President George Bush's Address to the Nation on the new US strategy for Iraq, January 10, 2007:
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The President's New Iraq Strategy Is Rooted In Six Fundamental Elements:
- Let the Iraqis lead;
- Help Iraqis protect the population;
- Isolate extremists;
- Create space for political progress;
- Diversify political and economic efforts; and
- Situate the strategy in a regional approach.
Key Elements Of The New Approach: Security
Iraqi:
- Publicly acknowledge all parties are responsible for quelling sectarian violence.
- Work with additional Coalition help to regain control of the capital and protect the Iraqi population.
- Deliver necessary Iraqi forces for Baghdad and protect those forces from political interference.
- Commit to intensify efforts to build balanced security forces throughout the nation that provide security even-handedly for all Iraqis.
- Plan and fund eventual demobilization program for militias.
Coalition:
- Agree that helping Iraqis to provide population security is necessary to enable accelerated transition and political progress.
- Provide additional military and civilian resources to accomplish this mission.
- Increase efforts to support tribes willing to help Iraqis fight Al Qaeda in Anbar.
- Accelerate and expand the embed program while minimizing risk to participants.
Both Coalition And Iraqi:
- Continue counter-terror operations against Al Qaeda and insurgent organizations.
- Take more vigorous action against death squad networks.
- Accelerate transition to Iraqi responsibility and increase Iraqi ownership.
- Increase Iraqi security force capacity – both size and effectiveness – from 10 to 13 Army divisions, 36 to 41 Army Brigades, and 112 to 132 Army Battalions.
- Establish a National Operations Center, National Counterterrorism Force, and National Strike Force.
- Reform the Ministry of Interior to increase transparency and accountability and transform the National Police.
Key Elements Of The New Approach: Political
Iraqi:
- The Government of Iraq commits to:
- Reform its cabinet to provide even-handed service delivery.
- Act on promised reconciliation initiatives (oil law, de-Baathification law, Provincial elections).
- Give Coalition and ISF authority to pursue ALL extremists.
- All Iraqi leaders support reconciliation.
- Moderate coalition emerges as strong base of support for unity government.
Coalition:
- Support political moderates so they can take on the extremists.
- Build and sustain strategic partnerships with moderate Shi'a, Sunnis, and Kurds.
- Support the national compact and key elements of reconciliation with Iraqis in the lead.
- Diversify U.S. efforts to foster political accommodation outside Baghdad (more flexibility for local commanders and civilian leaders).
- Expand and increase the flexibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) footprint.
- Focus U.S. political, security, and economic resources at local level to open space for moderates, with initial priority to Baghdad and Anbar.
Both Coalition And Iraqi:
- Partnership between Prime Minister Maliki, Iraqi moderates, and the United States where all parties are clear on expectations and responsibilities.
- Strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption.
- Build on security gains to foster local and national political accommodations.
- Make Iraqi institutions even-handed, serving all of Iraq's communities on an impartial basis.
Key Elements Of The New Approach: Economic
Iraqi:
- Deliver economic resources and provide essential services to all areas and communities.
- Enact hydrocarbons law to promote investment, national unity, and reconciliation.
- Capitalize and execute jobs-producing programs.
- Match U.S. efforts to create jobs with longer term sustainable Iraqi programs.
- Focus more economic effort on relatively secure areas as a magnet for employment and growth.
Coalition:
- Refocus efforts to help Iraqis build capacity in areas vital to success of the government (e.g. budget execution, key ministries).
- Decentralize efforts to build Iraqi capacities outside the Green Zone.
- Double the number of PRTs and civilians serving outside the Green Zone.
- Establish PRT-capability within maneuver Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs).
- Greater integration of economic strategy with military effort.
- Joint civil-military plans devised by PRT and BCT.
- Remove legal and bureaucratic barriers to maximize cooperation and flexibility.
Key Elements Of The New Approach: Regional
Iraqi:
- Vigorously engage Arab states.
- Take the lead in establishing a regional forum to give support and help from the neighborhood.
- Counter negative foreign activity in Iraq.
- Increase efforts to counter PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).
Coalition:
- Intensify efforts to counter Iranian and Syrian influence inside Iraq.
- Increase military presence in the region.
- Strengthen defense ties with partner states in the region.
- Encourage Arab state support to Government of Iraq.
- Continue efforts to help manage relations between Iraq and Turkey.
- Continue to seek the region's full support in the War on Terror.
Both Coalition And Iraqi:
- Focus on the International Compact.
- Retain active U.N. engagement in Iraq – particularly for election support and constitutional review.