Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Media: AFP
Byline: n/a
Date: 19 October 2006
Body:
CANBERRA, Oct 19, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq's newly minted army will be ready to
take over the security of the war-torn state from US and allied troops by
late next year or early 2008, Iraq's oil minister said in Australia
Thursday.
During the first visit to the country by a member of the US-backed Iraqi
cabinet, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said it would not take years
for foreign troops to be able to withdraw from the conflict.
"Almost half of the country now is almost totally under the control of the
Iraqi forces," he told reporters, as violence escalated in Iraq's civil
war.
"The other half, we are planning by the end of 2007, perhaps 2008, to have
sufficiently trained and equipped Iraqi forces to take over
responsibility."
But Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer described
al-Shahristani's prediction of a timetable for Iraqi forces to take full
control of their country as "optimistic."
"The sooner they're able to do it the better, of course," he told the
Australian Associated Press.
"We're not putting a timeframe on it, we're just going to depend on how the
capabilities of the Iraqi troops develop."
Assumption of full control by the Iraqi military would allow foreign forces
to withdraw from Iraq. Governments, including in the United States, Britain
and Australia, are coming under growing pressure to pull out.
"Until we finish building our own forces we expect multinational forces to
stay and help building the Iraqi forces," the minister said in the
Australian capital.
Australia has 1,300 troops in and near Iraq, and Prime Minister John Howard
reiterated his insistence Thursday that they would stay until he was
satisfied Iraq could handle its own security.
"None of us wants to stay in Iraq any longer than necessary, but if the
coalition were to pull out of Iraq now it would be an unqualified victory
for the terrorists and that unqualified victory would be used as a
recruiting argument by the terrorists," he told the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation.
"We are making progress on democracy. We are slowly making progress on
security. If we can continue to make further progress on that, that would
be a signpost," he said of the future withdrawal of Australian troops.
Byline: n/a
Date: 19 October 2006
Body:
CANBERRA, Oct 19, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq's newly minted army will be ready to
take over the security of the war-torn state from US and allied troops by
late next year or early 2008, Iraq's oil minister said in Australia
Thursday.
During the first visit to the country by a member of the US-backed Iraqi
cabinet, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said it would not take years
for foreign troops to be able to withdraw from the conflict.
"Almost half of the country now is almost totally under the control of the
Iraqi forces," he told reporters, as violence escalated in Iraq's civil
war.
"The other half, we are planning by the end of 2007, perhaps 2008, to have
sufficiently trained and equipped Iraqi forces to take over
responsibility."
But Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer described
al-Shahristani's prediction of a timetable for Iraqi forces to take full
control of their country as "optimistic."
"The sooner they're able to do it the better, of course," he told the
Australian Associated Press.
"We're not putting a timeframe on it, we're just going to depend on how the
capabilities of the Iraqi troops develop."
Assumption of full control by the Iraqi military would allow foreign forces
to withdraw from Iraq. Governments, including in the United States, Britain
and Australia, are coming under growing pressure to pull out.
"Until we finish building our own forces we expect multinational forces to
stay and help building the Iraqi forces," the minister said in the
Australian capital.
Australia has 1,300 troops in and near Iraq, and Prime Minister John Howard
reiterated his insistence Thursday that they would stay until he was
satisfied Iraq could handle its own security.
"None of us wants to stay in Iraq any longer than necessary, but if the
coalition were to pull out of Iraq now it would be an unqualified victory
for the terrorists and that unqualified victory would be used as a
recruiting argument by the terrorists," he told the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation.
"We are making progress on democracy. We are slowly making progress on
security. If we can continue to make further progress on that, that would
be a signpost," he said of the future withdrawal of Australian troops.