Bush Says Iraq at `Moment of Choosing,' After Bombing

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said Iraqis face ``a moment of choosing'' amid escalating sectarian violence, and appealed for ``restraint and unity.''
``The days ahead in Iraq are going to be difficult and exhausting,'' Bush said today in a speech in Washington to the American Legion, the largest U.S. veterans organization. He appealed for patience, saying Iraq's leaders are ``committed to stopping civil strife.''
Iraq imposed a curfew in Baghdad and three nearby provinces in a bid to end violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims sparked by a bombing at the Golden Mosque in Samarra two days ago. At least 114 Iraqis have since been killed in related violence, and 184 Sunni mosques damaged or destroyed in retaliation, according to a tally of incidents on the Web site of the main Sunni political faction, the Iraqi Islamic Party.
Bush condemned the Golden Mosque bombing, calling it ``an affront to people of faith throughout the world.'' He pledged to help Iraq bring those responsible to justice.
Daytime curfews were put in place in the capital and in Diyala, Babil and Salaheddin until 4 p.m. local time today to help quell violence, an Interior Ministry official, who declined to be identified, said in a telephone interview. Iraqi government television is reporting that the daytime curfew will continue tomorrow, according to the Associated Press.
Fomenting Civil War
Insurgents are trying to foment civil war, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in an interview yesterday.
``Every time there is an incident like this, the place tips a bit nearer to being ungovernable,'' Jeremy Greenstock, the U.K. special representative in Iraq from September 2003 to March 2004, said on British Broadcasting Corp. radio today.
A major eruption of violence would create problems for the Bush administration's plan to reduce U.S. troop strength to less than 138,000 as more Iraqi troops take over security tasks.
``We're not necessarily on the verge of a civil war, but it's not beyond the pale of possibility,'' former Defense Secretary William Cohen said in an interview today. ``This could very well spin out into a major civil war with our troops very much on the front lines over there and caught in between.''
U.S. troops should ``stay on the sidelines'' so that Iraqi military forces can try and establish order, Cohen said. ``To the extent the United States is seen as aiding one side or another at this point would only aggravate the circumstances,'' he said.
About 55 percent of Americans said it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq, up 4 percentage points from last month and 10 points from last year, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of 1,000 adults Feb. 9-12. The margin of error was 3 points.
`Toughest Test'
Bush said he's optimistic Iraqis will achieve democracy because they held elections in December. ``The way ahead is going to require some patience as the process unfolds,'' he said.
``What the extremists are trying to do is foment civil war but we don't see it succeeding,'' Pentagon Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs Peter Rodman told reporters during a briefing on the military's progress report to Congress.
``This is probably the toughest test so far'' for the political process, Rodman said. ``I am struck that over a three- year period the leaders of the communities have been quite resistant to this. The test is whether the political process continues.''
Among the signs Rodman is monitoring are whether leaders are ``calling for calm'' and whether the political process resumes soon. The military is reviewing whether regular Iraqi army units are leaving their posts, Lieutenant Gene Renaurt, Joint Chiefs of Staff strategic plans director, told reporters.
``They continue to remain,'' he said. ``You don't see any coalition troops around. Why? Because the Iraqi Army and police force have found a way to cooperate.'' The Iraq Army is enforcing the curfew ``and that is holding,'' he said.
Congressional Report
The Pentagon report said Iraqis are building a security force of 232,000 people, an increase of 40,000 from October. Army battalions capable of leading operations increased to 53 from 36, the report said.
Renaurt cautioned against concluding that Iraq is moving toward civil war. ``You can't base that assessment on a `crisis' because the more desperate the terrorists become, the more they'll try to make the crisis bigger,'' Renaurt said. ``The key is what do you see after the crisis militarily, and militarily we continue to see a focused Iraqi Army working closely with the police force.''
Israel and Iran
Bush in his speech today also warned Palestinian and Iranian leaders that ``elected leaders must deliver real change in people's lives or the voters will boot them out at the next election time.''
He repeated his calls for Hamas leaders to recognize Israel, disarm and reject terrorism if they expect to win global support for building ``a prosperous, independent, Palestinian state.''
Bush also said the world also is ``speaking with one voice'' to demand that Iran stop ``defying the world with its ambitions for nuclear weapons.'' He said he's seeking $75 million in U.S. funding to help Iranians ``win their own freedom'' through expanded radio and television broadcasts and support for reformers and human rights activists.
Iran, the Middle East's second-largest oil producer, says its nuclear program is intended to produce energy for civil purposes.