War News

Gates Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ to Jordan

Gates Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ to Jordan

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 4:28 PM

From the guy the CONgress confirmed but don’t listen to…odd ain’t it?

Gates Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ to Jordan

Gates Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ to Jordan By Kathleen T. Rhem American Forces Press Service AMMAN, Jordan, April 17, 2007 – Jordan’s King Abdallah today pledged his country’s continued support to Iraq’s fledgling democracy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. In what he called a “really excellent visit,” Gates today had wide-ranging discussions with King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country’s defense chairman. “His Majesty affirmed Jordan’s support for (Iraqi) Prime Minister (Nouri al-) Maliki, and we talked about efforts that others could take to contribute to the reconciliation process in Iraq itself,” the secretary said following a meeting with the king. Jordan is a long-time U.S. ally in the Middle East. “This is a relationship that goes back a long way,” Gates said, noting that the first time he visited Jordan was 20 years ago at the invitation of Abdallah’s father, King Hussein, who died in 1999. The secretary pointed out that the U.S. and Jordanian armed forces have strong military-to-military ties. “There are frequent exchanges, exercises and visits between the military officers of both sides,” Gates said. Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national policemen at the Joint International Police Training Center in Jordan. “I thanked both His Majesty and the chairman for all of the things Jordan has done to help us, a great deal of training of Iraqi security forces, both police and army,” Gates said. Other topics discussed included Syria and its involvement in the Mid-East peace process and Iran. Gates said he reaffirmed President Bush’s commitment to the Middle East peace process. He added that he and Abdallah “agreed that diplomatic and economic pressures were the most profitable way to try and get the Iranians to change their behavior.” After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates is encouraging regional leaders to bring Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, a senior official said as Gates was en route to the region. “I think that there is not yet confidence in the region that Iraq’s government represents all Iraqis,” Gates said today. “My own view is that (the Iraqi government is) working hard in that direction. … And I think the more encouragement the neighbors can provide, the more support for the Iraqi government and with it encouragement of a broad-based government approach to governance, I think would be a positive contribution.”

One would think that The Pelosi could learn what an authorized visit entails.

Real Diplomacy?

This Is What An Authorized Visit Is About

This Is What An Authorized Visit Is About

Tuesday, April 17, 2007 4:08 PM

Gates Visits Jordan to Thank Ally, Discuss Regional Concerns

By Kathleen T. Rhem American Forces Press Service

AMMAN, Jordan, April 16, 2007 – Iran and Iraq are set to be lead topics in discussions Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to have with Jordanian leaders during a visit here. Gates arrived here today to meet with leaders of this strong ally in the war on terror and thank them for the “incredible support that they’re giving us both in Iraq and Afghanistan,” a senior defense official traveling with Gates said. Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national policemen at an Iraqi police academy in Jordan. “Jordanians have for a long time been a very constructive influence (in the Middle East), and I look forward to continuing that,” Gates said on the plane en route here from Washington. During this visit, the secretary will meet with Jordan’s King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country’s chief of defense. “I look forward to discussing with the King how we can contribute to his efforts and how the Jordanians can contribute to ours, not just in Iraq, but Lebanon, and the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and so on,” Gates said. Other topics of discussion for Gates and the Jordanian leaders are likely to include the half a million to 1 million Iraqi refugees Jordan is hosting that are posing a strain on the Jordanian people as well as its economic system, and the Jordanian-U.S. military-to-military relationship, the senior defense official said. “The important message for the Jordanians is that regardless of what happens in Iraq, the United States is in the Middle East for the long term and has been for decades, and we will continue our strategic relationship with the military, as well as the Jordanian people,” the official said. The official also said Gates is interested in hearing Abdallah’s take on recent Iranian activity, such as the detention of 15 British sailors and Marines and the impact of the March 24 U.N. Security Council vote imposing sanctions because Iran has refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities. After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates intends to encourage regional leaders to bring Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, the official said. Supporting Maliki’s government is the best way to mitigate Iranian influence in the region, the official said. “We truly believe that’s the most important way right now to mitigate Iranian pressure against not only us, but more importantly the Iraqi government and the coalition that’s operating in Iraq,” the official said. The secretary will also be talking to the countries about how the United States can help them modify their defense strategies and “transition from the sort of post-Soviet dependency on conventional weaponry to something more expeditionary, something more related toward counterterrorism and the non-state actors that we are all working together against in the region,” the official said.

Gates v Pelosi

Unlike Pelosi, This Visit Is Authorized

Unlike Pelosi, This Visit Is Authorized

Monday, April 16, 2007 8:56 PM

Have any persons of moral fortitude in our CONgress denounced Nancy Pelosi yet?

An Authorized Visit

Gates Visits Jordan to Thank Ally, Discuss Regional Concerns By Kathleen T. Rhem American Forces Press Service

Biographies: Robert M. Gates Related Sites: U.S. State Department Country Background Note on Jordan

War News

So Far, So Good

So Far, So Good

Thursday, April 05, 2007 1:56 PM

And it spells “bad news” for the Leftinistra.

Since When Is Good News Bad News?

Gates: Still ‘So Far, So Good’ in Iraq

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007 – Security in Baghdad has improved even though only part of the planned increase of U.S. troops is in place, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today on a nationally syndicated radio program. “So far, so good,” Gates said on the Laura Ingraham Show, noting it is too early to draw conclusions. Al Qaeda continues to launch dramatic terror attacks against population centers, but Gates said some of these attacks are in reaction to the progress being made. “It’s been part of their strategy since last year to foment sectarian violence,” Gates said. “I think some of these large car bombs are to counteract some of the positive things that have been happening as a result of even the two brigades going into Baghdad along with a significant number of Iraqi forces.” A third U.S. brigade is in Baghdad, but hasn’t fully joined operations. The last two U.S. brigades into the Iraqi capital will be there by late May or early June, Defense Department officials said. Gates said he is pleased with the commitment and cooperation from the Iraqi government. The Iraqis have delivered the additional troops they promised, and Iraqi commanders in Baghdad are directing operations. The Iraqi government is allowing Iraqi security forces and coalition forces into any neighborhood. The Iraqi government also is maintaining its commitment to no political interference in operations, Gates said. And the changes have been noticed, Gates told Ingraham and her listeners. “What’s interesting to me is just in the last few days, looking at the news media, … there have actually been some pretty positive stories coming out of Baghdad – children returning to playgrounds, markets reopening, and so on,” the secretary said. Illegal militia in Baghdad have stood down, though activity continues in some parts of Iraq. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr remains in Iran, and there are “some signs that his prolonged absence is leading to some fractures in (his militia’s) organization,” Gates said. Gates also discussed the military’s need for funding to finance the war effort. He said he is concerned about delays in enacting an emergency supplemental bill. Each house of Congress has passed a version of the bill, and both versions contain a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any bill containing the withdrawal language. Gates said each of the armed services will be affected by a delay, with the Army being the worst off. The service may be forced to suspend training for deploying forces, repairing equipment and putting in place a civilian hiring freeze. The secretary said a threatened complete cut-off of war “would be dramatic.” Most Americans across most parts of the political spectrum agree that the only way Iraq can emerge as a country that can govern, defend and sustain itself is if there is a political reconciliation among the different parties in Iraq, the secretary said. U.S. officials recognized late last fall that with the level of violence was so high in Baghdad that prospects for reconciliation were almost nonexistent. “The whole idea of the surge is to help buy the Iraqis time to pursue political reconciliation,” he said. “And there seems to be some progress in that regard.” Gates said there should be a dialogue with Syria, “but talking for the sake of talking really doesn’t accomplish very much unless you have some sort of a goal out of it.” He said any U.S. officials going to Damascus should ask the Syrians to stop allowing suicide bombers to cross their borders into Iraq. They should ask about the flow of weapons out of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, he added. “I think these are the kind of issues that if there is going to be a dialogue there has to be some substance to it,” Gates said.