Iraq has not met 11 of its 18 political and security goals, according to a new independent report on the war-torn country that challenges President Bush's assessment on the war, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The study, conducted by the Government Accountability Office, was slightly more upbeat than initially planned. The GAO determined that four benchmarks - instead of two - had been partially met.
But GAO stuck with its original conclusion that only three goals out of the 18 had been achieved. The goals met include establishing joint security stations in Baghdad, ensuring minority rights in the Iraqi legislature and creating support committees for the Baghdad security plan.
"Overall key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds," said U.S. Comptroller David Walker in prepared remarks for a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
The report was to be released at the hearing.
