GAO Report

By Cristina Fernández Pereda 

The House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services met Wednesday to receive Government Accountability Office Comptroller David M. Walker’s testimony on the report released the day before about the political and military progress in Iraq.

The report by the GAO says only three of 18 benchmarks, set by the Iraqi government, had been fulfilled by August 30. It was released a day earlier, one week before the Congress receives the reports from General Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.

Photo by CristinaFP.
David Walker reported Wednesday
the achievements of Iraqi government.

GAO Comptroller David M. Walker said the report is “the only independent assessment the Congress will receive.” He gave details about the three benchmarks that have been fulfilled by the Iraqi government: to establish support of the Baghdad Security Plan, to set the joint security stations in neighborhoods across the capital and to ensure that the rights of minority political parties in the Iraqi legislature are protected.

The GAO report says that there has been mixed progress on reducing sectarian violence in Iraq and eliminating militia control of local security. “The violence is at about the same level as in February,” Walker said.

Disagreen with the assessment, Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., said that casualties in Iraq have decreased, with attacks going down from 1,350 per month by October 2006, to 250 per month today. “I want you to tell me if the GAO report still sustains that the benchmark for reducing sectarian violence has not been met,” Saxton said.

Walker assessed that the data referring to the decline of sectarian violence in certain areas of the country have been gathered with a methodology that the GAO is not comfortable with. “I’m not saying it is right or wrong, I’m saying that we are not comfortable with the methodology,” he said.

The GAO comptroller didn’t explain the methodology his agency or the military forces use to gather data on sectarian violence. He agreed the military have a better perception because they are “on the ground,” but insisted that he is now wondering if discussing what part of the violence in Iraq is sectarian is actually relevant to the political progress in Iraq.

The objectives of the benchmarks set by the Iraqi government are to evaluate the political and military progress the administration is making and how it affects the Iraqi people’s daily life.

Walker has no doubt that some progress has been made in areas of Iraq like Al-Anbar. But he pointed out that this town has 15 percent of the population of Baghdad, with a Sunny majority, and that there were no signs of Al-Qaida activity. He recommended thinking “why this progress was made, whether it is sustainable and can be applied to other areas.”

“It is important to remember that these 18 measures of progress in Iraq did not originate with Congress. In almost all cases, it was Prime Minister Maliki and his government who designated them as important steps to take,” said Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo.

Saxton said he finds “interesting” that the Congress did not set deadlines for any of the benchmarks. “If the existing, congressionally mandated yardsticks cannot reflect the positive gains, we must really start to question the value of these benchmarks,” he said.

Walker mentioned the real objective of the benchmarks requires paying attention about facts like safety in the streets or access to water and electricity on a regular basis, replying Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., as he brought up his concern about how realistic and fair the benchmarks are.

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., said the report was “devastating about the readiness””of the Iraqi government and asked Walker “how do we move forward now.”

“We have to do what Congress asks us to do. This is time to reassess our goals and objectives, as well as the functions and roles the Iraqi can do. I will be happy to work with the congress on this,” Walker said.