*EPF404 07/01/2004
Byliner: 'Iraq's Future is Optimistic,' says Robert D. Blackwill
(Op-ed column by the White House deputy national security adviser for strategic planning) (530)

(This column by Robert D. Blackwill, who is White House deputy national security adviser for strategic planning and President Bush's envoy to Iraq, was published in the USA Today July 1 and is in the public domain. No republication restrictions.)

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Iraq's Future is Optimistic
By Robert D. Blackwill

In a historic step earlier this week, the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq relinquished authority to a fully sovereign Iraqi interim government. This government will build upon the achievements of the coalition's presence in Iraq during the past year.

The most important accomplishment was the liberation of the Iraqi people from the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

Before the regime's fall, ordinary Iraqis lived lives of oppression and fear. Now they are free to think, speak and worship as they please. Equal rights for all citizens have been enshrined in the Transitional Administrative Law, Iraq's interim constitution.

The coalition has also paved the way for Iraq's first set of free and fair national elections. The recently established Iraqi electoral commission is currently working with the United Nations to prepare for these elections before Jan. 31.

We have also made significant progress in improving basic government services. Electricity grids and oil pipelines have been repaired, health care spending has multiplied thirtyfold, and the number of telephones in use has increased 49%. More than 2,500 loans have been granted to small enterprises, and the new Iraqi dinar has been integrated into the local economy.

In addition, America has rallied the international community to support Iraq's emerging democracy. The United Nations will continue to play its vital role in the Iraqi political process, as it has been doing for many months. The unanimous passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1546, the G-8 statement at Sea Island, Ga., and NATO's recent commitment to help train Iraqi security forces, which is the result of alliance discussions that began last year, all demonstrate international optimism about and support for Iraq's future.

Finally, America has worked with Iraqi leaders to ensure that Iraq's future is peaceful. Together with our coalition partners, American forces are providing security and helping to train Iraqi soldiers, police officers and other security personnel.

There are no shortcuts in this training process, but Iraqis are anxious to undertake as rapidly as possible responsibility for their nation's security. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has stressed that combating the insurgents "is first and foremost an Iraqi struggle. We are prepared to fight, and, if necessary, die for these objectives." In support of this fight, U.S. forces will remain in Iraq as long as their presence is needed and welcomed by the Iraqi government.

As President Bush stated in Istanbul on Tuesday, "The terrorists are ruthless and resourceful, but they will not prevail." The newly sovereign Iraqi government will lead the Iraqi people to a democratic future, with the help of the United States and its international partners.

(Robert D. Blackwill is White House deputy national security adviser for strategic planning and President Bush's envoy to Iraq.)

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

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