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CBS NEWSU.S. Officials Say Iraq Gripped By Fear
U.S. Officials Say Iraq Is Gripped By Fear And Struggling To Meet Security, Political Goals
WASHINGTON, Jul. 19, 2007
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(AP)
(AP) Iraq is a nation gripped by fear and struggling to meet security and political goals by September, U.S. officials said Thursday from Baghdad, dashing hopes in Congress that the country might turn a corner this summer. One general said not to expect a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup until November.
"If there is one word, I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq _ on the streets, in the countryside, in the neighborhoods and at the national level _ that word would be 'fear,'" Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"For Iraq to move forward at any level, that fear is going to have to be replaced with some level of trust and confidence and that is what the effort at the national level is about," he said by video link from the Iraqi capital.
In briefings to the news media as well as members of Congress, officials warned that making those strides could take more time than first thought.
Most lawmakers have hoped Iraq would show more signs of stability this summer, long before the 2008 U.S. elections.
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