-Caveat Lector- Wolfowitz rebukes army's top officer By Peter Spiegel in Washington Published: February 28 2003 3:00 | Last Updated: February 28 2003 3:00
Paul Wolfowitz (pictured), the deputy defence secretary, on Thursday harshly rebuked the US army's top uniformed officer, saying the general's estimate that it would take hundreds of thousands of troops to occupy a post-war Iraq was "wildly off the mark". Although he did not mention by name General Eric Shinseki, the army's chief of staff, Mr Wolfowitz's comments came just two days after the officer told a Capitol Hill hearing that it would take "several hundred thousand soldiers" to control Iraq after an invasion. Special report: Iraq For latest news and analysis on Iraq, click here "We're talking about post-hostilities control over a piece of geography that's fairly significant, with the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems," Gen Shinseki said. "And so it takes a significant groundforce presence to maintain a safe and secure environment, to ensure that people are fed, that water is disturbed, all the normal responsibilities that go along with administering a situation like this." In a rare public admonishment, Mr Wolfowitz took issue with the contention, noting that Iraq has had none of the ethnic strife that has characterised other regional conflicts where US troops have been used, such as the Balkans. "It's hard to conceive it would take more forces to provide stability in post- Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself," Mr Wolfowitz said. "The slaughter in Iraq has been the slaughter of all ethnic groups. It is equal opportunity terror." Donald Rumsfeld, defence secretary, and his top civilian aides at the Pentagon have had a series of flare-ups with Gen Shinseki, appointed to head the army by former president Bill Clinton. In April Mr Rumsfeld announced Gen Shinseki's successor more than a year before his four-year term had ended, making him a lame duck until he steps down this summer. More recently, Gen Shinseki is reported to have questioned whether top civilian leaders, including Mr Wolfowitz, have underestimated the risks involved in an invasion of Iraq. Mr Wolfowitz sought to play down the time and expense it will take to rebuild Iraq, saying the high price tag recently discussed regarding the war and reconstruction - put as high as $95bn (€88bn, £60bn) - does not take into account revenues that could come from Iraqi oil sales. He added that the US believed several nations that did not support the US war effort - including France and Germany - would be likely to join in the reparations. "We're talking about one of the most important countries in the Arab world," Mr Wolfowitz said. "I suspect even countries like France will have a strong interest in rebuilding Iraq." Related stories Opposition looks to post-Saddam Iraq Feb 28 2003 21:19 Trigger for invasion that cannot be stayed Feb 28 2003 20:43 US debate moves on to post-war Iraq Feb 28 2003 19:44 Arab Leaders resist US pressure Feb 28 2003 19:00 Iraq opposition sees parallel military and civilian rule Feb 28 2003 18:41 Diplomatic endgame Feb 28 2003 15:25 Mary Chung : War is no panacea Feb 28 2003 14:55 Vince Heaney : Bear trend intact Feb 28 2003 14:10 Mary Chung : War is no panacea Feb 28 2003 12:47 Volatile oil market bounces at $40 per barrel Feb 27 2003 22:58 = requires subscription to FT.com Find this article at: http://news.ft.com/s01/servlet/ContentServer? pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1045511221211&p= 1012571727102 EMAIL THIS | Close Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
