BEIJING, June 29 -- While the Iraqi Prime Minister believes it'll only take two years for his own forces to take over security duties in his country, US Defence Secretary refuses to comitt to the timeline. At the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld said he recognises things he doesn't know, and that's one of them.

    He said: "There are so many variables that I would be reluctant to pretend that I could look into that crystal ball and say, 'X number of months or X number of years.' I can't. One thing I do believe very deeply and I think that I'll end up being right, you never know in life, but I honestly believe that this insurgency is going to be defeated by the Iraqi people and not by coalition countries and not by the United States. And that our task is to give them, the Iraqi people an environment in which they can do that."

    Rumsfeld said the variables include the willingness of the Iraqi people to set aside religious and tribal differences and unite around a new government, and the pace at which Iraqi forces develop "the skills and the sophistication" to handle security duties on their own.

    Rumsfeld said insurgents are "locked in a test of wills" with the US and the new Iraqi government.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)