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US Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L)
and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testify before
the US House Armed Services Committee, 11 January 2007 on Capitol Hill in
Washington. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that Washington could start withdrawing
troops from Iraq later this year if the new strategy on Iraq works.
"But if you lower the level of sectarian violence
significantly, some of these political commitments that have been made before
and not met are met, then you could have a situation later this year where you
could actually begin withdrawing," he said at a Senate Armed Services Committee
hearing.
President George W. Bush announced his new Iraq
policy on Wednesday, which included sending 21,500 additional U.S. troops to
Iraq to help quell violence in the war-torn country.
"If these operations actually work, you could begin
to see a lightening of the U.S. footprint both in Baghdad and potentially in
Iraq itself," Gates said.
Lawmakers, particularly Democrats, have questioned
whether Bush's plan for more troops for Iraq could end violence there.
They argued that the plan relied too heavily on the
Iraqi government keeping its promises it had failed to keep before.
At the White House, spokesman Tony Snow admitted that
many members of Congress were skeptical of Bush's plan, but insisted that the
plan would go forward.
"Funding for the forces and to dispatch them to the
region, it's already in the budget. So we're going to proceed with those plans,"
he said.
Related:
News Analysis: Will Bush's new Iraq
strategy work?
WASHINGTON, Jan.
11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has announced his new strategy on
Iraq, but many people are doubtful whether his new plan would work and achieve
what it is intended for.
Bush's new Iraq strategy draws mixed
reactions
WASHINGTON, Jan.
11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday night outlined a new
strategy on Iraq, in which he proposed the deployment of more than 21,000
additional American troops to Iraq.
The new Iraq strategy ignited immediate rebukes from
the Democrats, who contend that the new plan "moves the American commitment in
Iraq in the wrong direction."
Feature: Iraqis hold mixed reviews to
Bush's new Iraq policy
BAGHDAD, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iraqis expressed mixed
reviews towards a new Iraq strategy declared by U.S. President George W. Bush on
Wednesday, as some said it is only a pipe dream while others believe it is an
encouraging strategy to get rid of chaos.
Jasim Adel, a Baghdad resident in his 20s, was
disappointed with Bush's plan, wondering, "What's new in his speech? Bush is
going ahead with his old policy only adding ... some troops and small changes."
Paper: success of Bush's new plan depends on
Iraqis
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi's commitment
holds the key to the success of U.S. President Bush's new plan to stabilize
Iraq, the Los Angeles Times said Thursday.
Although Bush and his aides are confident that putting
more American troops on the streets of Baghdad can help turn Iraq around, but
what they do not know is whether the Iraqi government will do its part, the
paper said in an analysis.
Russia opposes U.S. military reinforcement in
Iraq
MOSCOW, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia opposes the U.S.
military reinforcement in Iraq though it supports the United States in fighting
terrorism, speaker of Russian lower house of parliament said on Thursday,
Russia "supports the U.S. steps aimed at fighting against
international terrorism, but we have never supported bringing of troops in
Iraq," Boris Gryzlov was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying in
connection with statements of the American president on the enlargement of the
U.S. military contingent in Iraq.
Poll: most Americans oppose Bush's
plan
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Most Americans oppose
President George W. Bush's call to send additional U.S. military forces to Iraq
and just over a third say the new plan makes victory there more likely,
according to a poll published on Thursday.
The new Washington Post-ABC News poll, conducted
following Bush's speech Wednesday night in which he announced his new Iraq
strategy, found broad and strong opposition to his call to send about 21,500
more troops to Iraq.
Sixty-one percent opposed the force increase, with 52
percent "strongly" opposing the build-up, while only 36 percent supported the
additional troops and one-quarter was strongly supportive.
EU welcomes Bush's new Iraq
strategy
BRUSSELS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European
Union (EU) on Thursday voiced a cautious welcome to U.S. President George W.
Bush's new Iraq strategy, saying the bloc is glad that he had taken a " more
comprehensive approach" on Iraq.
"The commission president (Jose Manuel Barroso)
welcomed the comprehensive approach taken in the international context for Iraq,
which was also endorsed by President Bush," European Commission spokesman
Johannes Laitenberger told a press briefing in Brussels.
"Stability in Iraq would require action not only in
the security domain but also the political and economic areas, if national
reconciliation is to be pursued," he said.
