White House 'will not withdraw' Iraq troops

Last Modified: 09 Jul 2007
By: Sarah Smith

Under fire from senior Republicans and a hostile public, the White House has insisted it has no plans to pull US troops out of Iraq.

The New York Times claimed President Bush was considering a phased troop withdrawal, in an attempt to shore up political support for the war.

So far four senior Republicans have broken ranks - declaring they no longer back the president's strategy.

But Iraq's foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari, warned a US withdrawal would lead to "civil war and the collapse of the Iraqi state".

"There is no debate right now on withdrawing forces right now from Iraq," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. The Times said officials fear the last pillars of political support among US Senate Republicans for Bush's Iraq strategy were collapsing.

The administration is compiling an interim report to deliver to Congress by Sunday on Bush's strategy in which he sent thousands of additional troops to Iraq. The report has gained significance as an increasing number of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers call for a change in Bush's strategy for the unpopular war.

Snow called the July report a "first snapshot" and described the president's strategy as still in its early stages because it took time for the "surge" to become fully operational. The report will not discuss any timetable for withdrawal, he said.

The Senate is preparing this week to begin what is likely to be a contentious debate on the war's future and financing, and four more Republican senators recently declared they can no longer support the president's strategy.