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NEWS ABOUT: Ryan Crocker

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Bush to Back Troop Cuts

His speech will add caveats to top general's plan, caution against quick pullout

(Newser) - Bush will back his top general by pulling 30,000 troops out of Iraq by next summer, the AP reports. But he will condition all cuts on future progress when he gives his speech to the nation this week. He will also echo cautions by Petraeus and Crocker against a... More »

General Walks the Party Line

Petraeus as concerned with selling the war as winning it, say analysts

(Newser) - General Petraeus appeared to be a mouthpiece for the White House in testimony that had no surprises and left many questions unanswered when he recommended no significant troop draw down from Iraq at least until summer, several analysts agree. Though he presented himself as just a soldier presenting facts, Petraeus... More »

Petraeus Sees Withdrawal to 'Pre-Surge Levels'

Top US commander says goals are being met

(Newser) - David Petraeus told Congress today that the objectives of the troop surge “are in large measure being met” and said US forces could drop “to pre-surge levels” by mid-July. The top American commander in Iraq said he has recommended that force reductions begin later this month, with redeployments... More »

Aussie PM: Troops Not Leaving Iraq

Bush may be talking withdrawal, but Howard stands pat

(Newser) - President Bush arrived in Sydney last night amid speculation he would reduce troop levels in Iraq, but his Australian counterpart dismissed any notion that his country would be withdrawing its forces. Prime Minister John Howard said the idea that Sydney could both pull its 550 troops and still make a... More »

Bush Visits Iraq, Says Some Troops Might Come Home

Surprise war council in Iraq points to improving security

(Newser) - Fewer US troops will be needed in Iraq if security conditions continue to improve, said President Bush today during a surprise visit to Iraq. The pronouncement came after meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, and US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker–both of whom will be... More »

Iraqi Police Force Should Be 'Scrapped'

Infighting, corruption force recommendation that US 'start over'

(Newser) - Corruption and sectarian biases are so deeply entrenched in the Iraqi police ranks that the force's structure must be “scrapped,” an independent panel will report to Congress next week. The recommendation stems from an examination of the 26,000-member police force that concludes “we should start over,... More »

Iraqis 'Fail to Meet Benchmarks'

Congressional auditors say most key goals unfulfilled

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has failed to meet most of the key political and military goals—the so called benchmarks—designed to measure the success of the US troop surge, congressional auditors say. An investigation by the Government Accountability Office has concluded that 13 of the 18 benchmarks remain unmet as... More »

Report: US in Iraq 2 More Years

New plan envisions military role until at least 2009

(Newser) - US troops could remain in Iraq for at least 2 more years, despite a raging national debate about continued occupation, the New York Times reports. The top commander and American ambassador have detailed a strategy that envisions "localized security" in Baghdad within a year and a military role in... More »

US Envoy Won't Raise Fate of Imprisoned Americans

Issue shadows sensitive meeting with Iran

(Newser) - The fate of four Iranian-Americans imprisoned in Tehran won't come up in today's talks between the US and Iran for fear of scuttling the negotiations, Bloomberg reports. US ambassador Ryan Crocker will focus on Iraq and Iran's nuclear program in the Baghdad meeting, only the second direct talks between the... More »

Ambassador Asks US to Issue Visas to Iraqi Workers

Baghdad envoy speaks up for imperiled locals

(Newser) - Fearing for the safety of locals employed by the American government in Iraq, the US ambassador wants the administration to issue them immigrant visas. Ryan Crocker's unusual request spotlights competing pressures, the Washington Post reports: the danger to Iraqis perceived as aiding the occupiers, the worsening refugee crisis, and Washington's... More »

Fear Rules Iraq, Briefers Tell Congress

Benchmarks not likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus

(Newser) - Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan... More »

Envoy Warns of Pullout Horrors

Crocker promises honest assessment of war progress but says effects of withdrawal "way, way worse" than anything we've seen

(Newser) - US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker tells the Times that a post-withdrawal scenario in Iraq "exceeds his imagination" —and then goes on to imagine a nearly unmitigated catastrophe. Crocker predicts sectarian murders “by the thousands," a resurgence of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and the “complete... More »

U.S. Tells Iran to Stop Supporting Iraqi Insurgents

Iran proposes trilateral security group for Iraq

(Newser) - Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq, used the first formal meeting between the two countries in 27 years to tell his counterpart  that the US wants Iran to stop supporting insurgents in Iraq. In a press conference after the meeting in Baghdad, Crocker said the Iranian ambassador did not respond... More »

US-Iran Talks First Since 1979

On the table: Iraqi security. Off the table: Iranian nuclear buildup, detainees.

(Newser) - Ambassadors for the US and Iran met for four hours today in Baghdad, in the first bilateral talks between the countries in decades. The US's Ryan Crocker was expected to press claims that Iran is providing training and weapons to Iraqi insurgents, and his counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi to raise... More »

Brass Plan New War Strategy

(Newser) - US officials are quietly developing a plan to stabilize Iraq by neutralizing subversive and corrupt elements within the government, the Washington Post reports. The classified plan, still being finalized by Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker, shifts the focus of America's strategy in Iraq from military to political objectives. More »

US Engages Iran on Iraqi Security

Ambassadors to meet in Baghdad; nuclear program won't be on the table

(Newser) - The US will sit down with Iran to enlist its aid in quelling violence in Iraq as early as next week, reports the Washington Post. US ambassador Ryan Crocker will meet with his Iranian counterparts in Baghdad to encourage the country, frequently accused of sponsoring sectarian violence in neighboring Iraq,... More »

Cheney Drops In On Baghdad

VP meets with brass, government, as attacks spread to Kurdistan

(Newser) - Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Baghdad this morning, hours after the White House alerted 35,000 more troops of impending deployment to the fractious capital. Cheney met with top general David Petraeus and top envoy Ryan Crocker, and is expected to consult with PM Maliki and... More »

Iranian, U.S. Diplomats Meet Briefly

Three-minute discussion focuses on Iraq, hints at Bush administration policy shift

(Newser) - It didn't involve the American Secretary of State or the Iranian foreign minister, but a brief meeting of high-level diplomats today in Egypt signals a thaw in relations between the countries, the International Herald Tribune reports. U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said the three-minute conversation concerned the situation... More »

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