Cairo Conference Calls for Iraq Withdrawal Timetable

By Erick Stakelbeck
Washington Terror Analyst

CBN.com – WASHINGTON - Iraqi leaders are unified in opposition to the United States.

Iraqi leaders meeting in Cairo have reached an agreement calling for a timetable for U.S. forces to withdraw.

Their statement also includes some unsettling language about terrorism.

Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, one thing has not changed: the country's various ethnic and religious factions have never been able to see eye-to-eye. In that sense, the Cairo conference was a resounding success -- as several of the country's Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish leaders, including President Jalal Talabani, came to a number of agreements.

Amr Moussa is the secretary of the Arab League, which hosted the event.

Moussa stated, “I consider it a real success: the meeting, the discussions, the participation, the issues, the level of the discussion, and the general agreement about the final communiqué that has dealt with almost every issue pertaining to the Iraqi question and its future.”

But several troubling declarations came out of the three-day conference. Iraqi leaders called for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. That defies the Bush administration's stated plan for Iraq and echoes comments by some democratic leaders.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) remarked, “We have to tell this new government we are not going to be there forever.”

Another troubling declaration from the conference is that the Iraqi leaders said that insurgents have a legitimate right to resist occupation. That is a big concern for the United States. Although the leaders condemned terrorism, they only condemned attacks against Iraqi civilians. No mention was made of terrorist acts against coalition troops.

The Cairo statement comes as Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are engaged in a bitter fight over when to withdraw troops from Iraq.

The Cairo conference statement was not the only one to raise eyebrows in recent days. While visiting Iran, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani praised the Iranians for their support in fighting terrorism in Iraq. Talabani's comments contradict reports that Iran actually helps to fund the Iraqi insurgency.

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