Washington, May 01: Fresh from her visit to Baghdad
and perhaps eager to answer questions on the "positive"
developments there, Secretary of State Condoleezze Rice has
instead been forced to defend pre-war planning and troop
deployment in Iraq after the decisions were criticised by her
predecessor Colin Powell.
In every talk show Rice appeared yesterday she was asked
to respond to Powell's statements to a British television
network where he said that he had pressed for additional
troops to be sent to Iraq.-
Rice would neither confirm nor deny Powell's version.
"I don't remember specifically what Secretary Powell may
be referring to, but I'm quite certain that there were lots of
discussions about how best to fulfill the mission that we went
into Iraq," rice said.
"And I have no doubt that all of this was taken into
consideration. But that when it came down to it, the President
listens to his military advisers who were to execute the
plan," she told a private news channel.
Powell in his interview had said that he made his views
known to Gen Tommy Franks and the Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld in the presence of the President.
"The case was made, it was listened to, it was
considered. ... A judgment was made by those responsible that
the troop strength was adequate." The former Secretary of
State said.
But Rice carefully said that the President "listened to
the advice of his advisers and ultimately, he listened to the
advice of his commanders, the people who actually had to
execute the war plan. And he listened to them several times,"
she remarked.
The Secretary of State's recent visit to Iraq along with
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld which had cleared the way
for formation of a national unity government there has been
billed as positive and considered a political breakthrough by
the Bush administration.
Bureau Report
