U.S. President George W. Bush refused on Tuesday to clarify whether all U.S. troops will pull out of Iraq by the time when he leaves office.

Asked about the issue at a White House news conference, Bush said, "That is an objective. That will be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq."

When he was pressed further for the question whether the 133, 000 Americans currently deployed in Iraq will be withdrawn by the time he leaves office in January 2009, the answer is evasive.

"You mean a complete withdrawal? That's a timetable," he said. "I can only tell you will make decisions on force levels based upon what the commanders on the ground say."

However, Bush said last week that he plans to hand over most Iraqi territories under the control of Iraqi forces by the year's end, signaling that a significant drawdown of U.S. troop levels in Iraq could be possible.

Source: Xinhua