[Mb-civic] CBC News - SPRING WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ JUST 'SPECULATION, ' BUSH SAYS

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SPRING WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ JUST 'SPECULATION,' BUSH SAYS
WebPosted Thu Aug 11 15:39:41 2005

---U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday described recent reports
that American troops would begin withdrawing from Iraq next spring as
"speculation."

He would give no timetable for an eventual pullout, saying only, "as
Iraqis stand up, we will stand down."

"Withdrawing before the mission is complete would send the signal that
the U.S. is weak and that all they have to do is terrorize and we will
leave," Bush said.

The president also said the International Atomic Energy Agency had made
"a positive first step" in calling for Iran to halt its nuclear program.


But he suggested the country's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would
not be barred from getting a U.S. visa to attend the United Nations in
New York next month, despite being investigated by U.S. intelligence for
alleged ties to the 1979 seizure of U.S. hostages by extremists in Iran.



                             INDEPTH: Iran's
                             nuclear program

Bush made the comments to reporters at his Crawford, Texas, ranch after
meeting with Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld.

The president said military and political developments in Iraq dominated
the discussion. Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld did not address reporters.


A surge in violence in Iraq this month has killed 36 U.S. troops,
including 20 marines based in Ohio towns.

Iraqi officials are aiming to complete a draft constitution by Monday.


"I'm working on the assumption that [the constitution] will be agreed on
by Aug. 15," Bush said, noting that there had been some obstacles such as
federalism – referring to demands by the Kurdish north for more
autonomy – and granting women equal status.

U.S. commanders in Iraq had suggested two weeks ago that an American
troop withdrawal might begin next spring.

"I suspect what you were hearing was speculation based on progress we're
seeing in Iraq," said Bush when asked a question on the point.



 FROM AUG. 10, 2005: Car bomb attack on Iraqi police patrol kills 7


Bush acknowledged anti-war activists camped outside the ranch, saying he
had thought about their "cries to pull out of Iraq … But I strongly
disagree."

Cindy Sheehan, a mother from California who lost her 24-year-old son
Casey in Iraq, has stayed several days outside the ranch in a peaceful
protest of the 2½-year conflict.

"I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan," Bush said. "I thought long and hard
about her position … But it would be a mistake for this country."

The president continued to link the war in Iraq to global terrorism
dating back to Sept. 11, 2001, saying insurgents were striving to turn
the Middle East into a "launching pad for attacks against free people."


There is concern that the recent violence will persist over the next
several months while Iraqis finalize their new constitution and prepare
for elections scheduled for December.

Preparing Iraqi soldiers to take over from U.S. troops is another hurdle
facing the anti-insurgency fighters.

Bush put an upbeat tone on the training. "More and more units are
becoming more and more capable." But he acknowledged that few could stand
on their own without being accompanied by U.S. soldiers in their ranks.

The president said the U.S. army had surpassed its recruitment goals for
July, the first time it had done so this year. Other services continued
to be on track for their recruitment drives, he said.

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