Kerry to cut US troops in Iraq if elected

Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry, running mate John Edwards and Kerry's wife Teresa raise their arms after delivering a speech in La Junta, Colorado Saturday. PHOTO: AFP

"I believe that within a year from now, we could significantly reduce American forces in Iraq, and that's my plan," Kerry said Friday in an interview with National Public Radio. "I believe we can."

Kerry said President George W. Bush, a Republican, "rushed to war without a plan to win the peace. He pushed our allies aside. We've lost our credibility with the world."

The Massachusetts senator said he would used diplomacy to build alliances in Iraq.

"You need to have more people involved in the process," Kerry said, according to a transcript of the interview released Saturday.

"We have not seen this administration do the statesmanship, do the diplomacy necessary, and America's paying a very high price, both in terms of the lives of our young and the money that's coming out of the taxpayers' pockets.

"I will do a better job of building those alliances and getting our troops home, and I will do a much better job of reducing the burden on the National Guard and reserves and their families, who are paying a very high price for the president's rush."

Iraqi security forces could take over a large part of the country's security if they receive training from other countries, he said.

Kerry also suggested that the United States should play a larger role in Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur, where up to 50,000 people are believed to have died in clashes between government-backed Arab militias and local rebels.