29/04/2011
Petraeus: Iraqi government did not ask U.S. forces to remain
Erbil, The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus on Friday that the Iraqi government did not ask us to stay in Iraq, noting that according to Article III of the security agreement will support the Iraqis in the event of withdrawal.
Petraeus said in a statement today quoted the free channel from the White House that "We will keep the military attache is supporting and equipping Iraqi forces to help them from internal and external risks."
He noted that "there is no request from the Iraqi government to keep troops longer," .. saying that "U.S. forces will withdraw by the security agreement even of the disputed areas, including the city of Kirkuk."
His comments came Petraeus during the process moves by President Barack Obama in his national security team, and was nominated director of the Central Intelligence Agency CIA Leon Panetta, to the post of defense secretary, replacing the current minister, Robert Gates, while the nominated commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus to succeed Panetta director of the intelligence agency.
These changes represent a quality shift in the security team for Obama since he took office in January 2009.
The fighting forces of the United States withdrew from the cities and villages, districts and areas of the interdependence of the Iraqi outposts at the end of June 2009.
It is scheduled to withdraw U.S. troops remaining in Iraq late this year, according to the security agreement signed between the two sides in 2008 and which entered into force on January 2009.
There are now in Iraq, about 50 thousand U.S. troops are a non-combat duties after he had finished the U.S. Army in combat duties in Iraq last August.
Iraq has signed and the United States in 2008, the Convention on the strategic framework to support the ministries and agencies of the Iraqi transition from the strategic partnership with the Republic of Iraq to the areas of economic, diplomatic, cultural and security, based on the Strategic Framework Agreement and to reduce the number of reconstruction teams in the provinces, as well as provide an important sustainable for the rule of law, including the program of development of the police and the completion of the work of coordination, supervision and the report of the Fund of Iraq relief and reconstruction.
http://www.aknews.com/ar/aknews/4/235776/
