- Most Americans now believe the war in Iraq has not made
them safer, an opinion poll has found.
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- The rise in violence last month, when 700 Iraqis and
80 US troops were killed, appears to have made a mark at home with the
Washington Post/ABC News survey finding that two thirds of Americans believe
the US is bogged down in Iraq.
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- Three quarters of those questioned also said the number
of casualties was unacceptable. Six in 10 respondents believed the war
was not worth fighting and four in 10 saw a parallel with Vietnam.
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- The Bush administration continues to insist that it is
winning and that the insurgency is on its last legs. However, the military
is increasingly concerned over the signs of public uncertainty.
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- For the first time since the invasion, the poll found
that 52 per cent of Americans did not believe it had made America safer.
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- Sen Joe Biden, a leading Democratic supporter of the
war, said that if there was not significant progress within a year he doubted
he could go on backing the presence of US troops in Iraq.
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- Jimmy Carter, the former president, yesterday called
for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre and for an end to
the US policy of transferring prisoners to countries where they might be
tortured.
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- This would "demonstrate clearly our nation's historic
commitment to protect human rights," he said. # William Patey, Britain's
ambassador in Sudan and one of the Foreign Office's most experienced Arabists,
was named the new ambassador to Iraq yesterday.
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- He takes over from Edward Chaplin, Britain's first ambassador
to post-Saddam Iraq. Mr Patey, 51, who grew up on a Scottish council estate
and attended Dundee University, is likely to take a more direct approach
with his 200-strong staff in Baghdad than his tall and urbane predecessor.
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005.
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