Hard News us panel on iraq to recommend gradual pullback

By Philippe Naughton

A heavyweight bipartisan panel is to recommend a gradual pullback of American forces in Iraq that will transform the US role from one of combat to one of support, major US newspapers reported today.

The reports on the conclusions of the Iraq Study Group, headed by James Baker, the former US Secretary of State, said that the ten-strong panel had stopped short, however, of setting a firm timetable for an eventual exit from Iraq.

The panel's report is to be delivered to President Bush next week, but Mr. Bush said today after a meeting in Jordan with Nouri al – Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, that US forces would remain on the battlegrounds of Iraq as long as necessary.

Mr. Bush did say, however, that the two men had agreed to speed up the handover of security responsibility to Iraqi forces. He also spoke out against talk of Iraq's eventual partitioning.

The Amman summit had been due to kick off last night with a three-way meeting also including their host, King Abdullah.

But that was called off at the last minute, apparently because of Iraqi anger at a leaked memo from Stephen Hadley, Mr. Bush's National Security Adviser, criticizing the Shia politician as being overly partisan and either weak or ignorant of the situation in Iraq.

At a joint press conference this morning, Mr. Bush was at pains to praise the Iraqi leader as the "right guy" for the job.

"He is the right guy for Iraq", Mr. Bush said. "We are going to help him and it is in our interest to help him for the sake of peace... He is a strong leader and wants a free and democratic Iraq to succeed".

Mr. Bush added: "The first thing that gives me confidence is that he wants responsibility. What I appreciate is his attitude. Instead of saying America you go solve the problem we have a prime minister who says: "Stop holding me back, I want to solve the problem".

"I appreciate his courage – he has got courage and has shown courage for the past six months" since he took power. He has shown a deep desire to unify his country".

The New York Times reported today that the Iraq Study Group, headed by Mr. Baker and Lee Hamilton, had agreed on a compromise between distinct paths that it had debated since March. It had avoided a specific timetable, which was opposed by Mr. Bush, but will make clear that the American commitment should not be open-ended.

"I think everyone felt good about where we ended up", one person "involved in the commission's debates" told the newspaper. "It is neither 'cut and run' nor 'stay the course".

Although the group's report is expected to be given serious consideration by the White House – especially given Mr. Baker's role as a long-standing Bush family confidant – the panel's members have been constrained by the President's repeated declarations that US forces would remain in Iraq until their mission was complete.

Mr. Bush continued on that tack today after his 2-1/2-hour meeting with Mr. al-Maliki. "It’s in our interests to help liberty prevail in the Middle East, starting with Iraq - and that’s why this business about graceful exit simply has no realism to it at all", he said.

The Baker commission is also expected to call for a regional conference on Iraq, which would involve directly involving both Syria and Iran on their neighbor's future.

Mr. al-Maliki said that his country wanted good ties with its neighbors but warned them against external meddling. "Iraq is for Iraqis. Its frontiers are defended and we will not allow them to be violated or let people interfere in our internal affairs", he said.

The Times,