Iraqi President: U.S. Troop Presence Keeps Neighbors From Invading

[Regis Philbin]

By "neighbors" he means Iran (for those of you in Rio Linda)


http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/26/060926231203.q6d2gwnv.html

US troop presence keeps neighbors from invading Iraq: Talabani


Sep 26 7:12 PM US/Eastern


Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that the US military presence in Iraq keeps neighbors from invading his country.

"The American presence has always prevented any kind of foreign invasion to Iraq," Talabani said.

"That's one of the main reasons why we think that we need an American presence, even symbolical, in the country to prevent our neighbors attacking us," he said at a forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think thank.

Talabani also said Baghdad could not "further tolerate" neighbors' interference in its internal affairs.

"I think that our neighbors must understand that our patience is limited," he said, refusing to single out countries but adding "we mean all of them."

Iraq shares borders with Syria, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Asked if there was concern over aggression from Turkey, Talabani said: "I don't think there is any danger for invasion by Turkey to Iraq."

Iraq has "good relations" with the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and could help Ankara in its conflict with the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), he said.

"We could convince PKK to stop fighting in Turkey," the Iraqi leader said.

Talabani also insisted that Iraq would not spiral down into civil war.

[pinky]

True. And before we prevented it, Saddam did. The reason they need our protection is because we've torn their nation apart. :rolleyes:

[Richard Tafoya]

NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/world/middleeast/13cnd-iraq.html?hp&ex=1158206400&en=c442d34f5a6a119d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Violence flared across Baghdad today, as 60 bodies were reported found and at least 18 people died in attacks on the police, a day after Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki traveled to Iran to seek support in quelling the conflicts that threaten to fracture his country.

The American military today reported the deaths of two soldiers, one killed by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad late Tuesday, the other killed on Monday in combat in Anbar province in the country’s west.

In Tehran, Mr. Maliki met with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and declared afterwards that “even in security issues, there is no barrier in the way of cooperation.”
For his part, Mr. Ahmadinejad said, “Iran will give its assistance to establish complete security in Iraq, because Iraq’s security is Iran’s security.” It was not clear what form Iranian support on security would take, or how it would be regarded by the American authorities here.

Mr. Maliki’s visit occurred against a backdrop of increasing accusations from the American ambassador in Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, and from American military commanders, that some elements in Iran are stoking the violence in Iraq.

American generals have said that people or groups in Iran are providing training and financing to Shiite militias in Iraq. Mr. Khalilzad said last month that Iran was urging Shiite militias to step up attacks on the American-led forces in retaliation for the Israeli assault on Lebanon.

The violence reported today, however, appeared to be a continuation of the wave of sectarian killings that has racked the country for months. Interior Ministry officials said that over the past 24 hours, 60 bodies were discovered along the banks of the Tigris River — 45 in Sunni-dominated western Baghdad and 15 in the city’s east, where Shiites are the majority.