James F. Jeffrey, U.S. ambassador to Iraq designate, former principal deputy assistant secretary of state for the Near East, senior adviser to the Secretary of State for Iraq, U.S. deputy chief of mission and U.S. chargé d’affaires in Iraq; testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, July 20, 2010:
“There will be ongoing military cooperation as our relationship with Iraq evolves. For the time being, Iraqi security forces still require certain assistance with logistics and meeting some other operational requirements. While the remaining U.S. forces will continue to provide training and mentoring until their departure by the end of 2011, the hard work of maintaining security and stability is an Iraqi responsibility, and Iraqi forces are showing they are increasingly able to meet that responsibility. …
“We now look to Iraq’s leaders to take the steps that will complement the gains made in security. At the top of that list, in my view, is government formation. It has now been more than four months since the people of Iraq voted in national elections, and still no successor government is in place. This is an Iraqi matter, and I want to emphasize that the United States is not taking sides in the negotiations underway among the various parties. We are, however, stressing to political leaders that they must get on with the job. That means they must make compromises even if that requires giving up personal ambitions or partisan agendas. This process must result in the formation of a truly representative government that enjoys broad acceptance and meets the needs and aspirations of all Iraqis.
“While it is unsettling to see this government formation process drag on, it is an encouraging sign that Iraq’s political leaders are engaged in earnest discussions. The Iraqi people want movement on the major problems that still bedevil them in their daily lives, like electricity and water shortages, lack of employment opportunities, and corruption. There is a need for decisive government action across a broad range of national problems. But the Iraq of 2010 is not the Iraq of 2006, the last time we had a prolonged government formation process. Unlike in 2006, the dangerous power vacuum and violent instability that some predicted have not developed. The caretaker government continues to provide basic services and salaries, and the security forces continue to maintain stability on the streets. Iraq is better off than when I left it in 2005 and the elements necessary for Iraq’s success are present.”
