The White House reverses its spin today, downplaying the prospect of troop withdrawals that were expected based on earlier news reports:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Despite optimism triggered by formation of Iraq’s unity government, the White House stressed on Tuesday conditions on the ground in Iraq will dictate when U.S. troops can withdraw.
The statement came as the White House announced that President George W. Bush will meet his top Iraq war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on Thursday.
Blair said on Monday that all foreign troops may be gone from Iraq within four years and Iraq’s new prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, said his forces could be in charge of most of the country by December.
White House spokesman Tony Snow was careful not to sign on to any timetable, saying “the conditions on the ground are going to determine when the United States begins doing troop withdrawals and that sort of thing, and that and that alone is going to be the ultimate factor.”
“We’re not going to sort of look at our watches and say, ‘Oh, time to go,’ because that would be irresponsible,” Snow said, adding that Washington wants to make sure it has laid the foundation for a “successful, self-governing, peaceful and stable Iraq.”
If Bush and Tony Blow are going to wait for Iraq to be successful, peaceful and stable, we’re in for a very long haul here. Then again, who knows what they mean by “successful” and “peaceful.”
Poor Tony Blair, by the way. I wonder if his press spokespeople jumped the gun on this one just a bit. And it looks like the Iraqi Government may have gotten its hopes up a little too high, as well:
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has been rapid to throw the spotlight on the handover of security from the multinational forces to Iraqi personnel. […]
Mr Maliki was specific in saying the handover would begin next month, with two British-controlled provinces in the south transferring to Iraqi forces. In total 16 of 18 provinces would be in Iraqi hands by the end of the year, he said. […]
[A] joint Iraq-UK statement was less specific on the other transfers, saying: “By the end of this year, responsibility for much of Iraq’s territorial security should have been transferred to Iraqi control.”
Like the old adage says, I’ll believe it when I see it.
US Troop Withdrawals from Iraq