US national security council adviser Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday hinted that the United States would not leave Iraq at least for the time being by saying that the Iraqi interim government needed US help and the United States would be prepared to give them the help.

st seen statements from members of the new Iraqi government - I believe from the prime minister - saying that the help of coalition and allies would be needed," Rice said when asked what the United States would do if asked by the Iraqi interim government to leave. "We expect that the Iraqis fully understand what we all understand, which is that Iraq must now take responsibility for its own democratic development. That also means that we want and the Iraqis want a much longer - larger role in their own security, but that they do not at this particular point in time have the forces to take care of the threats that are there," Rice said.

"So I just frankly do not think that this is going to be an issue. I think that they will want our help. We will be prepared to give them our help, but the key is going to be a secure Iraq so that democracy can take place," Rice said.

US President George W. Bush has promised to hand over "full" sovereignty to Iraq on June 30 but will meanwhile keep the 138,000troops currently stationed in Iraq "as long as necessary."

Iraq's new president Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar, vice presidents Ibrahim Jaffari and Roj Nuri Shawis as well as prime minister Ayad Allawi took an oath in Baghdad earlier Tuesday, the first step of taking over sovereignty from the US-led occupation authority on June 30.

Source: Xinhua