Bush Gives General 'All the Time He Needs' to Decide on Iraq Troop Reductions

Bush Gives General 'All the Time He Needs' to Decide on Iraq Troop Reductions
The president agrees with General David Petraeus to suspend further cuts after July for at least 45 days. But soldiers' deployments will return from 15 months to 12 months. Transcript of radio broadcast:
11 April 2008

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

President Bush announced this week that he is not ready to order more troop withdrawals from Iraq.

Fifteen months ago, he ordered a temporary increase of thirty thousand troops. The last of those troops return home in July.

After that, any withdrawals will be suspended for at least forty-five days while the American commander studies conditions in Iraq. General David Petraeus will decide if further reductions are possible. The president has told General Petraeus that he will have "all the time he needs."

But Mister Bush ordered a reduction in future deployment lengths from fifteen months to twelve months. The change will affect Army soldiers going to Iraq and Afghanistan after August first. Deployments were twelve months, but were lengthened a year ago as part of the so-called surge in Iraq.

After the extra troops leave, the United States will have about one hundred forty thousand troops in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he no longer believes troops levels will drop to one hundred thousand by the time Mister Bush leaves office.

The president based his plans on the latest progress reports by General Petraeus and the American ambassador in Iraq, Ryan Crocker. They appeared before lawmakers in Congress this week. The war began in March of two thousand three.

Mister Bush said Iraq is the point where "two of the greatest threats to America" come together: al-Qaida and Iran. He said the war is difficult but not endless. And he said he expects that as conditions continue to improve, they will permit him to continue a policy known as return on success.

Democratic leaders are demanding answers about when American troops can return home. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the president of lengthening the war. She says he wants to leave the difficult decisions to the next president who replaces him in January.

All three leading candidates for the November election returned to Washington to attend this week's hearings on the war. The two Democratic senators fighting for their party's nomination renewed their calls for a withdrawal.

Hillary Clinton said it is time to begin an orderly process. Barack Obama called for setting a time period for a withdrawal, to increase pressure on the Iraqis to make political compromises.

Senator Obama often notes that he was an early critic of the invasion, while Senator Clinton voted for a war resolution in two thousand two. That was three years before Barack Obama became a senator.

Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate, warned against a withdrawal before enough security is established in Iraq. He said it could lead to a civil war with effects across the Middle East. And he said an American failure would most likely require the United States to return to Iraq for a wider and far costlier war.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I’m Steve Ember.



----------------------------Google Translate

布什给一般'的所有时间，他需要' ，以决定对伊拉克部队削减
总统同意与一般大卫彼得雷乌斯暂停进一步削减后， 7月为至少45天。但官兵部署将返回由15个月至12个月。全文电台广播：
2008年4月11日

这是在新闻报道中，在美国之音特别英语。

布什总统本周宣布，他不准备订购更多部队撤出伊拉克。

15个月前，他下令临时增加了30000部队。过去这些部队回国在七月举行。

这之后，任何撤军将被暂停至少45天而美国指挥官的研究条件，在伊拉克。一般大卫彼得雷乌斯将决定是否进一步削减是可能的。总统已表示，一般彼得雷乌斯说，他将"在所有时间，他需要" 。

但先生布什下令削减未来的部署长度从15个月至12个月。这一变化将影响到军队士兵前往伊拉克和阿富汗后， 8月第一。共部署12个月内，但被延长一年前的一部分，即所谓的激增伊拉克。

经过额外撤离，美国将有大约14.0万军队在伊拉克。国防部长罗伯特盖茨说，他已不再相信，部队各级将下降至10.0万所时间不先生布什离任。

总统根据他的计划，就最新进度报告，由一般彼得雷乌斯和美国驻伊拉克大使，瑞安克罗克。他们出现之前，国会议员在国会本星期。战争开始，在3月的2000 3 。

先生布什说，伊拉克点，是因为"两个最大的威胁是美国， "走到一起：基地组织和伊朗。他说，这场战争是困难，但不是没有止境。他说，他预计，由于条件继续改善，他们将允许他继续进行一项政策称为回报，取得圆满成功。

民主党领导人要求回答时，美军能够回到自己的家里。众议院议长佩洛西指责布什政府延长战争。她说，他想离开非常困难的决定，交给下一任总统的人取代了他在1月。

所有三个主要候选人，为11月的选举中前往华盛顿，出席本周的听证会就战争。两位民主党参议员，他们争取民主党总统候选人提名，重申他们要求撤离。

希拉里说，现在是时候开始有秩序的过程。巴拉克奥巴马所谓订定期限，期限一撤离，以增加压力，这对伊拉克人作出政治妥协。

参议员奥巴马常常注意到他是一个早期影评人的入侵，而希拉里参议员赞成战争的决议，在2000两。那是三年前，巴拉克奥巴马成为参议员。

参议员麦凯恩，共和党候选人，警告不要退选前，有足够的安全，是成立于伊拉克。他说，它可能会导致一场内战的影响，在整个中东地区。他说，美国如果失败，将极有可能要求美国回到伊拉克进行了广泛和深远的昂贵的战争。

这是在新闻报道中，在美国之音特别英语，写brianna布雷克。我史蒂夫Ember公司。