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Khalilzad Discusses Withdrawal of U.S. Troops
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 1 - As Iraqi leaders reaffirmed their decision to finish writing the country's constitution by the middle of the month, the new American ambassador here spoke in specific terms about the pending withdrawal of American troops from the country.In his first press conference, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that American forces would hand over control of specific areas to Iraqi forces and "withdraw its own units from these areas." He declined to say which Iraqis cities American soldiers would leave first, but said he had formed a committee with Iraqi leaders to draw up a detailed withdrawal plan. "After this transfer occurs in more and more areas, there will be a smaller need for coalition forces, and elements of the multinational forces will leave Iraq," the ambassador said. Mr. Khalizad's remarks, a public reminder to the Iraqis that the Bush administration is moving ahead with its plans to reduce the number of foreign troops here, followed the decision by Iraqi officials Sunday to stick to the timetable for completing the country's constitution. His remarks were the latest demonstration of the highly visible role that Mr. Khalizad has played in the weeks since his arrival here. The former ambassador to Afghanistan, where he was deeply engaged in the affairs of the country, Mr. Khalilzad has departed from the previous American practice of standing back while the Iraqis work out their problems themselves. Before Sunday's decision, Ambassador Khalizad urged Iraqi leaders to stick to the Aug. 15 deadline and set aside for later any issues that could not be resolved before then. The Americans are eager to keep the democratic process here on track, as a means to drain away anger from the insurgency and also to help set the conditions for the American troop drawdown. Posted by: Steve White 2005-08-02 |
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