January 14, 2009	Wednesday	Muharram 16, 1430

BAGHDAD, Jan 13: Vice President-elect Joe Biden told Iraqi leaders on Tuesday that the incoming US administration was committed to a responsible US troop withdrawal that did not endanger improvements in security, an Iraqi spokesman said. Biden delivered the message in talks with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki on the second day of his visit to Iraq, government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press.

President-elect Barack Obama pledged during the election campaign to withdraw all American combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office and shift the focus to Afghanistan to combat a resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants.

Since the November election, however, the US and Iraq have signed a new security agreement that provides for all the more than 140,000 US troops to leave by 2012, despite concerns among senior US commanders that Iraqi forces might not be ready by then to ensure stability.

Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who has been a frequent visitor to Iraq as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the agreement sets out a new strategy between Iraq and America, according to Al-Dabbagh.

“He said that Obama is committed to withdraw but he wants the withdrawal to be a responsible one. Obama does not want to waste the security gains that have been achieved,” Al-Dabbagh said.

Biden arrived in Baghdad on Monday after visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan but has made no public comment, leaving Iraqi officials to describe their meetings.

Al-Dabbagh said Biden gave assurances that the new administration would stick to the timetable in the agreement.

Since the election, Obama, who is to take office on Jan 20, has said he is committed to bringing the troops home but has pledged to consult with US commanders, who have urged caution in removing US forces too quickly.—AP