Rumsfeld, the highest-ranking U.S. official expected to visit post-war Iraq, answers reporters

BAGHDAD, April 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in the Gulf Sunday, April 27, ahead of an expected visit to Iraq, as hundreds of Baghdad residents again expressed fury over the lack of basic services and security in the capital in a new anti-U.S. demonstration near the Palestine Hotel.

Rumsfeld's tour of the region comes just a day after dozens of Iraqis, six of them from one family, were killed when an Iraqi weapons stash exploded in southern Baghdad, provoking outrage over the apparent failure of U.S. forces to restore order to the city.

His itinerary was not announced but according to a report by CNN he will visit Iraq during the trip, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"We know Iraq, no doubt among other countries," CNN reported, adding that Rumsfeld's precise itinerary would remain secret for security reasons.

"One ought not to think of this as a victory tour," Rumsfeld told reporters traveling with him. "We'e got a lot of hard work ahead. We've got people still being shot at, in some cases being killed and wounded."

"The task that we have before us in Iraq is one that is going to take a lot of focus, a lot of attention, a lot of effort over a period of time," he said.

Rumsfeld's meetings with leaders and U.S. commanders in the region would deal with "the evolution that is taking place from major combat operations to stability operations," he said.

Another objective was "to discuss with our allies in the countries around Iraq the arrangements we have with them, and our partnership and cooperation as we look forward to the end at some point to major combat operations in Iraq," Rumsfeld said.

With Saddam out of the picture, Pentagon officials see an opportunity to radically overhaul its military posture not only in the Gulf but in Europe and Asia as well.

Afghan Visit Postponed  

Meanwhile, U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has postponed a scheduled Sunday visit to Afghanistan, where he was to meet with Afghan leaders and "coalition" troops, an Afghan official told AFP.

"Rumsfeld's trip to Kabul has been cancelled for today," said Ajmal Obaid Abidi, an official in President Hamid Karzai's press office.

Abidi said Rumsfeld would, however, visit later this week although no date had been set.

The Pentagon had earlier announced the postponement of Rumsfeld's visit to Bagram Air Base where he had been due to meet with troops from the U.S.-led coalition force hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

"The visit scheduled for today to Bagram Air Field for a town hall meeting has been postponed," it said in a statement.

No reason was given for the cancellation, but Rumsfeld's plane heading for the Gulf was delayed for six hours in Ireland due to mechanical problems.

According to an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman, Rumsfeld had been due to meet with Karzai, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, Defence Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim and other leading officials.

Rumsfeld To Offer Franks Top Army Post

In another development, it was reported that Rumsfeld was planning to offer the top army post to General Tommy Franks, who led the "coalition" forces in Iraq.

Secretary of the U.S. Army Thomas White announced his resignation abruptly on Friday, April 25, after a meeting with Rumsfeld and Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. But no further details were given.

If Franks accepts, Rumsfeld would appoint Franks's deputy, Lieutenant General John Abizaid, to take over for him at U.S. Central Command, the report said, citing Pentagon officials.

White's two year tenure as Secretary of the Army was marred by investigations into his activities as a top executive at the failed energy trading firm Enron and apparent public clashes with Rumsfeld, according to Knight Ridder Newspapers.

Rumsfeld was reportedly furious in February when White backed Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki's testimony in Congress that, based on his experiences in Bosnia, it might take "several hundred thousand" U.S. soldiers to keep the peace in postwar Iraq.

Shinseki plans to retire in June, giving Rumsfeld considerable room to appoint army leaders who share his vision of a leaner, lighter army that will take a back row to the Air Force and Special Operations forces in future conflicts, as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan.