Bush hints at troop withdrawal
Updated on 03 September 2007
George W Bush has said any reduction in US troop numbers will be based on "calm assessment" and not because of politicians' jitters.
The comments came during a surprise visit to Iraq by the US president and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
They held talks at the al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province with General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, a week before a showdown that could influence policy on the war.
Mr Bush also held what he called "good, frank" discussions with leaders of Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim, Sunni Arab and Kurdish communities, including Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who have made little progress towards national reconciliation.
Mr Bush later addressed troops saying: "When we begin to draw down troops from Iraq it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure."
He said US military efforts had turned Anbar province into a success story against insurgents.
"Anbar is a huge province. It was once written off as lost. It is now one of the safest places in Iraq. You are denying al-Qaeda a safe haven from which to plot and plan and carry out attacks against the United States of America."
US commander General Petraeus is due to give testimony to Congress on September 10 as Mr Bush remains under pressure from Democrats and some Republicans who want US troops to start leaving after a war which has killed 3,700 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Mr Bush's arrival comes on the day British troops withdrew from Basra Palace in the centre of the city in southern Iraq.
Ministry of Defence officials insist the withdrawal came after consultation with the Iraqi government and with the backing of the US.
But commanders within the US army have been quoted as saying they are "surprised" by the move.
That has raised questions about the unity between Britain and the US on future policy in Iraq.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said UK forces at Basra Air Base will retain the capacity to intervene in support of the Iraqi army, and will do so in "certain circumstances".
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