PARIS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday told his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani that it was important to fix a prospect of foreign forces' withdrawal from Iraq, the French leader's spokesman Jerome Bonnafont told the press.

    "Regarding the international troop's presence in Iraq, he (President Chirac) said that in the eyes of France, it is important to fix a prospect of withdrawal," Bonnafont said.

    Whether to withdraw the 150,000 American troops from Iraq has recently triggered a fierce debate in the United States.

    Before meeting with Chirac, Talabani said earlier in the day that Iraq would need two or three years to rebuild their forces and to say "bye bye and thank you to our friends."

    Last week, General George Casey, U.S. military commander in Iraq, suggested that the Iraqi armed forces would be able to take on most security tasks within 12 to 18 months.