Brown Cautious on Question of Troop Withdrawal
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
(CAMP DAVID, MD.) AP – Prime Minister Brown told President Bush Monday he shares the American view that there are “duties to discharge and responsibilities to keep” in Iraq.
“Our aim, like the United States is, step-by-step to move control to the Iraqi authorities,” Mr. Brown said, joining Mr. Bush at a news conference at the president’s Maryland mountaintop ranch.
Mr. Brown said that decisions about troops would only be made “on the military advice of our commanders on the ground,” echoing language often heard from Mr. Bush.
Indeed, minutes later, in response to a question, Mr Bush said: “The decisions on the way forward in Iraq must be made with a military recommendation as an integral part of it.”
The United Kingdom’s commitment to the war is essential to the Bush administration. Britain has 5,500 troops there, with forces moving from a combat role to aiding local Iraqi forces.
Mr. Bush didn’t directly answer whether he planned to pass on the war to the next president, who will take office in January 2009. But he hinted that was likely. “This is going to take a long time in Iraq, just like the ideological struggle is going to take a long time,” he said.
The Camp David meeting was an attempt by Messrs. Brown and Bush to seek common footing between leaders new to each other but overseeing one of the world’s most important alliances.
