US commander quits over Iran row

Washington/Baghdad: The top US commander for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars said on Wednesday he would quit after a magazine reported he was pushing President George W. Bush to avoid war with Iran.

Admiral William "Fox" Fallon, head of the US Central Command headquarters responsible for the Middle East, insisted he did not disagree with the Bush administration over Iran but perceptions of a rift made it difficult for him to do his job.

Fallon was yesterday making a surprise visit to Baghdad, the US military said. Admiral Fallon "is currently in Baghdad", a US military spokesman, Lieutenant Michael Street, said.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates dismissed suggestions that Fallon's departure made war with Iran more likely. "The notion that this decision portends anything in terms of a change in Iran policy is ... ridiculous," Gates said.

"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own," Gates said at the Pentagon.

"I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are, in fact, significant differences between his views and administration policy."

The Bush administration says its policy is to use diplomacy to resolve differences with Iran, particularly over Tehran's nuclear programme, but it will not rule out military action.

Capability

Washington and other Western nations say Iran is trying to develop the capability to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is to produce energy.

Fallon's headquarters in Tampa, Florida, oversees US operations in 27 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

The first Navy officer to serve as Central Command chief, Fallon has been in the post for just under a year. He will leave his post and retire at the end of the month.

Fallon is known as a tough, plain-speaking commander but also has a reputation for favouring dialogue. He pursued good relations with China when he headed US Pacific Command. Titled The Man Between War And Peace, the Esquire article that led to his resignation described him as challenging the White House and urging restraint on Iran.

Criticised

Fallon cooperated with the author during the article's preparation but strongly criticised the story after it appeared, describing it as "poison pen stuff".

Gates said the perception that Fallon was at odds with the administration was not linked just to the article. "We have tried between us to put this misperception behind us over a period of months and, frankly, just have not been successful in doing so," he said.

Fallon has also denied reports he has a testy relationship with Army Gen David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq.

Democrats in the US Congress charged that Fallon's departure was another sign the Bush administration did not tolerate military commanders who spoke their mind.

The Pentagon rejected that, saying Gates had encouraged openness since taking over from Donald Rumsfeld in December 2006. Fallon's deputy, Army Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, will run Central Command until a long-term successor is found, Gates said.

William fallon

- Admiral William Fallon, 63, took over on March 16, 2007 as commander, US Central Command, the regional headquarters that oversees military operations in the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He succeeded Army General John Abizaid, who retired.

--In his resignation statement he said: "Press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the President's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the Centcom region."

--That followed an article in Esquire magazine that portrayed Fallon as resisting a drive to take tough action against Iran. The magazine described him as "The Man Between War and Peace."

--Fallon, who began his 41-year-long career as a fighter pilot and flew missions in Vietnam, previously headed the US Pacific Command.

--At his confirmation hearing in 2007, Fallon told the Senate Armed Service Committee the US might have to lower expectations for Iraq. While he has been overseeing the war in Iraq, the level of violence dropped sharply after President George W. Bush ordered a big deployment of extra forces last year.