WASHINGTON — President Bush said Tuesday that Iraq wanted to include an “aspirational goal” for the departure of most foreign troops there in any agreement authorizing future U.S. operations, but he reiterated his opposition to what he called “an artificial timetable for withdrawal.”
His remarks reflected the growing doubt within the administration that the U.S. could negotiate a sweeping long-term agreement that would clear the way for U.S. troops to operate in Iraq for many years to come.
Bush and Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri Kamal al-Maliki, had pledged to reach such an agreement last year.
Bush instead referred to a seemingly more modest “understanding” with Iraq on the legal status of U.S. and other foreign troops once the current U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.
