Posted by
Team Turk on Friday, October 27, 2006 2:42:06 PM
From United Press International:
The White House Thursday issued a statement taking the media to task for its characterization of comments by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Some reports indicated Maliki had rejected the strategy of setting benchmarks for progress in stabilizing Iraq to allow for a U.S. withdrawal.
"Basically the reports said that Maliki slammed the United States military (and) diplomatic leaders for saying that -- by saying that he would reject any sort of timetables. The way that those media reports came out was that he rejected any sort of benchmarks or goals in terms of policies," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Des Moines, Iowa.
What he actually rejected, she said, was a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops.
"That is something that Maliki has rejected as foolhardy, and that the president fully agrees with Maliki," Perino said.