Allies ... George W. Bush with John Howard in Washington, where they reaffirmed troops from their respective defence forces would stay in Iraq for the forseeable future
Posted on 07/20/2005 5:20:40 AM PDT by naturalman1975
PRIME Minister John Howard and US President George W. Bush say they are committed to keeping troops in Iraq despite moves by Britain to start withdrawing forces next year.
Mr Bush and Mr Howard told a joint press conference at the White House they didn't believe in setting timetables to withdraw troops from Iraq.
Their comments come after Britain's Defence Secretary John Reid said at the weekend that he expected British troops would start pulling out of Iraq during the next year.
Mr Howard said he would not put a timetable on when Australia would pull its troops out of Iraq.
"I'm not going to try and put a time limit on our commitment in Iraq. I'm not," he said.
"It will be governed by circumstances rather than by a calendar."
Mr Howard said the US was carrying a great burden by having thousands of troops in Iraq.
"Our commitment is significant but obviously is much smaller," he said.
"But we will stay the distance in Iraq, we won't go until the job is finished."
Mr Bush said US troops would remain in Iraq for as long as necessary until Iraqis were ready to defend their country themselves against insurgents.
He also understood the concern Australians and Americans had for the troops deployed in the war torn country.
"There's a great temptation for me to put a timetable on our actions there, but that doesn't make sense," Mr Bush said.
"Why would you tell the enemy how long you are going to stay somewhere. We are at war."
Talks about the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Australia is sending 150 more troops, featured heavily during talks between Mr Howard and Mr Bush at the White House today.
The pair also discussed the economic benefits of the free trade agreement signed between the US and Australia and the political situation in the Asia Pacific region.
Mr Bush said he appreciated advice Mr Howard gave him on Indonesia and Malaysia and said that he also told the prime minister the US was committed to solving the North Korea nuclear issue.
He also said he believed Australia could play a key role in convincing China to take an active role in North Korea's nuclear disarmament.
Both Mr Howard and Mr Bush expressed admiration for each other after their talks and described to reporters how close the relationship now was between the US and Australia.
Mr Bush praised Mr Howard as a man of conviction.
"He's got backbone, he's not afraid to make the hard decision, he's not afraid to lead, Mr Bush said.
Mr Howard said he believed Australia's relationship with the US would grow closer.
"I believe the economic association between the United States and Australia will be more important as the years go by," he said.
Earlier today, Mr Howard met with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
He will also hold talks with US Trade Representative Rob Portman and visit Congress before flying to London later today.
The Aussies will be with us through thick and thin.
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