- LONDON (Reuters) -- President
Bush said on Thursday he could increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq,
a statement that contrasts with Pentagon plans to reduce deployment ahead
of the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
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- Speaking at a news conference with British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, Bush promised to "finish the job we have begun" in
Iraq and both men vowed that the twin blasts that killed at least 25 people
in Istanbul would not deter them.
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- "We could have less troops in Iraq. We could have
the same number of troops in Iraq. We could have more troops in Iraq --
(whatever is) necessary to secure Iraq," Bush said.
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- Bush said he would rely on his commanders on the ground
to determine how many troops are needed in Iraq, where guerrilla attacks
on U.S. forces and international targets have become increasingly sophisticated
and deadly since U.S. forces ousted Saddam Hussein in April.
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- In a joint statement, Bush and Blair vowed to keep troops
in Iraq until the Iraqis are ready to take responsibility for their own
security and said they hoped "international partners" would increasingly
take part in the effort.
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- However, Washington has had limited success in persuading
other nations to send forces to Iraq and U.S. officials are aware that
mounting casualties could be a political liability for Bush as he approaches
his re-election battle next year.
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- However, White House officials deny the Bush administration
is letting the U.S. political calendar dictate their strategy.
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- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said earlier this month
43,000 U.S. Reserve and National Guard troops and nearly 70,000 regular
Marine and Army soldiers were being notified for duty in an Iraq rotation
plan that would reduce U.S. forces there to 105,000 by mid-2004 from about
132,000.
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- Bush has repeatedly said he will do whatever it takes
to restore security in Iraq and to help the country, currently administered
by a U.S. official, return to self-government.
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- U.S. officials and members of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi
governing council have devised a timetable under which sovereignty would
be transferred to a provisional Iraqi administration by the end of June
2004. They also plan on national elections for an Iraqi government by end
2005.
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- "Our mission in Iraq is noble and it is necessary.
No act of thugs or killers will change our resolve or alter their fate,"
Bush said. "We will finish the job we have begun."
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- http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3862487
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