on Wednesday. Snow had sparked quick criticism from Democratic lawmakers and liberal activist groups when he said Bush envisions a troop posture in Iraq similar to that in South Korea.

Odierno also alternately touted recent progress in Iraq while trying to lower expectations for a status report that Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, is scheduled to present to Congress in September.

Odierno said overall sectarian violence is down, attacks in Anbar province have been cut by half and nearly 18,000 enemy fighters have been captured this year.

"We've made small progress here," he said. "We have not made the progress that I think is necessary yet, but I hope over the summer that we will continue to make progress."

For the moment, however, any gains have been overshadowed by the U.S. death toll.

At least 122 U.S. service members were killed in May, making it the deadliest month since November 2004, when 137 troops were killed as the military fought some of the most pitched battles of the war in Fallujah. Two other U.S. soldiers captured in an attack in May remain missing.

Odierno repeated the prediction made last week by Bush and Gates that enemy fighters would increase the tempo of attacks this summer in the weeks before the operational update.

Odierno also said the U.S. military is seeking talks with anti-U.S. Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr directly and through the government of Iraq. An al-Sadr aide confirmed the U.S. efforts but said al-Sadr never would begin a dialogue with what they describe as "occupation forces."

Odierno also suggested September might be too soon to properly assess whether the buildup is working, casting doubt on a critical milestone set by Congress. Odierno, Petraeus' top deputy on the ground in Iraq, would brief Petraeus before the top commander reports to Congress.

Odierno said he would deliver his evaluation to Petraeus late this summer. But Odierno said he is likely to report he needs more time: "The assessment might be [that] I need a little more time; the assessment might be I've seen enough and it's effective; or I've seen enough and it's not going to be effective," he said. "Right now if you asked me, I would tell you I'd probably need a little bit more time to do a true assessment."

Gates said political realities in Washington may dictate a different timetable than U.S. generals might like.

"It's those of us in Washington that have to take into account the Washington clock when we receive the report from Gen. Petraeus and Gen. Odierno," Gates said.

Compiled from The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and McClatchy Newspapers