Blair Hints at Iraq Pull-out in 2006
OMG you forgot Poland Britain? From Reuters:
Britain could start pulling its soldiers out of Iraq next year if local forces are strong enough to keep the peace, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday.
"I think it's entirely reasonable to talk about the possibility of withdrawal of troops next year but it's got to be always conditioned by the fact that we withdraw when the job is done," Blair told reporters after talks with Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Blair said there was no question of British troops quitting Iraq before local security services could act on their own but said the buildup of Iraqi forces was gathering pace.
"This is a completely different situation from a year ago," he said at his Downing Street residence. "As that progresses, obviously the need for the multinational force reduces...but it's a question of that happening when the job is done.
"It's always been part of our plan to withdraw when the Iraqis are capable of looking after their own security."
Hmmmm. Of course, it was always "part of the plan" to be greeted as liberators, and to have our Mission Accomplished within 2 months of the invasion, and to have total control after the capture of Hussein, and to find WMDs, and to somehow link all this to 9/11, etc etc, but THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT EITHER.
I'm not sure whether to be proud Tony Blair is at least *hinting* about this pull-out, or to be scared because now the US won't have a single shred of "Coalition of the Willing" to stand on anymore. Not to mention, I'm not counting on any type of pull-out promises from ANYONE until I see the tanks leaving Baghdad.
Britain could start pulling its soldiers out of Iraq next year if local forces are strong enough to keep the peace, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday.
"I think it's entirely reasonable to talk about the possibility of withdrawal of troops next year but it's got to be always conditioned by the fact that we withdraw when the job is done," Blair told reporters after talks with Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Blair said there was no question of British troops quitting Iraq before local security services could act on their own but said the buildup of Iraqi forces was gathering pace.
"This is a completely different situation from a year ago," he said at his Downing Street residence. "As that progresses, obviously the need for the multinational force reduces...but it's a question of that happening when the job is done.
"It's always been part of our plan to withdraw when the Iraqis are capable of looking after their own security."
Hmmmm. Of course, it was always "part of the plan" to be greeted as liberators, and to have our Mission Accomplished within 2 months of the invasion, and to have total control after the capture of Hussein, and to find WMDs, and to somehow link all this to 9/11, etc etc, but THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT EITHER.
I'm not sure whether to be proud Tony Blair is at least *hinting* about this pull-out, or to be scared because now the US won't have a single shred of "Coalition of the Willing" to stand on anymore. Not to mention, I'm not counting on any type of pull-out promises from ANYONE until I see the tanks leaving Baghdad.