By David Stout
New York Times
11 August 2005
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 - President Bush said today that there had been no decision on raising or lowering the number of American troops in Iraq, but he asserted that the United States would not betray the Iraqi people by withdrawing its forces too soon.
"No decision has been made yet," he said. "I know there's a lot of speculation and rumors about that."
Noting that the United States had bolstered troop strength for the elections in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Bush left open the possibility of future adjustments. But "pulling troops out prematurely will betray the Iraqis," he said, adding that progress was being made on training Iraqis to defend themselves.
"Oh, I know it's hard for some Americans to see that progress, but we are making progress," the president said at a news conference at his ranch in Crawford, Tex.
Mr. Bush, who appeared with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said he was confident that an Iraqi constitution would be agreed upon by Monday, the target date.
Turning to Iraq's neighbor Iran, he signaled that the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would be granted a United States visa so that he could visit United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Mr. Bush said accusations by former hostages that Mr. Ahmadinejad was involved in the 1979 takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran were still being investigated. But, he noted that "we have an agreement with the United Nations to allow people to come to meet, and I suspect he will be here to meet at the United Nations."
Acknowledging the presence outside his ranch of Cindy Sheehan, a Californian whose son was killed in action in Iraq last year and who has been demanding a meeting with the president to present criticism of his policies, Mr. Bush said he sympathized with her, as he does with all Americans who have lost loved ones in Iraq, but that he believed that their sacrifices will ultimately be proved worthwhile.
"She feels strongly about her position, and she has every right in the world to say what she believes," Mr. Bush said. "This is America. She has a right to her position. And I've thought long and hard about her position."
But he did not address Ms. Sheehan's demands for a meeting to discuss her son. Ms. Sheehan, who met once previously with Mr. Bush after her son's death, has vowed to camp outside the ranch until his vacation ends later this month.
"I've heard her position from others, which is, get out of Iraq now," Mr. Bush said. "And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so."
The president sounded relaxed but serious as he restated his position that "a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East" would be a deterrent to terrorists in the region, and that the United States and its allies in Iraq were on the right side of history.
"I know it's tough, and I know it's hard work," he said. "But America has done hard work before. And as a result of the hard work we have done before, we have laid the foundation for peace for future generations."
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Citation: David Stout, "Bush Says Troop Levels in Iraq Will Stay Unchanged for Now," New York Times, 11 August 2005.
Original URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/11/politics/11cnd-prexy.html?ex=1126929600&en=694f9d7ffc506f9f&ei=5070&ei=5070&en=dada4ad147fc18ca&ex=1124424000&emc=eta1&pagewanted=print
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