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As last troops leave Iraq, Obama heralds "new chapter"

Arab World Materials 13 December 2011 05:20 (UTC +04:00)
US President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States and Iraq were about to "turn the page and begin a new chapter" in their relations as the last US troops prepare to leave the country by the end of the month, dpa reported.
As last troops leave Iraq, Obama heralds "new chapter"

US President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States and Iraq were about to "turn the page and begin a new chapter" in their relations as the last US troops prepare to leave the country by the end of the month, dpa reported.

He and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki spoke to journalists after a meeting at the White House, in which the two leaders discussed ongoing relations after the last US forces depart. The US-led invasion in March 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein's regime and led to a years-long US presence in the country.

"After nearly nine years, our war in Iraq ends this month," Obama said. The new relationship will be "based on mutual interest and mutual respect," he said.

"Mr Prime Minister, as we end this war and as Iraq faces its future, the Iraqi people must know that you will not stand alone," Obama said. "You have a strong and enduring partner in the United States of America."

Obama left no doubt that no US soldiers would remain in the country, but warned other nations not to interfere in Iraq's affairs. Amid concern over a possible security vacuum in the region, Obama issued a warning that Iraq's sovereignty must be respected. He did not mention any nation specifically by name, though neighbouring Iran and its influence in the region remains a continuing concern.

"The relationship does not end with the departure of the last American soldier," al-Maliki said through an interpreter. "It is only starting."

He specifically pointed to security cooperation and the training of Iraqi troops, as well as the sale to the Iraqi military of F-16 fighter jets by the US. The Iraqi leader also pointed to economic issues, including the oil sector.

The two also discussed the ongoing government crackdown on protesters in Syria. Obama has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but al-Maliki has not echoed those thoughts and has abstained from an Arab League vote to impose sanctions on the Syrian regime.

Al-Maliki defended his position, saying he did not "have the right to ask a president to abdicate."

Obama tried to paint over the difference as a matter for national discussion, not an indicator of Iranian influence. "I have absolutely no doubt that these decisions are being made based on what Prime Minister al-Maliki believes is best for Iraq, not on what Iran believes," he said.

At al-Maliki's suggestion, the leaders headed to Arlington National Cemetery to honour US troops killed during the war in Iraq and lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. The military cemetery is the final resting place of many of the nearly 4,500 US troops who died in the war, along with veterans of other US conflicts.

The visit comes after al-Maliki and US Vice President Joe Biden last month announced in Baghdad "a new stage of strategic relations" between the two countries.

In October, Obama announced that all US troops would leave Iraq by the end of the year, after more than eight years of military involvement in the country.

He had campaigned for office on a promise of ending the US military presence there and his administration has lauded the withdrawal as a fulfillment of that vow. Obama pointed to Iraq as a model for the rest of region and said violence there continued to decline.

All US soldiers remaining in Iraq were already due to leave the country by the end of 2011, under a Status of Forces Agreement negotiated by the George W Bush administration in 2008. Last year, the US removed its combat troops from the country, leaving some 50,000 troops in training and special forces roles. That number has already been drawn down.

Efforts by both sides to extend the US mission beyond that deadline failed, as the Iraqi government was reluctant to grant immunity to US troops that would have remained after December 31.

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