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Bush Amman talks pave way for pullout?

AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- With Iraq sliding into civil strife and calls rising for U.S. withdrawal, the Iraqi government was pressured to take over security matters into its own hands.

President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared after talks in Amman Thursday they agreed on the need to speed up the handover of security to Iraqi forces with the help and assistance of U.S. troops.

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Bush told a joint press conference that the success of Maliki's government in enforcing security and the law is essential for quelling rising sectarian violence sweeping Iraq.

He underscored the importance of extending U.S. training to Iraqi security agencies to help them impose security in obvious preparation for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Bush refused to define a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal, reaffirming that U.S. troops would not pull out from Iraq until accomplishing their mission.

The Iraq Study Group, in the meantime, has reportedly reached a consensus and will call for a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, shifting the U.S. role from combat to support and advising, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The bipartisan panel report which is expected to be officially issued Dec. 6, included no specific timetable for the withdrawal.

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On his part, Maliki said he is ready to cooperate with the international community and neighboring countries to help restore security to Iraq, though rejecting foreign interference in domestic affairs.

A U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is bound to further encourage neighboring countries to interfere in the war-torn country, according to Beirut-based analysts.

"The conflict in Iraq is expected to be transformed into a regional conflict with neighboring countries intervening to fill the vacuum to be left by the U.S. army with each backing a certain Iraqi party," political analyst Amin Kammourieh said.

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