US Troop Withdrawal Would Be Complete In Three Years Under New Plan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Says

In an interview with The Times of London, Iraq's Foreign Minister said that a new draft agreement with the United States would have troops out of the country in three years, with withdrawals beginning next summer.

In one of the most detailed insights yet into the content of the deal, Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, has also told The Times that the US military would be barred from unilaterally mounting attacks inside Iraq from next year.

In addition, the power of arrest for US soldiers would be curbed by the need to hand over any detainee to a new, US-Iraqi committee. Troops would require the green light from this joint command before conducting any operation.

The Pentagon refused to comment last night on the proposals laid out in the draft agreement between Baghdad and Washington that covers the status of US forces beyond 2008. Britain will strike its own deal with Iraq but Gordon Brown hopes to withdraw most British troops from Iraq by next summer, reducing the number of soldiers from 4,100 to "a few hundred" by then.

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Comments

[IntelligentDesign]

What about the WMDS?

[Roguewolf]

They hanged him.

[Heru1]

Thank you O for making this withdrawal timetable possible. All this, and you haven't even taken office yet. Wow

[Roguewolf]

But you keep drinking his Kool-aid.

[Roguewolf]

The ONE had nothing to do with it.

[Meggie]

Thank goodness Obama came along and pushed this issue.
Now, where will Halliburto­n/KBR/Blac­kwater have us go next?

[Roguewolf]

I am sorry but it has nothing to do with 0bama. It is the success of the Surge and the Iraqis ability to take charge of their own security.

[nomobull]

don't kid yourself. the surge did nothing. and look at the shape we will be leaving that country in.

[returnofthejedi]

Where is it that they produce these robots anyways? Do you really mean to imply that the democrats pushing for time tables for at least 2 years has nothing to do with the whole thing? You really are persuaded that it was something republicans wanted, after all the opposition they have shown towards any timetable? The Wmd must be in whatever your drinking or smoking!

[henrydavidthrow]

Iraq winding down? What will corporate raiding warmongers do? Georgia moves, Russia rolls in, Poland gets ballistic missiles..­.cold war, hot cash.

[curocat]

The "Military Industrial Complex" and Think tanks makes out again... Who's making all the money?????

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Has The Maverick made Putin pay for what he’s done yet?

What “severe consequences” is The Maverick prepared to give to Putin?

[poco767b]

The Dem's cannot let the GOP take Iraq off the table.
They are trying to close the conversation, do not let it happen.

[K-Dog76]

Thats right poco, We need to keep the war going to keep it a political issue for the Democrats!

Give me a break. End the war now is better than end the war later. Don't make it more of political issue than it already is... or you two will have blood on your hands.

[poco767b]

End it today, bring the troops home now, but do not let the Right tell America that it is not an issue. The constitutional violations, the lying and the corruption must be kept as issues in this election, and those responsible must be held accountable.

[Shake-A-Spear]

Once we do get out, refer to it as a "police action" rather than as a "war." In that way we can avoid scoring the thing as a "defeat." Or -- in the realm of "the gang who couldn't shoot straight" debacles, refer to it as a "'police-action fiasco." That, too, removes somewhat the stink of defeat and makes the whole misadventure come across as more comedic than tragic

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Poor John McSame.
He sooo wanted to be a War Preznit too.

[LarsGruber]

I can't possibly vote for Obama. I just read on NewsMax that Obama faked his Vietnam War injuries!

If you can't trust Obama to tell the truth about Vietnam, what will he tell the truth about!

[returnofthejedi]

Good points that would be amusing if it didn't cost us all so much.

[Destin]

Well, on the bright side, any troop withdrawal is gonna happen after Bush leaves office. Which means Bush will be sacked with the LOSER legacy for all-time. The President who started 2 wars, and couldn't win either one, lol.

[LarsGruber]

compared to the rest of the bush boy debacle, losing 2 wars will be the high point of his tenure.

[Destin]

Hmmm, you got a great point. I stand corrected!

[K-Dog76]

Destin,

Too bad you haven't read up on presidential legacies, plenty of unpopular presidents have ended up our greats. History will treat Bush a little m,ore fair than current public opinion.

Andrew Jackson was extremely polarizing
Abraham Lincoln was extremely polarizing (ask the south)
John Adams (OMG! a one-termer!) Not liked while in office but history has treated him extremely well.
Harry Truman...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2059714/posts -read this, its actually nonpartisan.

[Destin]

Wow, are you here impersonating a comedian? You're joking right? Name 1 thing Bush has done that is in any way comparable to any of those people on the list, except Truman, lol.

And nonpartisan my ass, the free republic idiots are neocons.

[PROELIATOR]

Not getting the top-down line of creating real change. Instead of commenting about the candidates and their shortcomings, get your own house in order. Stop driving, plant a garden, install solar, be a decent human being and VOTE. As they say in my line of work: leadership by example. Sounds too easy...let­s get back to throwing stones...t­hat always works. You liberal folks rock!

[scooperss]

Hmm don't point fingers when you're preaching about not pointing fingers.

[EggsBolinski]

This week John McCain has made Americans especially proud with his Presidential and bipartisan words of leadership.

[Paul]

yeah.

"We are all Georgians.­.."

"Nations do not invade other nations...­"

"My chief foreign policy advisor is a paid agent of Georgia...­"

I am sure we will all fondly recall these words every time the Dems run their campaign ads on TV.

[LarsGruber]

But Johnny's words came from his Georgian lobbyist campaign director.

My question is, do you need to be a Mcccain campaign staffer to take that Sweet Georgian Lobbyist money, or does just being a garden variety neocon work?

[highlyamused]

You've got a reallllllllllly loose definition of proud.

[RobertaInCT]

He made A-merica proud be putting his foot in his mouth and turning it sideways..­..........­.leadershi­p, I don't think so.

[LarsGruber]

Here are some awesome pictures of Dear Decider.

http://sports.aol.com/olympics/photos/president-bush

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

He's back drinking.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

John Boy did we win yet? Is this what the big win looks like, the rape of the American taxpayer for big corporate interest? Did we finish those hotels yet out by the airport yet? Iraq will go down as the most perverse reason to go to war in American history.

[Roguewolf]

Or go down as the turning point for good in the Middle East.

[WLA]

Is that what they said about the Crusades?

[blueshield]

In about 50 or 100 years it will be safe enough for Americans to go see what a trillion of their tax dollars look like.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

In 50 or 100 years the oil well be gone and non-one will care anymore, except for our children and grand children saddled with the dept, from the biggest tax payer rip out ever perpetrated on the American people, not to mention the deaths and maiming of the people and their families who participle in it, and we have 2 chicken hawk, draft dodging, failed CEO's and their enablers to thank for it.

[lornejl]

J Mac ; " You can have my Iraq when you pry it from my cold, dead hands ".

[PROELIATOR]

For every man who lives without freedom, the rest of us must face the guilt.