Wednesday, December 02, 2009 WEST POINT: President Barack Obama renewed a pledge Tuesday that all US forces will leave Iraq by the end of 2011 as planned despite wrangling over holding general elections there. "Today, after extraordinary costs, we are bringing the Iraq war to a responsible end," Obama told military cadets gathered in the prestigious West Point military academy as he unveiled a new strategy in Afghanistan. "We will remove our combat brigades from Iraq by the end of next summer and all of our troops by the end of 2011," he said, praising the sacrifices and commitment of US troops. "Thanks to their courage, grit and perseverance, we have given Iraqis a chance to shape their future, and we are successfully leaving Iraq to its people." There are concerns that wrangling over the date of the elections set for January could push back the timetable for the US withdrawal. The elections were thrown into doubt after Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi vetoed a new law governing the vote only days after it had been passed. The war-torn country's electoral commission said it was stopping work at least for the time being, meaning the ballot, only the second national poll since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, is likely to be delayed. The election is seen as crucial to consolidating Iraq's fledgling democracy ahead of the withdrawal of US combat troops by August next year and a complete pullout by the end of 2011. After Iraqi lawmakers passed the law in early November, US ambassador Christopher Hill said January 23 was the probable date and the planned US troop withdrawal could proceed as scheduled. "The concern of course was had these deliberations gone on, then new decisions would have had to be made about the (military) drawdown," he said.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 WEST POINT: President Barack Obama renewed a pledge Tuesday that all US forces will leave Iraq by the end of 2011 as planned despite wrangling over holding general elections there. "Today, after extraordinary costs, we are bringing the Iraq war to a responsible end," Obama told military cadets gathered in the prestigious West Point military academy as he unveiled a new strategy in Afghanistan. "We will remove our combat brigades from Iraq by the end of next summer and all of our troops by the end of 2011," he said, praising the sacrifices and commitment of US troops. "Thanks to their courage, grit and perseverance, we have given Iraqis a chance to shape their future, and we are successfully leaving Iraq to its people." There are concerns that wrangling over the date of the elections set for January could push back the timetable for the US withdrawal. The elections were thrown into doubt after Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi vetoed a new law governing the vote only days after it had been passed. The war-torn country's electoral commission said it was stopping work at least for the time being, meaning the ballot, only the second national poll since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, is likely to be delayed. The election is seen as crucial to consolidating Iraq's fledgling democracy ahead of the withdrawal of US combat troops by August next year and a complete pullout by the end of 2011. After Iraqi lawmakers passed the law in early November, US ambassador Christopher Hill said January 23 was the probable date and the planned US troop withdrawal could proceed as scheduled. "The concern of course was had these deliberations gone on, then new decisions would have had to be made about the (military) drawdown," he said.
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