US Vice President Dick Cheney challenges former Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi’s statement that Iraq is already in civil war
Cheney denied Iraq had fallen into civil war despite extremist attempts to foment one and predicted success despite the constant violence.
Allawi earlier warned Iraq is moving towards the “point of no return.” When it comes, Iraq will fall apart, sectarianism will spread throughout the region and even Europe and the United States would not be spared. He added: “If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is.”
Allawi, who heads the mixed secular Shiite-Sunni Iraqi National List, pointed out, “We are losing each day an average of 50 to 60 people throughout the country if not more.”
Cheney’s response: “There’s a lot at stake here. It’s not just about Iraq …it’s about where we are going to be 10 years from now in the Middle East.” The administration’s “aggressive, forward-leaning strategy” after 9/11, he said, was one of the main reasons the US has not been struck again at home.
US Democrats are not buying this proposition: “I think political leaders in Washington have failed when it comes to our policy in Iraq,” said Sen. Richard Durbin on Fox News Sunday. “They misled us into believing there were weapons of mass destruction and connections between 9/11 and Saddam of Hussein.”
In a brief statement, President George W. Bush said Sunday: “We are implementing strategy that will lead to victory in Iraq and lay the foundation of peace for generations to come.” He said he was encouraged by the progress made.