美国国防部长罗伯特.盖茨说，美国无意在伊拉克建立永久军事基地。
盖茨星期四在五角大楼对记者作出上述表示。盖茨试图消除国会民主党人对美国和伊拉克拟议中的“驻军协议”的担忧。国会一些批评人士担心，这份协议将要求美军长期驻守在伊拉克。
但是盖茨强调说，协议并不涉及部队规模。他补充说，协议目前还处在初步谈判阶段，而且在制定过程中，布什行政当局也会与国会磋商。
美国国务院发言人说，“驻军协议”将为美国在伊拉克部署军队提供法律框架。
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. has no interest in setting up permanent military bases in Iraq.
Gates spoke to reporters at the Pentagon Thursday, playing down concerns from Democratic critics in Congress that a planned “Status of Forces Agreement” with Iraq will commit the U.S. to a long term military presence.
Some Democrats say such an agreement may force future U.S. presidents to have a set number of troops in Iraq.
But Gates stressed that the agreement would not talk about force levels. He added that the agreement is still in its earliest stages, and that the Bush administration will consult with Congress during its development.
A State Department spokesman (Tom Casey) said the “Status of Forces Agreement” would be a legal outline for the U.S. presence in Iraq.