Posted on 04/10/2005 11:57:33 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Iraq's new president Jalal Talabani restated his support for a continued US military presence in Iraq, one day after large demonstrations by supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demanded US troops leave the country.
"I think we are in great need to have American and other allied forces in Iraq until we will be able to rebuild our military forces," Talabani told the CNN news program Late Edition.
Branding Sadr a "criminal" who should be arrested, Talabani said he opposed setting a timetable for the US military's exit from the country.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of Sadr's followers marched through Baghdad chanting "No, no, USA," in what is believed to be the largest demonstration since US troops entered the country.
The protestors also demanded the establishment of a government based on Islamic law when the new government begins rewriting the country's constitution.
The protest marked the second anniversary of the fall of Baghdad after the US invasion of the country in 2003.
Talabani, an Iraqi Kurd who was elected president on Thursday after lengthy negotiations between ethnic and tribal factions in the Iraqi parliament, predicted Iraq would be able to to reconstitute its armed forces within two years.
However, he suggested that even after that, the country will maintain a close security relationship with the United States.
"We will remain in full consultation and coordination, cooperation with our American friends, who came to liberate our country," he said.
Talabani also rebuffed the calls to establish an Islamic state under the new constitution, which he predicted could be completed by the August 15 deadline.
Iraq's Governing Council already ruled against an Islamic government, Talabani said, even while recognizing Islam as the country's principal religion.
"We respect the Islamic identity of Iraqi people, but we will not have an Islamic government," he said.
Talabani, who for many years led the Iraqi Kurdish minority's resistance to the regime of deposed president Saddam Hussein, also suggested he did not support an independent state for the Kurds.
"We think that, of course, the Kurdish people have the right to self-determination, like other peoples of the world," he told CNN.
However, he said, the Kurds have accepted becoming part of a federation within the framework of a democratic Iraq.
Sadr knows that he cannot take over Iraq while the American military is there. Nor will he succeed if the reconstituted military and police in Iraq are given time to become effective. So his time is now.
The headline would seem to contradict stories of a popular protest among Iraqis to force the coalition forces to abandon their duties and leave Iraq immediately.
Perhaps the protests lead by famed Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr do not have quite as much widespread support among the Shi'ite faction as once had been attributed.
Naw. No bias there.
Nobody ever said that "Freedom" comes easily.
al-Sadr is the only interesting, loud mouthed, media-friendly, thug left in Iraq. The kind of thug that the MSM eats up with gratitude.
The elected Iraqi leadership does not suck up to the MSM, so mouths like Sadr's are helpful.
I can't understand why we didn't arrest or preferably kill that thug a long time ago.
Allawi wanted to do it, but the US worried about making a Martyr of him.
Treat the Iraqi situation with hope and a nice portion of skepticism added. I do not trust Muslims, maybe my vision is clouded by my bias. But even now , a part of the Iraqi people are bitc*ing and complaining about the very forces that kicked saddam out, and killed his butchering sons!!! These animals disgrace our sons and daughters that have given there very lives , so these degenerates , can complain about it. Well, I see Iraq has freedom of speech, HOW ABOUT SOME FREEDOM OF SPEECH TOO SAY "THANKS" INSTEAD OF "GET OUT!". Deplorable, ungrateful bastar#s. These people sicken me. One of my nephews is headed too Iraq, the other is going soon. And I have too read about these pigs protesting, people from MY FAMILY, serving so they can even talk like this in public!!! Sickening.
Jeff
Jeff
And we sure wouldn't want to make martyrs of Islamifacists.
During "peace" rallies, tens of thousands of American citizens marched in Portland, SF, etc. chanting "No, No, USA."
That is not what I recall. Allawi didn't want to kill Sadr, either.
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