Region | Iraq
Iraq raises idea of timetable for US withdrawal
Iraq's prime minister said on Monday his country wants some type of timetable for a withdrawal of American troops to be included in the deal the two countries are negotiating.
- AP
- Published: 08:44 July 8, 2008
Baghdad: Iraq's prime minister said on Monday his country wants some type of timetable for a withdrawal of American troops to be included in the deal the two countries are negotiating.
It was the first time that Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has explicitly and publicly called for a withdrawal timetable — an idea opposed by President Bush. He offered no details. But his national security adviser, Mouwaffak Al Rubaie, told The Associated Press that the government is proposing a timetable conditioned on the ability of Iraqi forces to provide security.
The White House said it did not believe Al Maliki was proposing a rigid timeline for US troop withdrawals.
"Any agreement would not have any hard timetables for withdrawal, but could include the desire by the US and Iraq to withdraw troops based on conditions on the ground," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Al Maliki said in a meeting with Arab diplomats in Abu Dhabi that his country also has proposed a short-term interim memorandum of agreement rather than the more formal status of forces agreement the two sides have been negotiating. The memorandum "now on the table" includes a formula for the withdrawal of US troops, he said. "The goal is to end the presence of foreign troops".
Some type of agreement is needed to keep US troops in Iraq after a UN mandate expires this year. US officials have said little publicly about the negotiations. Adm Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not comment directly on the specifics when asked about it on a trip to Baghdad.
"We'd all like to see US troops get out of here at some point in time. However, from a military perspective I need the laws and the regulations and the agreements from the government of Iraq in order to continue operations beyond the 31st of December of this year," Mullen said.
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