Democrats maintain call for Iraq withdrawal timetable (Reid & Murtha)

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=15315

Democrats maintain call for Iraq withdrawal timetable
US Defence Department says about 7,000 US troops will be pulled from Iraq next year.


WASHINGTON - Two Democratic lawmakers on Friday welcomed the US administration's announcement that about 7,000 US troops will be pulled from Iraq but maintained demands for a timetable for full troop withdrawal.

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Reid said he hoped President George W. Bush will "level with the American people and inform us of what conditions on the ground must be met in order for more families to be reunited with their loved ones".

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Congressman John Murtha, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who shook the establishment recently by calling for a full troop withdrawal from Iraq, said Friday's announcement fell short of his expectations.

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"Our presence in Iraq continues to unify the insurgents against the US forces," he added. "We have to give the Iraqis a timetable to take charge of their own destiny."