WASHINGTON, May 17: Western forces cannot yet be withdrawn from even Iraq’s most stable regions, despite progress made in building up local security forces, the US military chief said on Wednesday.

Testifying alongside Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Gen Peter Pace was asked whether the US-led forces could withdraw within the next three months from any of 14 Iraqi provinces that he had described as calm and stable.

“No, sir,” Gen Pace told members of a Senate appropriations sub-committee considering an administration request for 66.3 billion dollars in additional military funding, most of it for Iraq.

Mr Rumsfeld said he expected a new Iraqi cabinet to be formed by a May 21 deadline, ending a political bottleneck that has held up major decisions on the future of the 130,000-strong US force in Iraq.

The US military commander in Iraq, Gen George Casey, said last year he anticipated a substantial reduction in the US force this year, but neither Mr Rumsfeld nor Gen Pace gave any indication that cuts are imminent.—AFP