Mr McClelland (Barton) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in writing, on 21 June 2007:
Is there any information on the effect of the US troop surge in Iraq in respect of: (a) the overall level of violence, compared with that of other countries undergoing civil conflict; (b) the level of violence compared with that experienced in Iraq in the year (i) 2003 and (ii) 2004; (c) the prevalence of car bombings; (d) the cessation of ‘ethnic cleansing’; (e) the number of displaced persons per month; (f) the situation in (i) Karkuk and (ii) Mosul; (g) the progress of economic development; (h) the progress of utility performance; and (i) the performance of the Iraqi political system in resolving the core issues dividing Sunni from Shiite and from Kurd.
Mr Downer (Mayo—Minister for Foreign Affairs)—The answer to the honourable member’s question is as follows:
I refer the honourable member to the Initial Benchmark Assessment Report submitted to Congress on 12 July 2007, which can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070712.html
An assessment on the effect and progress of the US troop surge in Iraq will be made when General Petraeus and US Ambassador Crocker report to the US Congress in September.