(AHN) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says his country's armed forces will be ready to take control of security, nationwide, by June 2007. During a meeting with U.S. President George Bush in Amman, Jordan, al-Maliki says, "I can say that Iraqi forces will be ready, fully ready to receive this command and to command its own forces, and I can tell you that by next June our forces will be ready." The pair issued a joint statement saying, "We agreed that reform of the Iraqi security ministries and agencies and addressing the issue of militias should be accelerated." "The ultimate solution to stabilizing Iraq and reducing violence is true national reconciliation and capable and loyal Iraqi forces dedicated to protecting all the Iraqi people."
President Bush adds, "[al-Maliki is] the right guy for Iraq, and we're going to help him; and it's in our interest to help him for the sake of peace."