Rumsfeld faces Iraq letters row
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has pledged to personally sign
letters of condolence to the families of American soldiers killed in action.
He spoke shortly after his admission that he had used a machine to sign
letters to relatives of more than 1,000 troops killed in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Mr Rumsfeld is facing growing criticism from both Democrats and
Republicans who are questioning his record in Iraq.
He was given a public grilling from his own troops earlier this month.
During his visit to a US base in Kuwait, American soldiers alleged they
had used scrap metal to armour vehicles.
'An insult'
In a statement to the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, Mr
Rumsfeld tacitly admitted that in the past he had not personally signed
the letters of condolence.
"While I have not individually signed each one, in the interest of
ensuring expeditious contact with grieving family members, I have
directed that in the future I sign each letter," Mr Rumsfeld's statement
said.
This issue of the secretary of defence not personally signing the
letters is just astounding to me... I have no confidence in Rumsfeld
Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
"I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the
families of those who have been killed in the service of our country,
and I recognise and honour their personal loss."
Several families of US soldiers killed overseas said that the
machine-signed letters reflected a lack of respect for their losses.
"To me it's an insult, not only as someone who lost a loved one but also
as someone who served in Iraq," soldier Ivan Medina - whose twin brother
Irving was killed in Iraq last summer - told Stars and Stripes.
The row has led to fresh debates among lawmakers over whether Mr
Rumsfeld - whose handling of the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath have
come under close scrutiny - should step down.
'Great confidence'
The BBC's Michael Buchanan in Washington says senior Republicans have
spent the past few days openly questioning President George W Bush's
decision to keep Mr Rumsfeld at the Pentagon.
They claim the defence secretary has to answer for a number of major
mistakes made in Iraq, our correspondent adds.
Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, told
CBS's Face the Nation he had "no confidence" in Mr Rumsfeld.
"This issue of the secretary of defence not personally signing the
letters is just astounding to me," he said, noting that President Bush
did sign such letters himself.
But President Bush's Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, said Mr Rumsfeld had
the full support of the White House.
Mr Card told ABC's This Week that Mr Rumsfeld "is doing a spectacular
job, and the president has great confidence in him".
Most leading Republicans have said he should stay.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4110091.stm
Published: 2004/12/20 02:34:54 GMT
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