Hiro also notes that the UIA's 22-point platform includes a demand for "a timetable for the withdrawal of the multinational forces from Iraq."
President Bush is opposed.
_____Live Discussion_____
•
Today, 1 p.m. ET: washingtonpost.com writer Jefferson Morley will be online to discuss the selection of Iraq's new prime minister.
|
| |
_____Recent Roundups_____
•
Who Killed Rafiq Hariri? (washingtonpost.com, Feb 16, 2005)
•
After the Network Stars Depart (washingtonpost.com, Feb 15, 2005)
•
Nuclear North Korea: Bluff or 'Crisis From Hell' ? (washingtonpost.com, Feb 11, 2005)
•
Rice Gives European Recital (washingtonpost.com, Feb 10, 2005)
•
Abu Mazen's Honeymoon Continues (washingtonpost.com, Feb 8, 2005)
•
World Opinion Archive
|
| |
|
"We will not set an artificial time table for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out," Bush said in his State of the Union speech on February 2. "We are in Iraq to achieve a result: a country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself."
Hiro says "the new government seems set on a collision course with the American occupiers regarding the presence of foreign troops in Iraq."
Jafari has downplayed the conflict, telling AFP that U.S. troops are necessary for the time being. But the goal remains.
"Improving security -- so Iraq can ask foreign troops to leave -- and forming a government that can satisfy the aspirations of the Sunni minority, will be two key tasks for the next government," he said, according to AFP.
If the last two years are any guide, Washington's wishes may not prevail over Shiite demands.
Lauren McMahon provided research for this column.
