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Talabani hints at 2006 troop withdrawal
13.11.2005
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Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani said on Saturday that it may be possible to
reach an agreement by the end of 2006 on the
withdrawal of foreign troops from his country.
Speaking to reporters in Rome at the end of a
week-long visit to Italy, Talabani said the Iraqis
were training their police and soldiers to try to
create the conditions for foreign troops to be able
to leave.
"We are looking forward to the day we can say
goodbye to the forces of the coalition," he said.
"If things continue as they are I think by the end
of 2006 we can discuss the end of the presence of
foreign troops." |
Iraqi
President : Jalal Talabani
Photo: Reuters |
Talabani said he did not wish to discuss the
question in more detail "because I don't want to
give the impression to the terrorists that they have
won."
Iraq's Shi'ite and Kurdish-led government and its US
backers are battling a Sunni Arab insurgency that
has killed thousands of people since the March 2003
US-led invasion.
Talabani said the violence was delaying the
withdrawal of foreign troops and was not caused by
their presence.
"The terrorists have declared war on the Iraqi
people, not the forces of the coalition," he said.
Turning to Iraqi elections to be held in April next
year, Talabani, an Iraqi Kurd, said he expected the
Shi'ite coalition would be the largest force,
followed by the Kurdistan Alliance, but that no
party would win an outright majority.
Talabani thanked Italy for its military presence in
Iraq, and said he had received guarantees from
opposition leader Romano Prodi that if he wins the
April 2006 election, as expected, he would not
hastily withdraw Italy's 2,900 troops.
"Italy's opposition leaders promised that if they
won any withdrawal would be gradual, programmed and
agreed with the Iraqi government," Talabani said.
The centre-left opposed Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi's decision to send troops to Iraq.
However, asked if there was now any difference
between Berlusconi's and Prodi's positions on
withdrawal, the Iraqi president replied: "Not very
much."
AAP
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