Iraq premier calls for speedy US withdrawal

IRAQ'S transitional prime minister called yesterday for a speedy withdrawal of US troops as the top US commander said he believed a "fairly substantial" pullout could begin next spring and summer.

Meanwhile, a poll revealed that the majority of Americans no longer believe the US will win the Iraq war. For the first time, more than half said they believed the Bush administration deliberately misled the public about whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

And 58% do not think the US will be able to establish a stable, democratic government in Iraq.