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Iraqi PM rejects US troop withdrawal timetable
By Shaun Tandon
AFP
TOKYO
Petroleumworld.com 04 11 07
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday rejected demands by the US Congress for a timetable to pull out US troops, saying the withdrawal should be based on the reality on the ground.
Maliki said his government was working to improve security to make it possible for US and other foreign troops to leave.
" We see no need for a withdrawal timetable because we are working as fast as we can," Maliki told a news conference on a visit to Tokyo.
" We feel what will govern the departure of the multinational forces are the achievements and victories we manage to obtain on the ground and not a timetable," he said.
The US Democratic Party has pushed for a withdrawal date since seizing control of Congress from President George W. Bush's Republicans on the back of voter anger over the Iraq war.
The House of Representatives and Senate have passed bills with different pullout deadlines -- August 31, 2008 and March 31, 2008, respectively -- but Bush has vowed to veto any date.
Maliki insisted the troops would leave eventually.
" The departure of the multinational forces is definite. There are no arguments on this issue," Maliki said.
" The international resolution authorised the Iraqi government to ask for the departure of the multinational forces when it feels that it can provide enough security for the country. We are progressing on the security issue continuously," he said.
He was referring to UN Security Council Resolution 1723, which was passed in November, that authorised multinational forces to stay in Iraq until the end of 2007 unless the Baghdad government asked them to leave.
The Democrats, who control the US government's purse strings through Congress, have demanded that Iraqi leaders meet benchmarks for progress, such as on dividing oil resources and power among the war-torn nation's various groups.
But Maliki, a member of Iraq's Shiite majority who were oppressed under Saddam Hussein, blamed the media for only focusing on the daily violence in Iraq.
" Maybe it is natural that the ugliness of blood will overshadow the elements of progress. But I can give you many examples of progress," Maliki said.
" We have a permanent constitution after living for decades with temporary constitutions and the entire country being subjected to the whims of a ruler. On the economic side, the monthly income of the average Iraqi has risen from two dollars to 200 dollars per month" since the 2003 invasion, he said.
" Following the collapse of the regime, all security collapsed with it, but now we can say we have a reliable army that has taken many recruits from the old army but added new blood to it."
Maliki was wrapping up his first visit to Japan, which took the landmark step of sending troops to Iraq, a first for Tokyo since becoming officially pacifist following World War II.
Japan is also a major economic partner of Iraq, and during his visit extended 102.8 billion yen (862 million dollars) in low-interest loans for construction projects, including a new oil export facility.
AFP 10 0855 GMT 04 07
Copyright© 2007 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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