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LATEST KERRY QUOTE -- US withdrawal from Iraq depends on security, diplomacy - Kerry
GRAND CANYON, United States (AFP) - Chances for the United States to reduce its military forces in Iraq (news - web sites) within one year will depend on security on the ground and advances in US diplomacy, US Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) said. "My goal, my diplomacy, my statesmanship is to get our troops reduced in number," Kerry said. On Friday, Kerry told National Public Radio in an interview that, if elected, to "significantly" diminish the number of US troops in Iraq by August 2005. "I believe if you do the statesmanship properly, I believe if you do the kind of alliance building that is available to us, that it is appropriate to have a goal of reducing our troops over that period of time," he said.
Kerry said he is confident he can effectively use diplomacy to get more countries involved in helping Iraq. "I intend to get more people involved in that effort," he said. "And I'm convinced I can be more successful than president (George W.) Bush in succeeding in doing that. It is an appropriate goal to have and I'm going to try to achieve it." Kerry noted, for example, that a stable Iraq is in the interest of neighboring Arab nations. If all the criteria is met, "that will allow for a reduction in forces over the next year or so," said Kerry foreign policy adviser James Rubin. "If things don't go well initially, that means any cutbacks in American forces will come slower," he added. Some 140,000 US military forces are currently deployed in Iraq. On Friday, Bush refused to set a timetable for withdrawal for US troops. Posted by: 2% 2004-08-10 |
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