Getting your player ready...
BAGHDAD — On his first visit to Iraq this year, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived Wednesday for two days of talks with senior government officials on the looming final withdrawal of American troops.
Gates’ meetings today were to include a session with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has publicly insisted Iraq can handle its security without U.S. troops beyond 2011. Gates is expected to tell al-Maliki that if he decides to invite U.S. forces to stay longer, he should do that “sooner, rather than later,” a senior defense official traveling with Gates told reporters.
