Oil law by Sept, need navy-air-force, Rubaie says

"Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the national security adviser to Iraq’s prime minister, undertook on Tuesday what may have been his most challenging mission yet: trying to persuade American lawmakers who have all but run out of patience that still more patience is required.
. . . Mr. Rubaie stressed that a law distributing oil revenues would be in place by September and that a date would be set for provincial elections to be held in 2008.
Work is under way on constitutional reforms, he said, and the overhaul of the policy barring most former Baath Party members from government jobs would be completed by the end of the year.
. . . Mr. Rubaie also asserted that Iraqi government officials were involved in serious discussions with several insurgent groups, including the 1920s Revolutionary Brigade and Ansar al-Sunna — an effort to split the opposition and turn them against Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia.
. . . Mr. Rubaie stressed that Iraq was involved in a historic process to overcome the long legacy of authoritarian rule, and that the early withdrawal of American troops would lead to chaos." [1]

"Although U.S. troops could eventually redeploy to forward bases in Iraq and the region, he said, a U.S. presence will be needed until Iraq builds not just an army, but also an air force and a navy, which could take decades.
'We will need coalition forces for the foreseeable future,' he said in an interview with editors and reporters at The Washington Post. 'Building an air force to own our air and to be able to defend Iraq cannot be done overnight, or in months. It will take decades to build an air force and to build a navy.' " [2]

source
[1] Gordon, Michael R. (The New York Times). Official Takes Case to U.S., but Skeptics Don’t Budge. May 9, 2007.
[2] Wright, Robin. (The Washington Post). Iraq Seeks Time to Take Steps, but Levin Notes 'Disconnect'. May 10, 2007.
posted: friday, may 11, 2007, 2:03 PM ET
update: sunday, may 13, 2007, 10:17 AM ET

tags: iraq mowaffak al-rubaie