PJ: No doubt that ending the US occupation of Iraq will be fraught with criticism by the far right, after all, whatever this President does seems to rile his opponents and many times his friends. But ending an occupation that was ill-conceived in the first place, that made more enemies for the US than friends, that cost both military and civilian lives and disrupted a country and its people for more than a decade is the right thing to do. Let's hope for the sake of the Iraqi people and the people in the region that the end of this unnecessary conflict also means the end to US aggression that has given America a very large black eye. President Obama has shown true leadership in both Afghanistan and Iraq by taking extremely difficult (and inherited) conflicts and bringing them to their necessary close.
Al Jazeera
Obama affirms US commitment to Iraq
President says US troops will leave behind a self-reliant Iraq, but warns neighbours not to meddle in country's affairs.
US President Barack Obama has declared that American troops will leave Iraq this month "with honour and with their heads held high", while at the same time warning the country's neighbours not to interfere in its progress.
In a press conference with Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, at the White House on Monday, Obama said: "This is a historic moment. A war is ending."
The president also said that the US would leave behind a sovereign and self-reliant Iraq, and that the removal of troops after nearly nine years would begin a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries - warning neighbouring nations not to interfere.
IN VIDEO
The US is pulling out of military bases across the country, as Jane Arraf reports
"Our strong presence in the Middle East endures," Obama said. "And the United States will never waver in the defence of our allies, our partners and our interests."
Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, said Obama issued the warning "directly towards Iran".
"That is the concern, that at the end of the day the Iraqi officials have much closer ties to the Iranians." Obama, she said, was in effect, warning Iran to "stay out".
Obama acknowledged differences between Washington and Baghdad on how to deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, but said Maliki was acting in Iraq's best interests.
"He has shown himself to be willing to make very tough decisions in the interests of Iraqi nationalism, even if they cause problems with his neighbour," Obama said of Maliki.
For his part, Maliki thanked the US for its continued assistance in helping rebuild Iraq and said that his country's relationship with the US would not end with the departure of the last US soldier.
Maliki insisted that Iraq would need foreign expertise to help it exploit its natural resources and progress in politics, commerce and education.
In regards to Syria, Maliki raised concerns about the risk of sectarian violence in that country spilling into Iraq and said that he wanted the Syrian situation resolved peacefully.
As of late last week, the number of US troops in Iraq had dwindled to about 8,000, down from 170,000 at the war's peak in 2007.
Later on Monday, Obama and Maliki laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, where many of the nearly 4,500 Americans killed in the Iraq war have been buried.
The war also claimed the lives of at nearly 115,000 Iraqis, according to an estimate by the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, although some estimate the number of civilians killed has been much higher.
NATO on Monday also announced plans to end its mission in Iraq.
"The North Atlantic Council has decided to undertake the permanent withdrawal of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq personnel from Iraq by 31 December 2011," said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the military alliance's secretary-general.
NATO officials said earlier on Monday that talks on extending the mission had stalled over the question of legal immunity for foreign trainers; an issue which was also considered one of the main factors in the breakdown of negotiations between Washington and Baghdad over the possibility of a residual US military presence in the country.
NATO has about 130 advisers from 13 member nations and from Ukraine in Iraq.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/12/201112121862327147.html
No comments:
Post a Comment