10 July 2006
Iraq Must Stop Sectarian Violence, Says U.S. Intelligence Chief
Director of National Intelligence Negroponte discusses Iraq, North Korea
Washington – The highest-ranking U.S. intelligence official says the Iraqi government’s single most important task is to bring sectarian violence under control.
Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte told a gathering of American business representatives July 10 that stopping the ongoing violence is at the top of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s list. This must be the highest priority for the Iraq government, he said.
Speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Negroponte said there has been a recent string of positive developments in Iraq, including the formation of the ministries of Defense and Interior, the demise of the al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the steady growth of the Iraqi security and police forces. (See related article.)
As the former U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Negroponte said that he is encouraged by Iraq’s formation of a new, democratically elected government. But he also said that general opportunities for most American firms to work on reconstruction projects there “are probably quite limited” until the security situation is stabilized. There are exceptions, he said, for companies that provide security and engineering services.
NORTH KOREAN SITUATION IS PARTICULARLY SERIOUS
Negroponte, also a former U.S. envoy to the United Nations, was asked to assess ongoing U.N. Security Council deliberations on North Korea. He said the situation is particularly serious not only because of North Korea’s July 4 ballistic missile launches, but also due the international community’s concern that North Korean-produced fissile material –- a necessary component to produce a nuclear weapon – could fall into the wrong hands. (See related article.)
These are dangerous times, the intelligence official said, with the North Korean missile tests heightening concerns about the possible spread of missile technology to terrorists or dictatorial regimes.
North Korea’s actions have led to international pressure for the resumption of the Six-Party Talks between North and South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States, Negroponte said, which would enable participants to “get a better handle on the situation.”
The main thrust of Negroponte’s speech was intelligence reform, particularly in the areas of counterterrorism and counterproliferation.
He emphasized the importance of information sharing between the business community and the U.S. government in these two key areas. He also urged companies to think carefully about the nature of security in a global environment, given how little geographic distance means to terrorists attempting to disrupt international commerce.
For additional information about the most recent round of the negations on North Korea’s nuclear program, see Six-Party Talks, Beijing, China.
For more information about U.S. policy, see Response to Terrorism and Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
