Sen. Lieberman Co-Hosts Meeting with Iraqi President
IRAQIPRES
New London Day
Margaret Stevenson
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 26, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26—Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and others offered Iraqi President Jalal Talabani their qualified support in a meeting Tuesday to discuss that country’s state of affairs.
“I can assure you there will be no civil war,” Talabani said after the meeting.
“We told President Talabani our support for a free, independent and unified Iraq is strong but it is not unconditional or unlimited,” Lieberman said.
Also attending the private meeting, which took place on the second floor of the Capitol, were Talabani’s top advisers, Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie, and Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and George Allen (R-Va.).
“We received an encouraging and progressive report,” Lieberman said. “There are honest challenges and work to be done. President Jalal Talabani is committed to working for a unified, democratic Iraq that preserves the rights and promotes the security of all its citizens.”
Lieberman told reporters that they spoke about deadlines at the meeting.
He said when progress was made, timelines could then be discussed.
The Iraqi president, according to Lieberman, told his listeners, “We look forward to the day when we can take over ourselves, and most of the American troops can go home.”
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