Washington, July 05: US President Barack Obama says Washington will remain a strong partner to Baghdad in the face of the ‘difficult days’ awaiting Iraq.
Obama, who was speaking to military families at the White House on Saturday, hailed Iraq’s independence adding that “Iraq’s future now rests in the hands of its own people.”
He made the remarks days after US combat troops pulled out of Iraqi cities as part of an interim security pact, which also calls for a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.
“We know there will be difficult days ahead. And that’s why we will remain a strong partner to the Iraqi people on behalf of their security and prosperity,” Obama said.
This is while US Vice President Joe Biden had earlier warned that Washington would disengage Iraq politically, should violence in the country be intensified in the future.
—–Agencies