Bush hails new `degree of durability‘ in Iraq

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush hailed a new "degree of durability" in security gains in Iraq and said Thursday it should permit him to announce further U.S. troop reductions this year.

"The progress is still reversible," Bush acknowledged. But he added, "There now appears to be a degree of durability in gains."

Echoing the president‘s assessment, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said later at a Pentagon news conference that conditions in Iraq have "improved dramatically" in recent months.

Gates said he hopes to be able to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan before year‘s end, but that does not depend entirely on Petraeus‘ decision about how many troops could be withdrawn from Iraq.

Bush spoke for four minutes outside the Oval Office before a trip to West Virginia. In remarks that showed him eager to talk about progress, he still attached qualifications at every step, wary of repeating the mistake of his "Mission Accomplished" speech in May 2003.

His appearance was timed to Friday‘s start of reduced tour lengths for U.S. troops. Starting Aug. 1, Army units heading to Iraq will serve 12-month tours rather than the 15 months that soldiers are currently deployed. That‘s a milestone that Bush wanted to spotlight even though it will not apply to troops now serving.

There is a growing acceptance that the mission in Iraq is starting to shift, from mainly combat to mainly training Iraqi forces, securing the Iraqi border with Iran, rebuilding the economy and battling foreign terrorists.

Increasing numbers of people in this country believe the U.S. troop increase in Iraq has helped improve the situation. According to a USA Today-Gallup Poll conducted last weekend, 48 percent say the buildup has made things better. That compares with 40 percent who said so in February and 22 percent in July 2007.

About 145,000 troops remain on the ground in Iraq, now that all the combat brigades sent last year as part of the increase in combat troops have returned home as of this month. But that‘s still higher than the roughly 130,000 to 135,000 in Iraq before the increase.

About 50,000 U.S.-backed Iraqi military and police forces have launched a major operation against al-Qaida insurgents there.

"This operation is Iraqi-led; our forces are playing a supporting role," Bush said. "In the months ahead, the Iraqis will continue taking the lead in more military operations across the country."

Bush claimed progress on negotiations for a long-term agreement with Iraq governing the U.S. troop presence. The White House‘s original goal was to have it completed by Thursday, the end of July. The U.N. mandate that now allows the U.S. to be in Iraq expires Dec. 31.

But the difficult talks have spawned many disputes, including over setting timelines for troop withdrawals, and the best hope now seems to be only a stopgap agreement by the end of the year. With only a few months left of in the Bush presidency, the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has taken a toughened stance on its own demands.

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Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Alan Fram contributed to this story.



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