Paper confirms Bush, Blair were to announce troop reductions
RAW STORY
Published: Wednesday May 31, 2006
Signals reductions made unlikely by violence
A Los Angeles Times article Wednesday assesses the situation in Iraq, asserting that hopes for an Iraq pullout are fading -- and reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush postponed a planned announcement of troop reductions in Iraq.
The report is the first to confirm a RAW STORY report May 22 which said that Bush and Blair were expected to announce a "phased withdrawal" plan which would cut US forces in Iraq by 30,000 and nearly halve British troops.
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair hinted at that realization last week when, after a meeting with Casey, he said he expected insurgents to "test" the new Iraqi government "very, very strongly" in coming months," the LA Times Louise Roug and Peter Spiegel report. "Blair and President Bush, meeting at the White House last week, postponed an anticipated announcement on troop reduction."
The LA Times reports that resurgent violence in Iraq has dimmed the prospect of significant troop reductions.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Paper_confirms_Bush_Blair_were_to_0531.html