BAGHDAD, July 14, SPA -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that the Iraqi army and police are capable ofkeeping security in the country when American troops leave «any time they want,» though he acknowledged the forces need further weapons and training. Al-Maliki made his first public comments on Thursday'sWhite House report on the reforms, saying his government needed time to enact the political benchmarks that Washington seeks. He insisted it was «fairly natural» that progress would be difficult considering the violence in Iraq and the deep divisions among its leaders. «We need time and effort, particularly since thepolitical process is facing security, economic and servicespressures, as well as regional and internationalinterference,» he told reporters at a Baghdad pressconference, without giving a timeframe, the Associated Press reported.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/467324