The White House on Thursday disputed a prediction by Iraq?s new prime minister that his country?s troops would replace the U.S. military as the nation?s primary security force by late 2007.
“The prime minister is an elected official ? he can say whatever he wants,” White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told reporters. “We’ll see if he’s able to follow through on it.”
Snow was referring to a statement by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a meeting Wednesday with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
“Our security forces will be capable of taking over the security portfolio in all Iraqi provinces within one year and a half,” al-Maliki said.
The U.S. has about 133,000 troops in Iraq and would like to reduce that number to 100,000 by the end of this year. But the White House insists it will not guarantee any reductions untilIraqi security forces are able to take over.
“They stand up, we stand down,” Snow said. “These decisions rely on the actual conditions on the ground. It doesn’t matter what anybody can say in terms of blue sky; you got to figure out whether it?s possible.”
Snow also suggested that Iran is beginning to buckle under pressure from the international community to abandon its nuclear ambitions. As evidence, he cited a recent letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President Bush, as well as news reports that Iran was seeking bilateral talks with the U.S.
“What that letter and the subsequent stories about trying to reach out through secondary channels indicates is that pressure is working, that the president?s diplomatic strategy is working,” Snow said.
Nonetheless, the U.S. has been unable to convince the U.N. Security Council to reach a consensus on sanctions against Iran for continuing to enrich uranium.
On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad reiterated his claim that Iran seeks nuclear energy, not nuclear bombs, and scoffed at the prospect of international sanctions.
“Despite the political pressure, the conspiracies, and the use of international organizations by the enemies, they have not succeeded in preventing the Iranian people from obtaining nuclear energy,” he said in a speech.
