Iraq president lashes out at study group

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi president on Sunday sharply criticized the bipartisan U.S. report calling for a new approach to the war, saying it contained dangerous recommendations that would undermine his country's sovereignty and were "an insult to the people of Iraq."
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In particular...

He criticized the recommendation by the Iraq Study Group calling for increasing the number of U.S. troops embedded with Iraqi units to train Iraq's forces from 3,000 to 4,000 currently to 10,000 to 20,000.

"It is not respecting the desire of the Iraqi people to control its army and to be able to rearm and train Iraqi forces under the leadership of the Iraqi government," he said during an interview with several reporters in his office in Baghdad.
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Not quite sure of the wording in the ISG, but I can understand his sentiments. There's a lot of people that believe they can dictate Iraq's government, rather than their respective representives.

Talabani said the Iraqi government planned to send a letter to
President Bush "expressing our views about the main issues" in the report. He would not elaborate.
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It's important that Bush's choices are very balanced in the next couple months. On this more importantly, especially as it appears he likes Bush.

Iraq's president says:

"I believe that President
George Bush is a brave and committed man and he is adamant to support the Iraqi government until they've reached success," Talabani said. He said setting conditions was "an insult to the people of Iraq."
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Talabani said the 2008 date was realistic if the Iraqi government is given more responsibility for security.
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I'm sure they'll get more responsibility.

"If we can agree with the U.S. government to give us the right of organizing, training, arming our armed forces, it will be possible in 2008 (for U.S.-led forces) to start to leave Iraq and to go back home," he said.

"If you read this report, one would think that it is written for a young, small colony that they are imposing these conditions on," Talabani said. "We are a sovereign country."
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061211/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

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Iraq president lashes out at study group

Rick_Michael Peon

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Iraq president lashes out at study group

Rick_Michael Peon

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