BAGHDAD - U.S. military leaders have doubts that Iraq can meet many political goals set out by President George W. Bush by this summer, The Los Angeles Times said.
The leaders are looking for a new way to define success, the newspaper said.
Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, is to report to Congress in September on progress in Iraq following the surge of U.S. troops Bush ordered at the beginning of 2007. However, military officers in Baghdad and outside advisors working with Petraeus are increasingly doubtful that the three major goals set by Washington for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will be met by then, the Times reported.
The officials think the Maliki government might be able to enact a law to share Iraqi oil revenue among Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish regions -- but that is the only goal they think might be achieved this summer, and even that is considered a long shot, the newspaper said.
Instead, Petraeus' advisors said they hope to focus on smaller achievements.
"Some of it will be infrastructure that is being worked, some of it is local security for neighborhoods, some of it is markets reopening," said a senior military official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Copyright © 2007, by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
