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Mubarak: Foreign Troops Can't Do the Job in Iraq

(Der Spiegel/New York Times) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview: "Only the rapid and large-scale development of a new Iraqi military and police force can stabilize the country. It's important that these forces are truly substantial. We've been helping the Iraqis in this regard, and so have the Jordanians. The Germans have been providing future Iraqi security personnel thorough training in the United Arab Emirates....[The Iraqis] should be able to control the situation on their own....The urban centers can only be secured by Iraqi soldiers and police officers....Only the Iraqis know how to deal with Iraqis. Foreign troops are not equipped to do so." "It would be catastrophic if the Americans pulled their troops out of Iraq now. It would lead to complete chaos. The terrorist attacks would increase, hostile foreign elements would flood into the country, and the situation throughout the region would become even more volatile. Everyone would suffer, including us. The Americans can only withdraw once they've made sure the Iraqis can manage their security problems on their own."
2004-12-28 00:00:00
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