Iraqi president eyes huge US troop withdrawal

[unhappycamper]

Iraqi president eyes huge US troop withdrawal
AFP
Published: Sunday October 7, 2007


The United States could withdraw more than 100,000 troops out of Iraq by the end of 2008 but should retain three permanent bases, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Sunday.

Interviewed on CNN in Washington, Talabani also backed a US Senate plan to decentralize Iraq along ethnic lines, but the ethnic Kurd said he opposed an independent Kurdistan.

"More than 100,000 can be back by the end of the next year," he said of the US troop presence in Iraq, which would leave about 30,000 personnel once a limited withdrawal planned by US President George W. Bush is complete.

Iraqi forces are making good progress which could allow US troops to begin a partial withdrawal from Iraq earlier than planned, Iraqi National Security Advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said Friday.

At White House talks Tuesday, Talabani and Bush discussed sluggish progress towards legislation to share oil revenues among Iraq's sectarian groups and rehabilitate former members of Saddam Hussein's ousted Baath regime.

Talabani told CNN that he wanted the United States to retain three permanent bases in northern, central and southern Iraq to train Iraqi forces "and preventing our neighbors from interfering."


Rest of article at: http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Iraqi_president_eyes_huge_US_troop__10072007.html

[babylonsister]

1. Coulda/shoulda/woulda, crumbs for the anti-war saps. nt