Divided Iraqis unite on U.S. forces
Reconciliation forum calls for withdrawal
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By Salah Nasrawi
Associated Press
November 22, 2005
CAIRO -- Leaders of Iraq's sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis called Monday for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in the country and said Iraq's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance.
The final communique, hammered out at the end of three days of negotiations at a preparatory reconciliation conference under the auspices of the Arab League, condemned terrorism, but was a clear acknowledgment of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.
The participants in Cairo agreed on "calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation" and end terror attacks.
Sunni leaders have been pressing the Shiite-majority government to agree to a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. The statement recognized that goal but did not lay down a specific time -- reflecting instead the government's stance that Iraqi security forces must be built up first.
On Monday, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr suggested U.S.-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year.
"By the middle of next year we will be 75 percent done in building our forces and by the end of next year it will be fully ready," he told the Arab satellite station Al Jazeera.
The final communique's attempt to define terrorism omitted any reference to attacks against U.S. or Iraqi forces. Delegates from across the political and religious spectrum said the omission was intentional. They spoke anonymously, saying they feared retribution.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
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I don't know for sure - but it looks to me like our friends in Iraq
have decided it's OK for "insurgents" to attack US forces, or even
their own military/police----just not their civilians. I would suppose
that the participants in this conference would be the people actually
planning on running that country. Our young people are honorably
fighting/dying/being maimed---for friends like these? I am
beginning to reconsider the value of spending our blood and tax
money to bring "democracy" to these people. There is no
good answer at this point.
Reconciliation forum calls for withdrawal
Advertisement
By Salah Nasrawi
Associated Press
November 22, 2005
CAIRO -- Leaders of Iraq's sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis called Monday for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in the country and said Iraq's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance.
The final communique, hammered out at the end of three days of negotiations at a preparatory reconciliation conference under the auspices of the Arab League, condemned terrorism, but was a clear acknowledgment of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.
The participants in Cairo agreed on "calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation" and end terror attacks.
Sunni leaders have been pressing the Shiite-majority government to agree to a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. The statement recognized that goal but did not lay down a specific time -- reflecting instead the government's stance that Iraqi security forces must be built up first.
On Monday, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr suggested U.S.-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year.
"By the middle of next year we will be 75 percent done in building our forces and by the end of next year it will be fully ready," he told the Arab satellite station Al Jazeera.
The final communique's attempt to define terrorism omitted any reference to attacks against U.S. or Iraqi forces. Delegates from across the political and religious spectrum said the omission was intentional. They spoke anonymously, saying they feared retribution.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
----------------------------------------------------
I don't know for sure - but it looks to me like our friends in Iraq
have decided it's OK for "insurgents" to attack US forces, or even
their own military/police----just not their civilians. I would suppose
that the participants in this conference would be the people actually
planning on running that country. Our young people are honorably
fighting/dying/being maimed---for friends like these? I am
beginning to reconsider the value of spending our blood and tax
money to bring "democracy" to these people. There is no
good answer at this point.
