BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 23, 2005 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman told Iraq's prime minister Wednesday that U.S. forces will remain in Iraq until their mission is complete, despite growing unease in Congress about the progress of the conflict here. "We cannot let extremists and terrorists, a small number, here in Iraq deprive the 27 million Iraqis of what they want which is a better freer life, safer life for themselves and their children" Lieberman said after his meeting with Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
The Connecticut Democrat, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the cost of success in Iraq would be high "but the cost for America of failure in Iraq would be catastrophic: for America, for the Iraqi people and I believe for the world."
Lieberman, who ran unsuccessfully for vice president with Al Gore in 2000, arrived in Iraq on Wednesday to meet with Iraqi officials and spend Thanksgiving with American troops.
Lieberman told a group of reporters that he was convinced progress was being made in building a democratic Iraq despite rising U.S. deaths and the continuing insurgency. He acknowledged growing concern within Congress over the Bush administration's Iraq policy but said there was little support in the Senate and the House for Rep. John Murtha's call for an immediate pullout of U.S. troops. |