*EPF403 07/01/2004
Defense Department Report, July 1: Iraq Update
(New general takes charge of U.S. forces) (350)

GENERAL CASEY TAKES OVER FROM LT. GEN. SANCHEZ

U.S. Army Brigadier General David Rodriguez, deputy director of operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon July 1 that U.S. forces stationed in Iraq are now under the command of U.S. Army General David Casey.

Casey assumed command July 1 from Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez. He will be responsible for some 160,000 coalition forces assigned to the Multi-National Force-Iraq.

Rodriguez was asked how the mission of the U.S. military might change now that Iraq is sovereign. "The goals are the same," he said.

Iraqi military officers have been embedded into the command structure at every level, Rodriguez said.

Asked about the possibility of a reduced visual presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, he said there are already more joint U.S.-Iraqi patrols under way. As the security situation eases and the capabilities of Iraqi soldiers increase over time, Rodriguez said such patrols would be exclusively Iraqi.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita, who also participated in the briefing, said coordination continues at all levels between U.S. military and new Iraqi government contacts as the degree of trust increases and partnerships solidify.

Asked about former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's treatment while in U.S. custody, DiRita said the prisoner received "humane, proper treatment," including full protection under the Geneva Conventions.

DiRita also said the return to the United States of former Coalition Provisional Authority Administrator Paul Bremer is proof that the transition to sovereignty in Iraq is now complete. Iraq is clearly on the path to self-government, he added later.

After the briefing concluded, the Defense Department issued a release announcing that Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun had been captured. The Pentagon had previously described his status as missing.

Hassoun was seen last on June 19 in Iraq.

The release said that the circumstances regarding his capture are under investigation.

Broadcast media outlets broadcast video -- in advance of the issued new release -- reportedly showing Hassoun as a captive.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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