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Rice says U.S. needs to keep Iraq safe
from Iran
12.9.2007
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September 12, 2007
WASHINGTON, -- The United States wants to
ensure Iraq's territorial integrity, including from
"very troublesome neighbors" like Iran, U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on
Wednesday.
Rice said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show that
the situation has improved in Iraq under President
George W. Bush's strategy of temporarily building up
troops to allow time for Iraqi lawmakers to achieve
political reconciliation.
Bush's top military and civilian leaders in Iraq
faced blistering criticism by lawmakers this week
and growing questions about whether security gains
were enough to keep U.S. troops in the war zone. |
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice |
Rice agreed that there was still work to be done but
she said the American troop presence was important
to secure not only Iraq but neighboring countries.
"The way ahead here is to solidify the gains that we
have made ... and to begin to have American forces,
in lower numbers, turn to other responsibilities
which frankly, like a stable Iraq, are very key to
our interests, including securing the territorial
integrity of Iraq," Rice said.
"Iraq has very troublesome neighbors. Iran is a very
troublesome neighbor," she said, noting that Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that if the
United States leaves Iraq, Iran is prepared to fill
the vacuum.
Rice said the United States needed Iraq and other
allies in the region "to resist both terrorism and
Iranian aggression."
Washington is leading international efforts to
isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program and
accuses it of fomenting instability in Iraq.
"The war in Iraq, when we are successful there, will
make a more stable Iraq and that will make a more
stable Middle East,"
she said. "Clearly a stable Middle East will make
America safer."
In testimony to Congress this week, Gen. David
Petraeus outlined a plan to gradually pull out
30,000 troops and bring troop levels to between
100,000 and 130,000 by next summer.
Bush is expected to endorse Petraeus' recommendation
for a troop drawdown when he gives a 20-minute
speech on Iraq at 9 p.m. EDT on Thursday (0100 GMT
on Friday). Bush is expected to emphasize that he is
able to order troop cuts only because of the success
achieved on the ground in Iraq.
Reuters
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