(NYT) Iraq Exit Plan: New Obstacles

[salin]

Iraq Exit Plan: New Obstacles

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN

Published: November 29, 2003


NewsAnalysis

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 — Two weeks ago, the Bush administration settled on an "exit strategy" for Iraq in which the United States committed itself to establishing self-rule there by next summer — well ahead of its previous schedule and just as the American presidential election season will be getting under way.

But the administration's initial plan for that transfer of authority has fallen apart, raising doubts about whether the June 30 deadline for ending the American occupation authority in Baghdad is still feasible.

At stake is whether the administration can reconcile President Bush's desire for a speedy transfer of sovereignty to a friendly Iraqi government next year, with the need to have some sort of electoral process to ensure that government's validity in the eyes of Iraqis and the rest of the world.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/29/international/middleeast/29DIPL.html