Singapore PM Urges U.S. to Stay in Iraq
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN , 06.02.2006
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Friday the United
States must not pull out of Iraq until it has stabilized, while
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld defended the training and
conduct of U.S. troops amid an investigation into the massacre of
Iraqi civilians.
"If the U.S. leaves Iraq under conditions that can be portrayed as
defeat, its enemies everywhere will be emboldened, and we will all
be at greater risk," Lee said.
"There is no choice but for the U.S. and its coalition partners to
stay the course and complete the work in Iraq," he said in a speech
at the opening of a three-day meeting in Singapore of defense and
security officials from 23 countries.
Rumsfeld is also attending the conference in the city-state that is
a staunch U.S. ally, and said most U.S. troops were well trained
and acted according to proper rules of conduct.
"We know that 99.9 percent of our forces conduct themselves in an
exemplary manner. We also know that in conflicts things that
shouldn't happen, do happen," he told reporters on the sidelines of
the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The military is conducting two investigations into the alleged
murder of about two dozen Iraqi citizens by U.S. Marines in
Haditha, an insurgent stronghold in western Iraq. One is a criminal
probe into the actual events that day last November, and the other
is looking into whether soldiers told the truth about what happened
or if there was a cover-up.
While Rumsfeld said he cannot comment on the investigation because
it could taint the case, he said, "We don't expect U.S. soldiers to
act that way, and they're trained not to."
Rumsfeld's attendance at the annual defense forum comes barely a
week after the Pentagon issued a report saying China is rapidly
extending its military reach through purchases of advanced weaponry
and refined tactics.
China's rise is widely seen as a challenge to U.S. military
supremacy in Asia, underscoring Beijing's longtime rivalry with
Japan, conflicting claims over islands in the South China Sea, and
control over Taiwan, the self-governing island that China calls
part of its territory but which Washington is legally bound to help
defend.
Rumsfeld is due to address the forum on Saturday. Other keynote
speakers include Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Japanese
Defense Minister Fukushiro Nukaga and Indonesian Defense Minister
Juwono Sudarsono. China's highest ranking participant is a deputy
chief of the Foreign Ministry's Asian section.
Despite that low-level representation, conference organizer Tim
Huxley said China's growing influence will be a major issue before
the forum.
"China's rising power, confidence and assertiveness have
implications beyond this region," said Huxley, senior fellow for
Asia-Pacific security at the London-based International Institute
for Strategic Studies.
Concerns over China's military rise are accented by a 14 percent
increase in Beijing's declared defense spending this year to $35.3
billion.
Outside estimates of China's true spending are up to three times
that amount, based on the country's heavy purchases of submarines,
missiles, fighter planes and other high-tech weapons, mainly from
Russia.
At last year's gathering, Rumsfeld questioned the reasons behind
China's annual double-digit increases in defense spending, saying
those implied Beijing was prepared to act on its threats to attack
Taiwan if it continues to refuse unification.
In the year since, the sides have taken tentative steps to lessen
uncertainty on either side - including a first-ever visit by
Rumsfeld to China as defense secretary - though critics say real
trust has yet to be established.
Speaking en route to Singapore, a senior U.S. defense official said
Rumsfeld would not dwell on lingering questions about China's
military growth in his address Saturday. The official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because the speech was not public yet, said
instead Rumsfeld would speak more broadly about the need for the
countries to work together.
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may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/06/02/ap2790531.html
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but didnt his papa agree to leave malaysia? so his papa lost the
political war??
but then again, i seriously feel that the united stats of america
should heed advice from our very own brigader general. from his
comments, i;m absolutely sure he has sufficient war experience to
back his comments. Afterall, didnt our general just win a political
war with a very very strong mandate?
rumsfeld, please heed his expert advise, it willl do you
good.
