Bush: Iraqis 'see benefits'

2005-04-29 18:32

Washington - President George W Bush said on Thursday that US-led forces were making "really good progress" in Iraq but acknowledged they were still facing a stubborn insurgency run by "hard-nosed killers".

In a prime-time news conference, Bush also said Iraqi security forces were performing "much better" but again refused to speculate on a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops.

Bush's upbeat comments came two days after General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conceded that the insurgency was as strong as a year ago even if US forces were winning the war.

"I believe we are making good progress in Iraq because the Iraqi people are beginning to see the benefits of a free society," the president told reporters at the White House.

"Nevertheless, there are still some in Iraq who are not happy with democracy. They want to go back to the old days of tyranny and darkness, torture chambers and mass graves. They are hard-nosed killers."

The president reported headway in recruiting, equipping and organising Iraqi forces to take over the fight against the insurgents two years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

"The Iraqi military is being trained by our military, and they're performing much better than in the past," Bush said.

"The more secure Iraq becomes, as a result of the hard work of Iraqi security forces, the more confident the people will have in the process and the more isolated the terrorist will become," Bush said.

But he would not be drawn into saying when he might be able to start pulling out US troops, whose number he said had been cut back from 160 000 deployed during the January elections to 139 000.

"I don't think it is wise for me to set out a timetable. All that will do is cause an enemy to adjust. My answer is as soon as possible. And 'as soon as possible' depends upon the Iraqis being able to fight and do the job."

The president also hailed the formation of a new interim government in Iraq after a protracted round of political horse trading since the elections.

He said he spoke on Thursday to the new prime minister, Ibrahim Jaafari, and invited him to visit the United States. "I hope he comes soon," Bush said.

Bush said he urged Jaafari, a leader of the majority Shiite Muslims, to reach out to disaffected groups in the country and to stick to the August 15 deadline for drafting a new Iraqi constitution.

One area that needed more work, Bush said, was in firming up command structures and civilian control of the military after the formation of Iraq's first democratically elected government in half a century.

"One of the real dangers, is that as politics takes hold in Iraq, whether or not the civilian government will keep intact the military structure that we're now helping them develop," Bush said.

- AFP