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Rumsfeld makes surprise Iraq trip Iraqi leader criticises US report
(1 day later)
Outgoing US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is making a surprise visit to Iraq to say farewell to US troops, days before he is due to leave office. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has criticised some of the main findings of a high-level US report calling for a change of strategy in Iraq.
"The secretary is in Iraq to express appreciation to the troops," said a Pentagon spokesman, giving no further details of his itinerary. Mr Talabani rejected the Iraq Study Group's proposal to withdraw US troops if Iraq failed to strengthen security.
Mr Rumsfeld announced his resignation in November, after the Republicans lost heavily in mid-term elections. He also objected to including former regime members in reconciliation talks.
His successor, former CIA chief RobertGates, takes over on 18 December. His comments come as outgoing US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq to thank US troops for their efforts in the war.
Mr Rumsfeld will "thank both the troops and their families for the sacrifices they are making," said Air Force Lt Col Todd Vician, a Defence Department spokesman. Mr Talabani had previously praised the sections of the ISG report urging talks with neighbouring countries including Iran and Syria.
Mr Rumsfeld left for Iraq on Friday, the spokesman said, after he had given an emotional farewell speech to Pentagon staff. [The report] contains dangerous articles which undermine the sovereignty of Iraq and its constitution Jalal Talabani
'Challenging period' However, on Sunday he dismissed the group's call for the US to reduce its support for the Iraqi government if there was no substantial progress towards political reconciliation and security.
Addressing an audience of troops and Pentagon staffers, Mr Rumsfeld praised them for their dedication. This, he said, was like treating Iraq as a colony on which the US could impose conditions, not a sovereign country.
Robert Gates will take over from the outgoing Rumsfeld 'Interesting idea'
"I can't think of a more challenging period... in the 59-year history of this department than these past years," he said. Speaking at his Baghdad residence, Mr Talabani said: "I think that the Baker-Hamilton report is not fair and not just, and it contains dangerous articles which undermine the sovereignty of Iraq and its constitution."
He praised the work of the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also said he objected to including representatives of the former regime under Saddam Hussein in any attempts at reconciliation.
"Each of you and future generations of Americans, as well as future generations of Iraqis and Afghans, will be able to look on these past years as a time of enormous challenge and historic consequence," he said. Involving members of the Baath party would be "against the long struggle of the Iraqi people against dictatorship", he said.
But he said patience and staying power were needed to succeed. Sunni politicians in Iraq welcomed that recommendation but the president of the Kurdish autonomous region in the north described the report's conclusions as unrealistic and inappropriate.
"To pull out precipitously (from Iraq) and inject that instability into the situation there in that country, and in that region, I think would be a terrible mistake." In an exclusive BBC interview, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faysal warned of the danger of the violence in Iraq spreading across the Middle East.
He said he was "stunned" by the news of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. He described holding a regional conference in Saudi Arabia as an "interesting idea" but said he had urged Syria and Iran not to interfere in Iraq's internal affairs.
"Clearly, the worst day was Abu Ghraib, seeing what went on there and feeling so deeply sorry that that happened," he said in a question-and-answer session. According to Prince Saud, the priority now was for the elements of resistance inside Iraq to be "brought into the political sphere".
But he hit out at "grossly uninformed" charges in the media over the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. 'Seeing the task through'
When asked how he would like to be remembered, he quipped: "Better than the local press." Mr Talabani's comments follow a visit to Iraq by outgoing US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who will be succeeded on 18 December by former CIA chief Robert Gates.
The consequences of failure are unacceptable - the enemy must be defeated Donald Rumsfeld
Mr Rumsfeld addressed 1,200 US soldiers and marines at a military base in Anbar province - an insurgent stronghold, saying US forces should not quit the war until the enemy is defeated.
"For the past six years, I have had the opportunity and, I would say, the privilege, to serve with the greatest military on the face of the Earth," Mr Rumsfeld said in a speech at al-Asad military base.
"We feel great urgency to protect the American people from another 9/11 or a 9/11 times two or three.
"At the same time, we need to have the patience to see this task through to success. The consequences of failure are unacceptable. The enemy must be defeated," he was quoted as saying on the Pentagon website.
The defence secretary also met US service personnel in Balad, 80km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, it said.
Mr Rumsfeld left for Iraq on Friday, a defence department spokesman said, after he had given an emotional farewell speech to Pentagon staff.