Iraqi forces able to maintain security – Talabani

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Tuesday that the Iraqi forces are able to maintain security in the country after the withdrawal of U.S. troops, noting that there is no need for the U.S. presence. In an interview with the Fourth Power show on al-Iraqi satellite television, the president said “our forces are able to maintain security and there is no need for the U.S. forces, but we can recall them in some cases.” U.S. President Obama, during his speech addressed to the Muslim world from Cairo on Thursday (June 4), has pledged to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraqi cities by this month’s end and pull out all forces from Iraq by the year 2011, reiterating that the United States does not seek any military bases in Iraq. On December 13, 2008 , the Iraqi government has signed a long-term security agreement with the United States to organize the presence of foreign troops in Iraq with gradual pullout of U.S. troops to end by 2012. Regarding relations with Kuwait , the president said “some Iraqi and Kuwaiti lawmakers do not talk in an enough Islamic or Arabic responsibility.” He unveiled the presence of documents and confessions of Arab interference in the Iraqi affairs, saying “but we want to tackle it with dialogue and in a political way.” SH (S)/SR 1