US President considers changes in Iraq policy

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-04-2006 13:19

In the US President George W. Bush is open to some major changes in Iraq policy. The White House national security advisor said suggestions were put forward by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a classified memo days before he resigned.

Speaking on ABC This Week, Stephen Hadley said the memo discussed putting "substantial" US forces near Iraq's borders with Iran and Syria, withdrawing US troops from vulnerable positions and moving to a quick reaction status.

And on NBC's Meet the Press, the security advisor said Bush agrees that US policy in Iraq has to change.

"The president has said that what is going on in Iraq is not going well enough or fast enough. The president has said we need to make changes. Some of these changes are going to be significant changes. The goal, he has said, remains the same." said Stephen Hadley, Nat'l Security Advisor.

Bush has been adamant that US troops will not leave until Iraqi forces can take over security. But many Democrats back a phased withdrawal. One is incoming Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin.

Carl said, "It's a political problem in Iraq, it can't be solved militarily, we've got to put pressure on the Iraqis to take responsibility. And the only way that that's going to be done is if the open-ended commitment to Iraq of our troops is over. We've got to end it."

More than 28-hundred US troops have been killed in Iraq, where sectarian violence shows no sign of abating.

Editor:Du Xiaodan