Does the US intend to withdraw all its military troops from Iraq at that time?
Right now we are working towards September 1 where we will be down to 50,000 troops. Currently there are 74,000 troops, and since the height of the surge, it has been a continued drawdown. We will continue to transfer military bases to the government of Iraq in a very orderly process, working hand in hand with our Iraqi partners. We continue to look towards December 2011 where we will drawdown to no troops except for a small element in the embassy like in other countries in the region where we have normal relations. This contingency will work in the embassy under the control of the ambassador. An office of security cooperation will be in place like in Egypt and other countries in the region, as we achieve normal relations with Iraq. When US Vice-President Joseph Biden visited Iraq before the March 7 parliamentary elections, Iraqis were hoping the new government would lead to stability and economic recovery. Now, all US efforts and Iraqis’ hopes for a democratic and free Iraq seem shaky
