US Army Soldiers from Delta Company, maintain weapons qualifications on the Warrior Range in Kirkuk, northenr Iraq, on February 28.

The US brushed aside Iraq’s demand for a timetable for a US troops’ withdrawal from the country, saying any pull-out would be conditional.
“With respect to timetables I would say the same thing I would say as respects to the security situation-- it is dependent on conditions on the ground, “Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman was quoted by AFP as saying on Monday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki had earlier said that he was seeking to set a timetable for the withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq in negotiations with Washington over a security treaty.
The treaty would determine the framework for the presence of US troops beyond 2008, after their mandate under the UN expires.
Whitman added the United States had reiterated “that we have no long term desires to have forces permanently stationed in Iraq.“
“But timelines tend to be artificial in nature,“ he said. “In a situation where things are as dynamic as they are in Iraq, I would just tell you, it’s usually best to look at these things based on conditions on the ground.“
The US is pushing for signing the security treaty with Iraq that would allow Washington to set up permanent bases in the country and grant US troops immunity form legal prosecution.


Opposition to War
Meanwhile, two-thirds of American adults are disappointed with the coalition effort, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN.
Some 68 per cent of respondents oppose the United States war in Iraq.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 4,113 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 30,200 troops have been wounded in action.
In other News, Iraq seeks debt forgiveness from other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, following the waiver by the United Arab Emirates of almost $7 billion in obligations, the Iraqi government spokesman said on Monday.
“I imagine that the Emirati initiatives will be a push for many countries,“ Ali Al-Dabbagh told Reuters.
“We want the others, everyone from Saudi Arabia to the others, to take a similar initiative and for those steps to be courageous.“
Last year, Saudi Arabia pledged to cancel 80 percent of more than $15 billion in Iraqi debt but has yet to follow through. Kuwait, also owed $15 billion, has yet to write off any debts.
“Saudi Arabia has announced its intention to open an embassy. We are waiting for it to take the practical steps in officially appointing an ambassador,“ Dabbagh said.

Vote on Election Law
In another development, Iraq’s parliament will vote on a draft provincial elections law on July 15, officials said on Monday, raising the possibility the polls could still be held this year.
Maliki has said the elections, seen as crucial to national reconciliation, would be held on Oct. 1, Reuters reported.
But legislators said last month there was little chance of getting the law passed soon enough to allow preparations for a vote by then because of various disputes over the draft.
Salim Al-Jubouri, a Sunni Arab lawmaker and deputy leader of the parliamentary legal committee, said nearly all obstacles had been overcome.
Iraq would have time to hold the elections before the end of the year if parliament passed the law this month, the UN special representative to Baghdad said last week.
The electoral commission has said it needs three months to prepare once the law has been passed.

Official newspaper of the Palestinian Authority, “Al-Hayat Al-Jadida“ reports of ’medical experiments’ being conducted by Israel on Arab, Palestinian prisoners.
’The Israeli occupation is killing prisoners through slow deaths,’ claims director general of prisoner affairs center at Beit-ul-Moqaddas University, “YNet“ reported.
In a series of reports published in the “Al-Hayat Al-Jadida“, Israel is accused of poisoning Palestinian prisoners in its custody and conducting “medical experiments’ on them.
In a special report issued on Monday by ’Palestinian Media Watch,’ an Israeli institute that monitors Palestinian news outlets, excerpts from recent articles published in the paper--which is under the authority of PA President Mahmoud Abbas--allege the prisoners are being poisoned.
“The occupation forces continue to conduct medical experiments on Palestinian and Arab prisoners in their facilities, this goes against all international treaties and conventions. And this is not limited merely to a policy of medical neglect, but violations that include using prisoners for medication tests,“ the paper wrote three days ago.
“Many of the male and female prisoners were given injections from needles they had never seen before, that led to permanent hair loss and facial hair loss.
There are prisoners who have lost their sight and their sense, those who have lost their sanity and those whose mental condition is increasingly deteriorating, there are prisoners who have become impotent and cannot reproduce,“ the article said.