CBS Evening News (A block) - 2006-11-30

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:02] We're going to stay in Iraq to get the

[0:04] job done so long as the government wants

[0:05] us there.

[0:06] >> [music]

[0:07] >> I'm Katie Couric in Amman, Jordan where

[0:08] President Bush rules out any quote

[0:11] graceful [music]

[0:11] US exit from Iraq and gives a big vote

[0:14] of confidence to Prime Minister Maliki.

[0:17] >> [music]

[0:18] >> He's the right guy for Iraq.

[0:20] Tonight my interview with Iraq's leader.

[0:22] >> [music]

[0:23] >> How frustrating it has it been for you,

[0:26] Mr. Prime Minister, to not have greater

[0:27] authority sooner?

[0:29] >> [music]

[0:29] >> And with America's Secretary of State.

[0:32] Will this summit really change anything?

[0:36] Jim Axelrod reports on a meeting that

[0:37] featured breakfast, brevity, and a plea

[0:40] from [music] Maliki for greater control

[0:42] of his own forces.

[0:45] Elizabeth Palmer on how that might work

[0:47] in practice [music] or not.

[0:51] David Martin on what the Baker

[0:53] Commission will recommend.

[0:55] And Mark Phillips on [music] an East

[0:57] Coast prep school that's going middle

[0:59] east.

[1:05] >> [music]

[1:05] >> This is the CBS Evening News with Katie

[1:08] Couric reporting tonight from Amman,

[1:10] Jordan.

[1:13] Good evening. President Bush does

[1:14] summits the way he plays golf, quickly.

[1:17] His round of summitry here today with

[1:19] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was

[1:22] brief and to the point. And if you were

[1:24] expecting a breakthrough, there wasn't

[1:26] one. Here's what there was. A promise to

[1:29] speed up the transfer of responsibility

[1:31] for Iraqi security to the Iraqis. A top

[1:34] Iraqi official tells CBS News they could

[1:37] be ready to handle it on their own as

[1:39] early as June of next year. The

[1:41] President again rejected a timetable for

[1:44] US withdrawal and gave the Prime

[1:46] Minister a strong vote of confidence.

[1:48] Once again, we have a team of CBS News

[1:50] correspondents covering all the angles.

[1:53] We begin with our chief White House

[1:54] correspondent here with me in Amman, Jim

[1:57] Axelrod. Jim. Okay, that summit actually

[2:00] turned out to be a breakfast followed by

[2:01] a 45-minute one-on-one meeting. Speaking

[2:04] to reporters afterward, President Bush

[2:06] sounded more like stay the course than

[2:08] change the course. Getting out in front

[2:10] of the expected call from the

[2:12] Baker-Hamilton Commission for troop

[2:13] withdrawals, he rejected the idea saying

[2:17] there will be no graceful exit.

[2:20] Seeking to dispel questions about the

[2:22] relationship after Iraq's Prime Minister

[2:24] canceled the planned meeting last night,

[2:26] Mr. Bush praised Nouri al-Maliki's

[2:28] courage and vision.

[2:31] He's the right guy for Iraq.

[2:34] And we're going to help him. But for Mr.

[2:36] Bush, help for Maliki right now means

[2:38] transferring authority over Iraqi troops

[2:41] currently under US command back to

[2:43] Maliki. One of his frustrations with me

[2:47] is that he believes we've been slow

[2:49] about giving him the tools necessary to

[2:51] protect the Iraqi people.

[2:53] But who's in charge doesn't address how

[2:56] that stops Shiites and Sunnis from

[2:57] killing each other. Driving much of the

[3:00] violence in Iraq right now are police

[3:02] forces filled with members of Muqtada

[3:04] al-Sadr's militias.

[3:08] Asked publicly if he would break with

[3:09] Sadr, Maliki sidestepped. Privately,

[3:12] according to an aide, Maliki told the

[3:14] President it would not be a quote big

[3:17] deal to contain Sadr. With the

[3:19] Baker-Hamilton report due out next week,

[3:21] the President seemed eager to preempt

[3:24] any calls for drawdowns from anyone back

[3:26] home. And that's why this business about

[3:28] graceful exit just simply has no realism

[3:31] to it at all.

[3:33] We're going to help this government. The

[3:35] President will spend the next couple of

[3:36] weeks weighing not only Baker-Hamilton

[3:38] but two internal reviews as well. His

[3:41] blueprint for a new course in Iraq is

[3:43] expected just before the end of the

[3:45] year, just before the Democrats take

[3:47] over Congress. Katie. Meanwhile, Jim, a

[3:49] number of top Iraqi officials are saying

[3:52] that the Iraqi forces may be able to

[3:55] take over as early as June of next year.

[3:57] Are they saying US forces can leave now?

[4:00] And does anyone in the United States

[4:02] government think that's possible?

[4:03] >> know, the President always says he

[4:05] counts on his commanders and the US

[4:07] commanders talk about 12 to 18 months

[4:09] time frame, not six or seven months. So,

[4:11] I suppose we'll find out soon enough if

[4:13] we should file this under that in that

[4:15] folder marked wishful thinking. All

[4:16] right, Jim Axelrod. Thank you, Jim.

[4:19] Tonight the Prime Minister is back home

[4:20] where he certainly has his work cut out

[4:23] for him. Elizabeth Palmer continues our

[4:25] coverage now from the Iraqi capital.

[4:29] When Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

[4:31] arrived back in Baghdad today, he

[4:33] repeated the one message the nation

[4:35] wanted to hear.

[4:37] "We will gradually dispense with the

[4:39] need to have international forces in

[4:41] Iraq," he said.

[4:43] But that word gradually is an admission

[4:46] that Iraq's Defense Ministry may not be

[4:48] ready to take on the job.

[4:51] The new Iraqi army now has almost

[4:53] 119,000

[4:55] members. That's 10 divisions. Only one

[4:59] responsible for this relatively stable

[5:01] area south of Baghdad reports to Iraq's

[5:04] Prime Minister.

[5:06] By coincidence on Monday, a second

[5:09] division based in the remote northwest

[5:11] will also be transferred to Iraqi

[5:13] command.

[5:15] The rest of Iraq's army is still under

[5:17] coalition command. And it's all riddled

[5:20] with problems.

[5:23] Inadequate training, a high desertion

[5:25] rate, and shortages of equipment, food,

[5:29] and even wages. And underlying all that,

[5:32] Corruption is the most dangerous thing

[5:35] we are facing. Even in the army? Even in

[5:37] the army, even police, in the

[5:39] ministries, in the presidency, in the

[5:41] cabinet, in the parliament, every place.

[5:44] The main thing Prime Minister Maliki's

[5:46] army is missing is loyalty to the state.

[5:49] Many soldiers' first allegiance is to

[5:51] tribe or sect. But the real test will be

[5:54] if they are asked to confront those

[5:56] militias, will they hold together as

[5:59] military formations or would they

[6:01] dissolve? And if that were the case,

[6:03] then I truly think we'd see an all-out

[6:05] civil war in Iraq.

[6:07] What's also far from clear is whether or

[6:09] not weakened Prime Minister Maliki has

[6:11] either the backbone or the political

[6:13] strength to put his soldiers onto

[6:16] streets controlled by militias. Katie.

[6:19] Elizabeth Palmer reporting from Baghdad

[6:21] tonight. As we've already mentioned, the

[6:23] report that will be issued next week by

[6:25] the Baker-Hamilton Commission hangs over

[6:28] this summit and over every conversation

[6:30] about the US involvement in Iraq. From

[6:32] the Pentagon tonight, David Martin

[6:34] reports the commission will recommend a

[6:36] timetable for beginning a US withdrawal.

[6:40] The Iraq Study Group will recommend that

[6:42] all 15 American combat brigades, that's

[6:45] about 75,000 troops, should be pulled

[6:48] out of action and either back into base

[6:49] camps or entirely out of the country

[6:52] within 16 months. A source close to the

[6:54] study group tells CBS News. During that

[6:57] time, the mission of US soldiers and

[6:59] Marines currently patrolling the streets

[7:01] would change to that of trainers and

[7:03] advisers embedded with Iraqi soldiers

[7:05] and police. "Our goal is a change in the

[7:07] primary mission from combat to support,"

[7:10] this source said. "This must happen," he

[7:12] added, "even if the Iraqis don't make

[7:15] the changes we want them to.

[7:17] We have to let these people know they

[7:18] have to get their act together or we

[7:20] [music] are getting out of there."

[7:22] It's a tough love strategy the incoming

[7:24] Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed

[7:26] Services Committee seems ready to

[7:28] support. Till now, the administration

[7:30] policy has basically been an open-ended

[7:32] policy where they're as long as the

[7:34] Iraqis want us to be there. That would

[7:37] change under these recommendations. We

[7:39] would notify them

[7:41] uh that we're going to begin

[7:42] redeployment. A source close to the

[7:44] study group said its members feel the

[7:45] Iraqi government has been slow to enact

[7:47] badly needed reforms.

[7:50] The group's 50-page report establishes

[7:52] milestones the government must achieve,

[7:54] such as reconciling the warring factions

[7:57] and distributing its billions of dollars

[7:59] in oil revenues.

[8:00] "If they don't carry this out, we will

[8:02] reduce military, economic, and political

[8:05] support," this source said. This is puts

[8:07] more responsibility and onus and

[8:09] pressure on the Iraqis. It's clearly

[8:11] implied that the Iraqi leadership needs

[8:14] pressure on them if they're going to

[8:16] reach a political settlement.

[8:18] >> has always been to build up Iraqi forces

[8:21] so they can take over the fighting.

[8:23] Now, the Iraq Study Group is saying, "Do

[8:25] it or else."

[8:27] David Martin, CBS News, the Pentagon.

[8:31] The recommendations of the Baker

[8:32] Commission were not discussed here in

[8:34] Amman today. At least that's what the

[8:36] Iraqi Prime Minister told me when he sat

[8:38] down for a rare interview just after his

[8:41] meeting with the President.

[8:44] It was a lightning-fast summit, but as

[8:46] he made a dash to the airport to go

[8:48] home, And then you're leaving out here,

[8:50] yes? Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took

[8:53] a few minutes to give us an unusually

[8:55] upbeat assessment of the summit's

[8:57] outcome.

[9:00] I'm very happy. I reminded both of us of

[9:02] our victory in Iraq, the victory of

[9:04] democracy and freedom against

[9:05] dictatorship. How frustrating it has it

[9:08] been for you, Mr. Prime Minister, to not

[9:11] have greater authority sooner?

[9:14] I wouldn't say it's frustrating. We

[9:15] found that security forces have to be

[9:17] able to respond quickly because we are

[9:20] facing groups that require security

[9:22] forces that are ready to strike at the

[9:24] terrorists 24 hours a day.

[9:27] As for reports that the Baker Commission

[9:29] will soon recommend major US troop

[9:31] withdrawals, the Prime Minister said

[9:33] President Bush had not brought it up and

[9:35] that any pullback would require dialogue

[9:38] between the two countries. As Prime

[9:41] Minister Maliki leaves Jordan with

[9:42] renewed confidence and determination, it

[9:45] is still unclear how these new plans

[9:47] will be carried out once he arrives back

[9:50] in the morass of Iraq.

[9:52] As Maliki traveled back to Baghdad, we

[9:55] spoke with Iraq's Foreign Minister

[9:57] Hoshyar Zebari about one of the biggest

[10:00] problems facing the government, Muqtada

[10:02] al-Sadr and his powerful militia that he

[10:05] refuses to disarm.

[10:07] What about Muqtada al-Sadr? How big a

[10:10] threat is he?

[10:11] >> Now,

[10:12] Muqtada

[10:14] other people other leaders have to make

[10:16] their choice.

[10:18] Either they have to be in it or out of

[10:21] it. They can't have it both ways.

[10:24] >> What will he choose?

[10:25] Well, I think

[10:27] it's in his best interest and other

[10:30] people also to embrace this government,

[10:33] to support it, and to take away armed

[10:37] men from the streets. If the Iraqi

[10:39] government takes greater control over

[10:41] its own security forces, in your mind

[10:44] does that pave the way for a reduction

[10:47] in US troops in your country? I believe

[10:50] so. I mean that that is really the

[10:52] formula.

[10:53] From day one. Having said that, do you

[10:55] feel confident that US troops will stay

[10:59] in place as President Bush reiterated

[11:01] during the summit as long as it takes? I

[11:04] think any precipitous or any premature

[11:08] withdrawal

[11:09] of multinational forces

[11:12] to leave behind vacuum would be

[11:14] disaster.

[11:16] Now the Bush administration's take on

[11:18] how the summit went. For that I traveled

[11:20] late today to a resort on the Dead Sea

[11:23] and after the sunset I sat down with the

[11:25] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She

[11:28] too gave the Prime Minister her

[11:30] endorsement.

[11:32] This is someone when you look in his

[11:33] eyes that you know his commitment to his

[11:36] people. Not only is he trying to bring a

[11:39] country out of the circumstances of

[11:42] tyranny into a functioning democracy,

[11:45] but he's trying to do so with terrorist

[11:48] who quite clearly set out to set off

[11:51] sectarian conflict between Iraqis.

[11:54] President Bush said today

[11:57] that US troops are in Iraq as long as

[11:59] the Iraqi government wants them to be

[12:01] there until the job gets done. The whole

[12:03] goal here is to transfer responsibility

[12:06] to the Iraqis and to give them enough

[12:08] capability to take those

[12:10] responsibilities. Obviously, as those

[12:13] responsibilities are transferred, as the

[12:15] capability improves, then American

[12:17] forces will be less in evidence and less

[12:20] needed. That's a that's a natural

[12:21] outcome.

[12:22] >> Can you see that happening as early as

[12:24] next year? Well, I think we have to have

[12:26] it dictated by when the Iraqis are

[12:28] capable of taking these these

[12:30] responsibilities on, but we have to

[12:32] recognize that they've already taken

[12:34] responsibility for whole provinces. The

[12:36] key is that they be able to do the job.

[12:39] There is much more CBS News straight

[12:41] ahead. From the Middle East we go next

[12:43] to Middle America hit with some heavy

[12:46] wintry weather.

[12:48] >> [music]

[12:53] [music]