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Iraqi FM Confident About Security After US Withdrawal
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By VOA News
19 June 2009
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 | | Iraqi's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, 19 Jun 2009 |
Iraq's foreign minister says he is confident his nation will be capable
of taking over security after U.S. forces pull out of Iraqi cities
later this month.
Hoshiyar Zebari made the comments Friday in
Tokyo, where he is meeting with Japanese leaders in hopes of attracting
more Japanese investment to Iraq.
Thursday, U.S. ambassador to
Iraq Christopher Hill said the United States will meet its deadline to
withdraw combat forces from Iraq's urban areas by the end of the month.
Hill
says the United States will comply with its obligations under a
U.S.-Iraqi security plan agreed to last year that calls for the June 30
withdrawal.
In violence Friday, police say gunmen shot and killed the coach of Iraq's national karate team, Izzat Abdullah, in Mosul.
Some
media reports have said U.S. commanders are apprehensive about what may
happen when troops are withdrawn from Iraqi cities, particularly
Baghdad and Mosul.
Ambassador Hill says he recently visited
Mosul and noted considerable tension and concern about the city's
future among different ethnic and religious groups.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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