BAGHDAD - US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made a heavily guarded surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday, praising the governmentâs commitment to democracy in the face of sustained deadly attacks by insurgents.
Gonzales, on his first trip to Iraq, said he chose the weekend of the US Independence Day holiday to show support for US troops and Iraqâs nascent government. âWe are doing a lot to promote democracy and the rule of law,â Gonzales said aboard an Air Force plane en route to the Middle East.
Gonzales was meeting with US soldiers, Justice Department officials working in Iraq and his counterparts in the Iraqi government. A handful of senior department officials accompanied Gonzales, including Max Wood, the US attorney in Macon, Georgia, who is beginning a posting as the senior US law-enforcement official in Iraq.
More than 400 Justice Department employees and contractors are working to train Iraqi judges, prosecutors, police and prison guards. A separate unit is working with the Iraqi tribunal preparing to try Saddam Hussein and other former Iraqi officials. Some five-dozen FBI agents and analysts are also on assignment in Iraq investigating roadside bombings and other attacks against US-led coalition forces.
Gonzales said the work sends a strong message that the United States is determined to find those responsible for the attacks, even in difficult conditions. âIf that follow-up work is not done, you canât promote the rule of law in that environment,â he said. |