United States seeking to strengthen Iraqi government

The US priority in Iraq is to strengthen the capacity of the Iraq government at the national and provincial levels to provide for the basic needs of its citizens, said David Satterfield, the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad.

"We are undertaking an intensive effort to provide additional technical assistance to the national government and support each of the provincial governments in fulfilling their responsibilities to their citizens in a democratic system. This is part of the strategy to support a rapid transition to Iraqi self-reliance," Satterfield said yesterday.