Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A draft report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Iraq has failed to meet all but three of the 18 congressionally-mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

    The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration.

    The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form next Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker.

    They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq.

    The draft provides a stark assessment of the tactical effects of the current U.S.-led counteroffensive to secure Baghdad.

    It also finds that "the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved."

    "Overall," the report concludes, "key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion U.S. dollars in reconstruction funds," as promised.

    The 69-page draft is still undergoing review at the Defense Department, which may ask that parts of it be classified or request changes in its conclusions.

    The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, normally submits its draft reports to relevant agencies for comment but makes its own final judgments.

    The office has published more than 100 assessments of various aspects of the U.S. effort in Iraq since May 2003.