WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Calling President George Bush's policy in Iraq a "failure," Sen. Joe Biden Sunday urged more aggressive diplomacy to withdraw U.S. combat troops in Iraq.
"We need a diplomatic offensive," the Democratic presidential hopeful from Delaware said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"We should be calling an international conference with the major powers to bring Iran, Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia in and say, 'Here’s the deal. Here’s the political solution. Sign onto it.' That’s the only way out.
Recently returned from visiting Iraq, Biden said local control was critical to the future of Iraq as a self-governing nation.
Biden said he met with Sunni and Shiite vice presidents who both agreed "the only way this is going to work is to give more local control."
Under a decentralized governing option, the federal government would guard the border and distribute revenue, he said, while local populations would have control over how they live.
"The only way there’s any possibility of dealing with the sectarian violence is you’ve got to separate the parties, give them some breathing room (and) give them local control."
Biden stopped short of saying he'd cut off funding for the war.
