‘Yes we will!’ Obama reaffirms Iraq troop pull-out schedule
American President Barack Obama took the occasion of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s visit to Washington to restate his policy to withdraw all American combat troops from Iraq by August 2010. At the same time, he nudged al-Maliki to encourage the Iraqi parliament to pass an election law essential for the January 2010 poll. At the meeting Obama said, “we have seen in the last several months a consolidation of a commitment to democratic politics inside of Iraq [and] we are very interested, both of us, in making sure Iraq has an election law that is completed on time so elections can take place on time in January.” Al-Maliki was in the US for a conference to encourage business and investment in Iraq. Six years of war have caused major damage to infrastructure, factories and the crucial oil sector.
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