Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign military forces from Iraq.
At a joint news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah Thursday, the Russian leader said many Iraqis perceive the foreign troops as an occupying force. He said a phased pull-out of coalition forces would help defuse the violence in Iraq and would help convince a considerable number of those involved in the Iraqi insurgency to join efforts for building a new political system in the war-torn country.
Mr. Putin also called for an international conference on Iraq to be held by the end of this year, saying it will give an added impulse to normalizing the situation in Iraq.
Mr. Putin and King Abdullah were meeting at the Russian president's summer residence near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Some information for this report provided by AFP.
