Rice: Iraqi violence to persist after gov't formed

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Speaking to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said Wednesday that peace would come gradually to Iraq, however violence would continue even after a unity government was formed. "Americans must be prepared for violence to continue in Iraq, even after a government is formed. There will be no Iraqi equivalent of V-E Day or V-J Day," Rice said, referring to the days of Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan in 1945. "Rather, peace will be secured as more and more Iraqis recognize that the democratic process is open to them and that politics, not violence, is the best way to achieve their interests and redress their grievances," she said. "This is how democracy will conquer terrorism, but it will do so gradually."