Iraq government near collapse, secret report says

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/09/06/2007-09-06_iraq_government_near_collapse_secret_rep.html

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BY JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Thursday, September 6th 2007, 4:00 AM



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WASHINGTON - Lawmakers returning here this week got hit with more bad news about Iraq in a confidential report that says the fragile democracy is "collapsing," the Daily News has learned.

The boycott of the government by certain Shiite and Kurdish political blocs has left Iraq's leadership hanging by a thread, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

The report by CRS, Congress' research and analysis arm, was completed Aug. 15 for the House and Senate.

"My assessment is that because of the number and breadth of parties boycotting the cabinet, the Iraqi government is in essential collapse," Kenneth Katzman, the author of the report, said. "That argues against any real prospects for political reconciliation."

Without a political infrastructure in Iraq, any military progress would be short-lived, he added.
Many senior State Department officials in Iraq believe a political solution to the war is now "hopeless," according to a top diplomat...The CRS analysis said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is trying to save a "collapsing government" while fending off rivals who wish to topple him.