Iraqi council calls for US forces to leave Iraq

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

In a surprising development the president of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council on Saturday said that US troops should leave Iraq and be replaced by a UN-led international force to protect the country.

Ahmad Chalabi in an interview to the London-based Arabic daily, Al-Hayat, said that a United Nations resolution to send peacekeepers to Iraq would signal the end to his country's US-led occupation.

"We do not want an occupation force in Iraq" Chalabi told Al-Hayat. "But we want an international force to remain in order to protect Iraq from any external dangers, the same as happens in several Arab countries."

Chalabi was apparently referring to various Gulf states, including Kuwait, where US forces have been stationed since the 1991 Gulf War that drove Saddam Hussein's occupying forces from Iraq's southern neighbour.

More at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_393112,001300180038.htm

At China Post:
Chalabi: U.S. forces should leave Iraq, be replaced by U.N. multinational force
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/detail.asp?onNews=1&GRP=A&id=20691

Other links here:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=Chalabi&btnG=Search+News

[Ouabache]

1. Convenient

so where does he want the US forces to go?
Iran or Syria?

[Voltaire99]

17. LOL! Nice one (n/t)

[Fridays Child]

2. Yeah, right, Chalabi. Your attempt to appear independent is...

...pathetically transparent.

[Frances]

4. I would not be surprised if 10 years from now

Chalabi is running Iraq just the way Saddam did.

And I would not be surprised if the Taliban were not running Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This is NOT what I want, but I think it is what Bush's policies will bring.

[Fridays Child]

7. Yes they will, but only if they're compliant with the wishes of...

...corporate America. That makes Chalabi a sure bet. But I think the question of allowing the Taliban to come back into power is more complicated for the bushistas.

[number6]

10. wouldn't surprise me either ....

..

[Chico Man]

12. I had the exact same thought (nt)

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Giving Bush an out

Now Bush can order the troops withdrawn well before the election, and he can say that the U.S. is cooperating with the new, independent government of Iraq.

[cliss]

5. Well, blood is thicker than water

The US-appointed council have every reason to get the US out. They know that as long as they're perceived as a "puppet government", they will only continue to get shot at and killed. It's like a no-win situation for them. As long as Bremer is in the shadows, pulling the strings, the Iraqis and other neighbouring countries will look at them with scorn and hatred.

I'm frankly surprised that Chalabi is speaking out as forcefully as he is, right now. After all, he was the Neocons' "baby" for a long time. He kissed their asses and moved right up to the top of the heap for being considered "king of Babylon".

So -- good for them. Good for Chalabi. I just don't trust him, after being in bed with the Neocons for so long.

[grytpype]

6. Is he doing with with our without the approval of the White House?

That's the big question.

Maybe this is the Bush Junta's "exit strategy" -- just declare victory and leave Iraq the way it is.

But that doesn't fit with everything else the Junta has been saying.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

9. CNN is reporting that Chalabi has really ruffled a lot of Washington

feathers.

[Fridays Child]

11. I think that's right. It doesn't fit with the other messages...

...coming out of the WH. Besides, would the chimp ever do anything that might be perceived as an admission of error or a sign of weakness in his fight against terra?

[MariMayans]

8. watch the US bitch slap them

They will call them a bunch of unelected tyrants (they sort of are, but they have more legitamacy than Bush does here or Iraq).

[Jack Rabbit]

13. Very interesting

By "protect Iraq", I have this uneasy feeling that Dr. Chalabi means protect him and his band of quislings from the Iraqi people. Any real Iraqi government would have Chalabi arrested for treason.

[Fridays Child]

14. It's probably about getting that 87 billion out of Congress.

Yesterday, Rumsfeld announced that the 87 billion was for an exit strategy. Today, Chalabi says he wants the US out. Monday, Congress starts the process of coughing up the bucks. And then when the exit never materializes, senators and reps can plead innocent to their constituents and preserve their chances for re-election.

[TacticalPeek]

15. Smells like a "secret plan for peace with honor" election bridge to me.

But maybe just because I flicked past images of Kissinger on c-span2 last night at too late an hour for proper mental prophylaxis.

[Voltaire99]

18. Good point

I'm sure the Rove-ing Eye has foreseen that possibility.

What a rotten war, what rotten leaders.

[shirlden]

16. This bull s**t is so transparent it sucks.

Chalabi is the hand picked leader of the New Iraq. Put there by the PNAC. This has been their strategy from day one and before. Now Chalabi will pose as the savior of his chosen people by expelling the Yanks from Iraq. Then he becomes the "puppet" gov of the neo-cons. So far, we have done a great job of BS ing the Murikan Sheeple, but we have not done so well with the Iraq folks. Chalabi would need the UN force to protect his sorry a$$ from the people. After corporate America sucks the country dry, they will all just wave by-by and leave it in the same shape as Afghanistan. Win-win for the good old US of A. We took everything they had and left them in no shape to do anything about it. They won't even have enough left to feed the babies, let alone send out terror-ists.
We are not the only country in the world that cannot afford 4 more years of the BFEE. There are many.....

:mad: