WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. John Kerry today released the following statement in response to reports that Iraqi officials say the U.S. and Iraq may be close to agreeing to send home all combat troops by 2010 as part of a long-term security agreement being negotiated by the two countries:

“It's encouraging to see this Administration moving day-by-day towards the position many of us have advocated for years – that a deadline to redeploy U.S. combat troops from Iraq is essential to ending our open-ended commitment, recommitting to the war in Afghanistan, and improving the readiness of our overstretched military. As Americans, Iraqis, and the international community all realize, the indefinite massive presence of American combat troops in Iraq does not serve their interests or ours. It's time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own country. Only Sen. McCain seems to miss this reality, clinging to slogans and slanders that even the Bush Administration can no longer employ.”

Senator Kerry first proposed with Senator Russ Feingold setting a deadline for bringing our troops home in June 2006. The Bush Administration recently said it supports “a general time horizon” for redeploying U.S. troops after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed support for the redeployment timetable proposed by Senator Barack Obama.

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