Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Tuesday there was no need to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from his country. «We see no need for a withdrawal timetable. We are working as fast as we can,» al-Maliki told reporters while on a four-day trip to Japan. «To demand the departure of the troops is a democratic right and a right we respect. What governs the departure at the end of the day is how confident we are in the handover process.» What counts, he added, are «achievements on the ground.» Al-Maliki's visit comes two weeks after Iraqi Vice President Tariq Al-Hashimi was in Tokyo. Al-Maliki said U.S.-led coalition forces should not be withdrawn until Iraq's army is fully trained and ready to take over security, the Associated Press reported.
