Victory In Iraq No Longer Possible

Monday, April 2, 2007
AP

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who helped engineer the US withdrawal from Vietnam, says the problems in Iraq are more complex than that conflict, and military victory is no longer possible.

..."A 'military victory' in the sense of total control over the whole territory, imposed on the entire population, is not possible," Kissinger told The Associated Press in Tokyo, where he received an honorary degree from Waseda University.

...Kissinger says the best way forward is to reconcile the differences between Iraq's warring sects with help from other countries.

He applauded efforts to host an international conference bringing together the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Iraq's neighbours - including Iran, Washington's longtime rival in the region.

"That is the sort of framework out of which it is conceivable that an agreement should emerge," Kissinger said.

"One needs to be prepared to negotiate with adversaries."