JURIST - Paper Chase: Gonzales lauds DOJ efforts to bolster rule of law in Iraq

[JURIST] US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile; JURIST news archive] on Saturday praised Justice Department officials working in Baghdad for their "commitment to the rule of law" and their work to protect "the rights and liberties of Iraqi citizens." On his third trip to Iraq as US Attorney General, Gonzales said [press release]:

I am pleased to see first-hand ... the progress that the men and women of the Justice Department have made to rebuild Iraq's legal system and law enforcement infrastructure. They have accomplished an enormous amount of work in the past four years by assisting in the training of tens of thousands of police, security and correctional personnel and prosecutors, supporting thousands of criminal investigations, and leading the Regime Crimes Liaison Office.

The DOJ currently has over 200 employees and contract personnel working in Iraq assisting "Iraqi efforts to promote freedom and security in a variety of areas, including advice and training that will help to re-establish essential law enforcement and security functions."

In a December 2006 report [PDF text], the Iraq Study Group recommended that the Bush administration provide "strong" support for DOJ efforts in Iraq [JURIST report] "to establish courts; to train judges, prosecutors, and investigators; and to create institutions and practices to fight corruption." AP has more.