Posted on 02/01/2005 2:56:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's president said today it would be "complete nonsense" to ask foreign troops to leave the country now, although some could depart by year's end. Officials began the final vote tally from elections to produce a government to confront the insurgency.
Despite scattered clashes in rebel areas across the country, Iraq reopened its borders today and commercial flights took off from Baghdad International Airport as authorities eased security restrictions imposed to protect last weekend's landmark voting.
In Baghdad, about 200 election workers today began the second — and possibly final — stage of the count. They reviewed tally sheets prepared by workers who counted ballots starting Sunday night at the 5,200 polling centers across the country and began crunching the numbers into 80 computer terminals. Officials said no figures were expected to be released today.
The ballots themselves have also been sent to Baghdad, but will not be recounted unless there are challenges or discrepancies in the tally sheets, officials said.
Sunday's election, which occurred without catastrophic rebel attacks, raised hopes that a new Iraqi government would be able to assume greater responsibility for security, hastening the day when the 170,000 U.S. and other foreign troops can go home.
During a news conference, President Ghazi al-Yawer was asked whether the presence of foreign troops might be fueling the Sunni Arab revolt by encouraging rebel attacks.
"It's only complete nonsense to ask the troops to leave in this chaos and this vacuum of power," al-Yawer, a Sunni Arab, said.
He said foreign troops should leave only after Iraq's security forces are built up, the country's security situation has improved and some pockets of terrorists are eliminated.
"By the end of this year, we could see the number of foreign troops decreasing," al-Yawer said.
Al-Yawer had been a strong critic of some aspects of the U.S. military's performance in Iraq, including the three-week Marine siege of the Sunni rebel city of Fallujah in April.
Al-Yawer helped negotiate an end to that siege. But the city fell into the hands of insurgents and religious zealots, forcing the Marines to recapture Fallujah last November in some of the heaviest urban combat for American forces since the Vietnam war.
Too bad Iraqi officials can't officially ask Kennedy to lay of the booze. That would be a sweet press conference.
I can't believe you are still reading the Houston Chronicle it's such a liberal rag. I guess this story shows it's getting better. I think the Iraqi people see U.S. troops as a necessary evil. They are glad we are there but will be happy when we leave.
The only coffee those guys drink is of the Irish variety... Come to think of it, that may explain a lot of their policies.
True enough. But what is more interesting is that no one, not even the Sunni's are doubting that we eventually will leave, which, of course, is probably the best testament to the fact that America is not an empire building nation, and everybody pretty much knows it.
Did you hear that Teddy (hic) Kennedy?
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