Vice president-elect Joe Biden told Iraqi leaders on Tuesday that the incoming US administration is committed to a responsible troop withdrawal that does not endanger improvements in security, an Iraqi spokesman said.| As opposed to the irresponsible withdrawal that Bambi pushed last year? |
President-elect Barack Obama pledged during his election campaign to withdraw all American combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office and shifting the focus to Afghanistan to combat a resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants.
Since the November election, however, the US and Iraq have signed a new security agreement that provides for all the US troops to leave by 2012, despite concerns among senior US commanders that Iraqi forces might not be ready by then to ensure stability.
Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who has been a frequent visitor to Iraq as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the agreement sets out a new strategy between Iraq and America, according to Al Dabbagh. "He said that Obama is committed to withdrawing, but he wants the withdrawal to be a responsible one. Obama does not want to waste the security gains that have been achieved," Al Dabbagh said.
Biden and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham arrived in Baghdad on Monday after visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Biden made no public comment about his meetings in the capital, leaving Iraqi officials to describe their meetings.
Biden gave assurances that the new administration would stick to the timetable in the agreement, Al Dabbagh said.
Biden held similar talks with other officials on Monday, including President Jalal Talabani and his deputy Adel Abdul Mahdi, Reuters news agency reported.