WASHINGTON, June 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. ambassador to Iraq says it's too soon to talk in terms of victory or defeat, considering the troop surge there is just now reaching full strength.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, interviewed in Baghdad for "Fox News Sunday," said troop presence was to "stabilize a security situation, particularly in Baghdad, to allow a political process some time and space to work."
The American expectation is for improvement by September, while the Iraqi expectation is several months later.
Crocker said he and U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, will meet in Washington in September to assess the situation. "What we all hope to be able to point to by September are signs that the general direction is right," he said.
Responding to retired Gen. Ricardo Sanchez' comments that the best-case scenario now would be staving off defeat, Crocker said, "(We've) got to have the time ... for the surge to make a difference on the streets. And then time for this political process to unfold. So, I think it's just way premature to be talking in terms of the victory or defeat."
