Iraq's prime minister said Tuesday that U.S. and other foreign troops could begin handing over security to Iraqis in selected cities, although he opposes a timetable for the complete withdrawal of multinational forces at this time. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari made the comment to reporters alongside U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who arrived Tuesday from Jordan, where he and Iraqi officials signed four economic agreements on Monday. Al-Jaafari said he opposed such a timetable "when we are not ready" to assume responsibility for defending the country against the insurgents. However, al-Jaafari added that security in many of Iraq's 18 provinces has improved so that Iraqi forces could assume the burden of maintaining order in cities there. "We can begin with the process of withdrawing multinational forces from these cities to outside the city as a first step that encourages setting a timetable for the withdrawal process," al-Jaafari was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "We don't want to be surprised by a decision to withdraw at a time when we are not ready." Zoellick's visit to Iraq had not been announced publicly. After meeting with al-Jaafari and others in Baghdad, Zoellick traveled to Hillah, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, where he met with Polish and other multinational troops.
