BAGHDAD, Iraq - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, arriving in Iraq on an unannounced visit Thursday, said he plans to tell Iraqi leaders that the U.S. commitment for a military buildup in the country is not open-ended.
Speaking to reporters in Israel just before a quick flight to Baghdad, Gates said the ongoing debate in Washington about financing the military presence in Iraq has sent the message that both the U.S. government and the American public are running out patience with the war.
"I would like to see faster progress," he said, adding that momentum by the Iraqi government on political reconciliation as well as legislation on sharing oil revenue sharing would "begin the process to send a message that the leaders are beginning to work together."
He said that, in turn, would create an environment in which violence could begin to be reduced.
Underscoring a sense of urgency, police said a suicide car bomber rammed into a fuel truck in central Baghdad only hours before Gates' arrival, killing at least 11 people.
"It is every important they make every effort to get this done as soon as possible," he said, noting that an attack last week by a suicide bomber on a cafeteria at the Iraqi parliament inside the U.S.-guarded Green Zone made people particularly nervous.......
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