U.S. interim administrator visits Iraq
 |
Garner said Iraq "was the jewel of the Middle East at one time and it can be the jewel of the Middle East again."
Story Tools
SPECIAL REPORT
|
|
|
UMM QASR, Iraq (CNN) -- The man the Bush administration hopes will guide Iraq from tyranny to democracy made a brief visit to the country Friday, but did not say when he would be able to get started in his work on the transition.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, who will serve as civil administrator in charge of reconstruction and humanitarian aid until an interim government can be formed, was briefly heckled after he toured a school in the port town of Umm Qasr.
He met earlier at British military headquarters in Umm Qasr with officers and a group of local Iraqi leaders who Garner said had "braved oppression" under Saddam Hussein.
Speaking with Japanese reporters after the meeting, Garner said Iraq "was the jewel of the Middle East at one time and it can be the jewel of the Middle East again."
"And as we all know, not to offend you any, but a lot of civilization began here also, and law began here. And so we're returning all that," he said.
"We have a chance, at this moment in time, for the Iraqi people, to bring democracy and the right way of life back to their people. And that's what I have to do."
But he shed no light on when exactly he'll start. "When am I planning to go to Baghdad? As soon as they let me. I don't know when that will be, but I think it will be soon."
Later, as he made impromptu comments during a tour of a local elementary school, Garner was heckled in Arabic by a sole protester.
"I think this man is wrong," Garner responded. His interpreter waved the man away, and Garner returned by motorcade to Kuwait City.
The 64-year-old Garner leads the Defense Department's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. He will report directly to U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Tommy Franks.
Despite the Pentagon's consistent avowals of Garner's temporary status, his powerful role has raised questions in the Middle East, where many leaders fear the United States might impose control.
From CNN Radio Correspondent John Bisney and CNN Producer Matthew McFettridge.
