US general Chiarelli calls for more time

Peter Chiarelli

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The operational US commander in Iraq called for his forces to be given more time and more economic expertise to help bring peace to the country, amid fierce policy debate in Washington.

Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli told reporters that, while the military has not been able to reduce the levels of violence in Iraq, success was still possible if Iraqi and US leaders put more effort into reconstruction.

His last news conference before leaving Iraq came as US President George W. Bush held a flurry of meetings in Washington to try to hammer out a "new way forward" for American strategy in the war-torn country.

"You've got to help us in explaining the size of issues and the fact that they take time," he told reporters who asked him about calls from some US lawmakers for a timetable to be set for the withdrawal of US troops.

"This is what it is and it's going to take the time it takes. I can't tell you if there's time, but I don't like any of the alternatives that I've seen. I just don't like them," he added.

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