U.S. President George W. Bush would like to see a long U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the one in South Korea, to provide stability but not in a combat role, the White House said Wednesday. The United States has had tens of thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea to guard against a North Korean invasion for half a century. “The Korean model is one in which the United States provides a security presence, but you've had the development of a successful democracy in South Korea over a period of years and therefore, the United States is there as a force of stability,” said White House spokesman Tony Snow said. According to Snow, U.S. bases in Iraq would not be permanent because the U.S. military would be in Iraq at the invitation of the government, and “the person who has done the invitation has the right to withdraw the invitation.” “I think the point [Bush is] trying to make is that the situation in Iraq-and indeed, the larger war on terror-are things that are going to take a long time. But it is not always going to require an up-front combat presence,” Snow told reporters. “The president has always said that ultimately you want to be handing primary responsibility off to the Iraqis.” “You provide the so-called over-the-horizon support that is necessary from time to time to come to the assistance of Iraqis, but you do not want the Untied States forever in the front,” Snow said.
