Senate to confirm Gates' appnt as US Defense Sec

Washington, Dec 6: The US Senate is expected to ratify theappointment of former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director RobertGates as US Defense Secretary following the unanimous approval of hisnomination by Senate Armed Services Committee.

During the committee hearing yesterday, Mr Gates frankly admittedhe did not believe the United States was winning in Iraq. Doing avolte-face later, he said he also believed it is not currently losingin Iraq.

''Our course over the next year or two is whether the American andIraqi people and the next president of the US will face a slowly butsteadily improving situation in Iraq and in the region or face the veryreal risk and possible reality of a regional conflagration,'' said MrGates who would replace Donald Rumsfeld.

Mr Rumsfeld has already put in his papers.

We need to develop a strategy that does not leave Iraq in chaossimultaneaously protecting our long term interests in the region, hefurther added.

He was also not averse to the idea of some kind of contact with Iraq's neighbors - Syria and Iran.

''I think in the long run, we are going to have to acknowledge theinfluence of Iraq's neighbors and the potential to make the situationeither better or worse in Iraq, he said.

UNI