Allawi says Iraq nearing "point of no return"

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Iraq's former prime minister, Iyad Allawi, on Monday said the country was quickly approaching a "point of no return" and praised the recommendation of a bipartisan U.S. panel for a diplomatic push to stem the violence.

In an interview on MSNBC, Allawi said Iraq was "approaching now, unfortunately, very fast the point of no return."

Under current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Allawi said conditions were "moving into more of a sectarian divide. They are moving into (a) more lawless state of affairs. And they are moving into a disintegration, unfortunately, of the country."

Allawi, who was popular with the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush but gained only a few seats in an election a year ago, generally praised the findings of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan U.S. commission, calling for major changes in U.S. policies in Iraq.

"I think the report as whole has a very positive aspect to it," said Allawi, who said Iraqi President Jalal Talabani should have considered the report more carefully before condemning it as dangerous and insulting to Iraq.

(more)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N11423462.htm

[Gregorian]

1. What is with all of the semantics?

Whether it's civil war, or beyond return does not make Shock and Awe any less of a crime. I don't give a damn what you call the place. It's like they are standing over the ruins, stroking their pompous chins, discussing what it is they're looking at. It was overtaken and destroyed the moment we unleashed our bombs on them.

I think I'm so disturbed by these reports because they do not address the real issues. We are guilty of war crimes, and we need a plan about how to steer the right course.

Stop defining terms and do something. Lock up the criminals and do something productive.

[VegasWolf]

2. No Return? No Return? Return to WHAT exactly? nt

[cassiepriam]

3. How far are we from seeing the whole mideast go up in flames?

While we still argue about what to call it.

How about WW III?