US not winning in Iraq: Robert Gates

Robert Gates, US President George W Bush8217;s choice to run the Pentagon, said on Tuesday that America was not winning in Iraq...

Robert Gates, US President George W Bush8217;s choice to run the Pentagon, said on Tuesday that America was not winning in Iraq and the next year or two would determine whether the Middle-East explodes into violence.

Appearing at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gates said Bush wanted him to take a fresh look at the war and that all options were on the table. 8220;Our course over the next year or two will determine whether the American and Iraqi people and the next president of the US will face a slowly and steadily improving situation in Iraq and in the region or will face the very real risk of a regional conflagration,8221; Gates said.

Asked by Democratic Sen Carl Levin of Michigan if the US was winning in Iraq, Gates replied: 8220;No, sir.8221; He later said he believed the US was not losing either 8220;at this point8221;.

Gates, a former CIA director, was chosen by Bush to replace Donald Rumsfeld as US Defence Secretary after the President8217;s Republican Party lost control of the US Congress in elections last month. Gates said a military attack on Iran, embroiled in a dispute with Washington over its nuclear programme, should be an 8220;absolute last resort.8221; He also said he did not favour an attack on Syria, another foe of the US in the Middle-East. 8220;We have seen in Iraq that once war is unleashed, it becomes unpredictable, and I think the consequences of military conflict with Iran could be quite dramatic,8221; Gates said.

Senators have said they expect Gates to be confirmed quickly, partly as they are eager to be rid of Rumsfeld, an architect of the unpopular war. Expanding on his fears about Iraq, Gates said he believed Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and Syria would all get increasingly involved if the US left Iraq in chaos.

8220;My greatest worry, if we mishandle the next year or two, and if we leave Iraq in chaos, is that a variety of regional powers will become involved in Iraq,8221; he said.

Gates, 63, said he would consult widely on the options in Iraq but did not say which he favoured.

8211;Susan Cornwell 038; Andrew Gray