Al Sadr: "America meddles where no one asks it to"
middleeasttimes: Iraqi Shia radical cleric criticizes Bush on troop pullout
A radical Iraqi Shia cleric, whose militia clashed with US troops last year, criticized President George W. Bush on Thursday for refusing to set a date for a troop withdrawal from the war-torn country.
In a speech on Wednesday Bush sought to overcome mounting worries about his Iraq war strategy, and declined to set a date for a pullout, warning that victory requires "time and patience".
"Decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington," the president said.
Moqtada Al Sadr called the speech a "blow to international public opinion, the United Nations and the Iraqi people, who demanded during the Cairo meeting a timetable for withdrawing occupation troops".
He was referring to a meeting of Iraqi factions last month, held in the Egyptian capital to prepare for a conference of national reconciliation.
"This speech is also an affront to the American people, who are demanding the return of their troops," he added.
In a poll published on Tuesday 63 percent of Americans surveyed were in favor of bringing US troops home in the next year, while 35 percent thought that they should be kept in large numbers until a democracy is established.
Sadr argued in his comments that a timetable "would not mean the victory of terrorist forces but would be a victory for all oppressed peoples.
"America meddles where no one asks it to," referring to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and the "weakening of Iraq's security has opened the gates of Hell throughout the Middle East".
Sadr's Mehdi Army militia pursued a bloody five-month campaign against US forces last year, which ended in August 2004 with him declaring a ceasefire and saying that his movement would join the political process. Link
A radical Iraqi Shia cleric, whose militia clashed with US troops last year, criticized President George W. Bush on Thursday for refusing to set a date for a troop withdrawal from the war-torn country.
In a speech on Wednesday Bush sought to overcome mounting worries about his Iraq war strategy, and declined to set a date for a pullout, warning that victory requires "time and patience".
"Decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington," the president said.
Moqtada Al Sadr called the speech a "blow to international public opinion, the United Nations and the Iraqi people, who demanded during the Cairo meeting a timetable for withdrawing occupation troops".
He was referring to a meeting of Iraqi factions last month, held in the Egyptian capital to prepare for a conference of national reconciliation.
"This speech is also an affront to the American people, who are demanding the return of their troops," he added.
In a poll published on Tuesday 63 percent of Americans surveyed were in favor of bringing US troops home in the next year, while 35 percent thought that they should be kept in large numbers until a democracy is established.
Sadr argued in his comments that a timetable "would not mean the victory of terrorist forces but would be a victory for all oppressed peoples.
"America meddles where no one asks it to," referring to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and the "weakening of Iraq's security has opened the gates of Hell throughout the Middle East".
Sadr's Mehdi Army militia pursued a bloody five-month campaign against US forces last year, which ended in August 2004 with him declaring a ceasefire and saying that his movement would join the political process. Link
posted by exoplanet at 8:56 AM
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