Iraq President Jalal Talabani on Friday warned that an abrupt withdrawal of United States forces from his country ”could lead to the victory of the terrorists in Iraq” and make Iraq more vulnerable to interference from neighbouring countries.
But in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, Talabani hinted that if all goes well, the US-led coalition could leave within two years.
”According to the plan which we adopted, if we can implement it, I think within two years there will be no need for American forces,” he said.
A withdrawal of American and multinational forces in the near future could, however, ”lead to the victory of the terrorists in Iraq and create grave threats to the region, the US and the civilised world”.
”We … cannot afford to cede Iraq to the evil forces of terrorism and religious fanaticism,” he said.
The Bush administration insists that it is making progress in handing security responsibilities over to Iraqi police and troops, but critics say the handover is not happening nearly quickly enough. The US has more than 138 000 troops there, in addition to contributions from dozens of other countries.
Talabani said the American forces are needed not only to fight the terrorist insurgency in his own country, but also to ”frighten our neighbours and [prevent] … them from interfering in our internal affairs”.
The comment appeared to be a veiled reference to concerns about the radical Shi’ite government in neighbouring Iran, but also other countries. Syria is blamed for allowing hundreds of foreign supporters of al-Qaeda to cross its border into northern Iraq.
Talabani is slated to meet US President George Bush next Tuesday at the White House, before the two men travel to New York to attend the annual plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly.
They are expected to discuss preparations for a referendum on the new Constitution in October and general elections in December. — Sapa-DPA