Iraq insists on withdrawal timetable for US troops

Jul 8 10:02 AM US/Eastern

By SALLY BUZBEE
Associated Press WriterBAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

The comments by Mouwaffak al-Rubaie were the strongest yet by an Iraqi official about the deal now under negotiation with U.S. officials. It came a day after Iraq's prime minister first said publicly that he expects the pending troop deal with the United States to have some type of timetable for withdrawal.

President Bush has said he opposes a timetable. The White House said Monday it did not believe al-Maliki was proposing a rigid timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals.
U.S. officials had no immediate comment Tuesday on al-Rubaie's statement.

Al-Rubaie spoke to reporters after briefing Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf on the progress of the government's security efforts, and the talks.
"Our stance in the negotiations underway with the American side will be strong ... We will not accept any memorandum of understanding that doesn't have specific dates to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq," al-Rubaie said.

Some type of agreement between the United States and Iraq is needed to keep U.S. troops in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at year's end. Iraq's government has felt increasingly confident in recent weeks about its authority and the country's improved stability, and Iraqi officials have sharpened their public stance in the negotiations considerably in just the last few days. Violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in four years. The change has been driven by the 2007 buildup of American forces, the Sunni tribal revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and crackdowns against Shiite militias and Sunni extremists.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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"They must find it difficult...Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than the truth as authority"

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Amendment IV, search and seizure rights. Read about them before they're gone.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_...s_Constitution

im just glad to see the true leaders were able to see it though despite the huge opposition and pessimism


I think 10 years from now a mockery will be thought of the people who so ludely berated this great country for spreading freedom as it always has, and always will.

as once it stops doing that, it will cease to be America anymore but yet just another selfish country looking at their short term interests willing to sacrifice nothing but also willing to be destroyed for their lack of valor, foresight and true historical wisdom

their lack of ingenuity and their great abundance for risk aversion and selfish requirements above all else will be their demise.

this is not what makes a country great

this is what makes a country great:







and now it has already begun after only a few short years,

in the amount of time it takes to graduate collage, this country is now free for the rest of its days

for the rest of its days!!!!!

god bless all the souls who sacrificed for this great achievement, and those invested in failure shall see their investments crash down to earth like so many who were wrong before, so many who are wrong now, and the many that will be wrong in the future

this is a victory for all humans




I am very proud to have been just a small part of it.

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"They must find it difficult...Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than the truth as authority"

Although I salute your patriotism, I believe it is misguided. You cannot promote democracy or world peace through the use of force. Gunboat diplomacy should be a thing of the past. Trying to democratize an 8000 year old society through the barrel of a gun has never and will never work. Taking the governments rhetoric as the rule is very childish. Most people that care can see the falacy of the governments view on Iraq. In case you've missed it, the reality is, It's all about the oil!!!

BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.
Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.
The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/wo...sein,%20Saddam

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Amendment IV, search and seizure rights. Read about them before they're gone.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_...s_Constitution

surely you cant still think its about the oil med, i mean if it was they failed miserably cuz oil is way expensive because we went to war in Iraq.

the true reason we went to war with iraq is because the arabs were coming now to our soil and killing our citizens,


Without democracy there will be wars, we went in there to get a foothold in the region and spread democracy to the disinfrachised people

through this and proper education we can stop the cycle of bigited violence purpetrated by ignorent tools that are commanded by inteligently deceptive dictators through the force of religion

Iraq was one of 3 countriess like this that are at the top of our list.

just because the list is long, it doesnt mean you dont start checking items off the list.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, lybia and countless others

once poeple are free to vote for thier leaders you will find that all people would choose peace over war,

look at our free country for example.they dont want war. Only problem is just cuz we are free doesnt mean the job is done, just means we have more responsibility to help others achieve freedom

or we will all end up slaves

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"They must find it difficult...Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than the truth as authority"

__________________
Amendment IV, search and seizure rights. Read about them before they're gone.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_...s_Constitution

thats the thing man i talk to Iraqis everyday its the business im in, i speak arabic with them not english, we speak as we are the same people like an american from the north speaks to an american from the south, so im promise you its not true.

they are glad to be rid of saddam and now they are glad to be rid of the crazy foreign al queda fighters and they will be happy to see our troops go too once they can be sure they can hold thier own agaisnt the foriegn enemy forces trying to disrupt thier new found freedom

the forces trying to disrupt this fear greatly the freedom of the iraqi peopel, because they know its over. one way or another it will be over for them if Iraq is free, and it is finally getting is toes dug in and begining to push back

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"They must find it difficult...Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than the truth as authority"

It will be over for us when the last soldier leaves Iraq, what the Iraqis will do to form a cohesive government is way beyond my imagination. Probably Kurdistan in the north sunnis in the middle and shites in the south. That's the only scenario that makes any sense to me. Hell the sunnis and shiites lived together for years.

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Amendment IV, search and seizure rights. Read about them before they're gone.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_...s_Constitution

well the cool thing about this is we will get to see hopefully

im a huge critic / cynic at heart but I am an optimist as well

i say critcal cynical optimisum is the way to go

atually lets throw bitter in there too im also bitter

bitter critical cynical optimisum i the best was to go i think

ill start a new party based on that, it will be the party of:

Bitter: Im tired of people trying to run game on me
Critical: I dont believe you unless you prove it
Cynical: Even if you prove it your probably trying to trick me somehow
Optimisum: I think we together can acheive greatness

i think thats all you need in dealing with humans whether they are a person, tribe, city, state or nation

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"They must find it difficult...Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than the truth as authority"

Timetable, huh? Yeah right...Like we're going to leave. How many people remember over a year ago when our government stated that we'd leave once the Iraqi's had a working government? Well that happened. The problem was, our government didn't like the results...especially when the newly formed Iraqi Parliament voted to oust the US occupiers. Remember that one? Here...Let me refresh everyone's memory...
Majority of Iraqi Lawmakers Now Reject Occupation | AlterNet

They voted to get us out over a year ago...News Flash: We're still there. Seems like the US didn't respect the form of democracy we created there. They voted to end our occupation and we ignored them. What makes anyone think we'll respect their wishes now?