Statement by Bill Richardson: "No Way Forward in Iraq Unless All Troops Are Withdrawn"

Experienced Diplomat-in-Chief is what the next White House needs

SALEM, NH -- New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson today released the following statement on the many proposed approaches for ending the conflict in Iraq:

"Many of my colleagues are taking backwards approaches to finding a way forward in Iraq. There is one simple question to ask: how will political progress be made in Iraq so long as U.S. forces are viewed as occupiers and are in fact slowing real progress?

"No settlement or political agreement can be reached until we get all our troops out of Iraq, with no residual forces left behind.

"Senator Biden's plan to leave troops in Iraq means his plan has very little chance to succeed. The parties will not even sit down in a meaningful way until we get all the forces out.

"Senator Biden keeps drawing an analogy to Bosnia, but he has that one backwards: the peacekeepers could only enforce the peace after the deal was made. Using U.S. peacekeepers in Iraq would turn the guarantors into targets, thus plunging any settlement back into war.

"Also, I disagree with the notion that Americans can force this deal from the outside. The road forward for Iraq is in the hands of the Iraqis. We cannot dictate their future from afar, as they will surely reject it. Iraq is a sovereign democracy that must embrace self-reliance.

"Hastily devised, foreign imposed partitions have had catastrophic results in the past. The partition of India after the British rule was disastrous -- millions died as a result, and millions more were displaced. Sixty years later, peace in the region still does not exist. Any decision to move forward must be organic and come from inside Iraq, not outside.

"The U.S. will provide strong diplomatic backing and leadership, but imposing a solution will backfire and lengthen the war.

"Lastly, if America is to play a real role in helping lead Iraq forward it will take a diplomat in chief. This is not the time for someone who has to learn on the job. This country needs someone with a record of delivering in the international arena. I am the only one in this race who has successfully negotiated with America's enemies. If voters want to end this war -- I should be their choice."