Talk of withdrawals at end of year
BAGHDAD, September 14 – President Bush and Iraqi President Talabani released a statement today that they will not back away from fighting the insurgents. They also agreed that no timetable will be set for withdrawals although there were a few interesting remarks. President Talabani stated that he expects U.S. Forces might even be able to withdraw 50,000 troops by the end of this year because the Iraqi capacity of troops is sufficient.
The mood of these unexpected remarks were terribly friendly, Talabani urged that he is commited to the alliance with the United States. He also agreed with Bush that Iraq should be a democratic state from now on, ensuring safety and freedom for the citizens of the for decades terrorized country. Talabani expects that the U.S. troops may even be able to fully withdraw by 2006 but urges that there will be no deadline and everything will be discussed before any definitive decisions will be made. Bush seemed less happy with these remarks but tried to cover his feelings by adding that the U.S. troops will stay as long as they will be needed.
Meanwhile President Bush also re-emphasized the warning to Syria, urging that they should not shelter any terrorists and also not aid the insurgents in Iraq. Many insurgents enter the country through Syria and other neighboring countries but they do nothing about it.
