美国总统布什召集多名前高官探讨伊拉克问题
Advice from Former Officials on Iraq Policy
摘要：
美国总统布什当政以来，一直因在做重大决策前只征求核心班子内寥寥几名亲信备受各界批评。据路透社报道，布什将于5日“跳出小圈子”，召集多位前国务卿和国防部长，听取他们对伊拉克局势的看法。其中一些前高官对布什的伊拉克政策持批评态度。
US President George W. Bush on Thursday held an unprecedented meeting on Iraq policy at the White House with the participation of current and former secretaries of defense and state.
美国总统布什当政以来，一直因在做重大决策前只征求核心班子内寥寥几名亲信备受各界批评。据路透社报道，布什将于5日“跳出小圈子”，召集多位前国务卿和国防部长，听取他们对伊拉克局势的看法。其中一些前高官对布什的伊拉克政策持批评态度。
在会上，驻伊拉克美军最高指挥官凯西和美驻伊大使哈利扎德将向布什等汇报当前伊拉克现状。白宫发言人麦克莱伦说，布什总统主动提出要扩大参会人员范围。
参会者包括：布什首任期内的国务卿鲍威尔。尽管鲍威尔卸任后尽量避免公开批评布什，但是他的助手们却猛烈抨击布什、副总统切尼和国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德。
克林顿政府中的国防部长佩里也将参加会议。他在2004年大选中为布什的竞选对手克里出谋划策。其他接受布什与会邀请的共和党和民主党人士还有：前国务卿奥尔布赖特、伊格尔伯格、贝克、舒尔茨、黑格；前国防部长科恩、卡鲁奇、施莱辛格、布朗、莱德、麦克纳马拉。其中麦克纳马拉已是89岁高龄，他被视为美国侵越战争的主要策划和实施者。
US President George W. Bush on Thursday held an unprecedented meeting on Iraq policy at the White House with the participation of current and former secretaries of defense and state.
The meeting, which took place as insurgent violence in Iraq is turning from bad to worse, were briefed by Gen. George Casey, the U.S. commander in Iraq, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador there.
In addition to current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Bush's first secretary of state, William Perry, defense secretary in the administration of President Bill Clinton attended the meeting.
Other former secretaries of state from both Republican and Democratic administrations who attended included Madeleine Albright, Lawrence Eagleburger, James Baker, George Shultz and Alexander Haig.
Former secretaries of defense included William Cohen, Frank Carlucci, James Schlesinger, Harold Brown, Melvin Laird and RobertMcNamara.
"Not everybody around this table agreed with my decision to go into Iraq and I fully understand that," Bush said at the meeting, adding that he had listened to their concerns and their suggestions about how to proceed. "I will take to heart the advice."
Speaking to reporters about the meeting, White House spokesman Scott McClellan described the meeting as "an opportunity for these key leaders of previous administrations to hear about our plan for victory and hear about the progress we're making directly from our civilian and military leaders on the ground."
"Regardless of where they, some of these former officials in previous administrations, stand, I think there's a lot of area of common ground with them on how we move forward in terms of the political process and the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces," McClellan said.
"This is part of our efforts to broaden the outreach," McClellan added.
While the Bush administration has been emphasizing progress in Iraq, the worsening situation and increasing U.S. death toll in Iraq, which is up to more than 2,100, have prompted American public growing discontent with the nearly three-year war in Iraq. |
