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| Iraq |
| Iraq Foreign Minister Urges Patience |
| 2007-10-02 |
| BOSTON (AP) - Iraq's foreign minister said Monday a premature pullout of U.S. troops could send the country and region spiraling into chaos and called a U.S. Senate proposal to divide Iraq into three regions well-intentioned but a bad idea. Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari also said during a speech at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government that he remains optimistic despite the strife roiling his country. ``The task facing us is challenging, but I'm confident about the future of my country,'' Zebari said. ``No matter how close we came to the brink, the Iraqi people have risen to the occasion.'' He said that crucial to helping Iraq maintain a path toward democracy and stability are the 160,000 U.S. troops there. He said a rapid withdrawal could lead to the collapse of Iraq's government and allow terrorist groups like al-Qaida to set up permanent shop within his country. ``If we fail we might have a country torn apart by civil strife,'' he said. ``Terrorists will have safe havens that they will turn into death triangles.'' Although he said a multinational force should remain, Zebari said Iraq would eventually like to negotiate a long term bilateral security agreement with the United States similar to agreements the U.S. has with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and other countries. The speech comes ahead of a planned meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, in early November between Iraq and its neighbors where Iraqi officials will press for help in three key areas: security, refugees and energy. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and representatives of Iran, Russia, France, Italy, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to attend the meeting, which Zebari said is another important step in gaining international recognition for the government. ``Iraq is now fully engaged internationally,'' he said. ``Look at what we are aspiring to - a free country, a united federal democracy at peace with its neighbors and with itself. We are not there yet.'' |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 "If we fail we might have a country torn apart by civil strife," he said. "Terrorists will have safe havens that they will turn into death triangles." Said the man who recently treated with Ahmadinejad as a sincere negotiator. The last thing these turds want is peace. The moment all this strife ends these gansters are out on their asses quicker than the devil can get his shoes on. They no more want peace than the Palestinians do. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-02 05:41 |