Somber Bush says US will not abandon Iraq

CLEVELAND, Mar 20 (Reuters) President George W Bush today said he understands that unrelenting violence in Iraq has shaken Americans' confidence but pledged the United States will not abandon the country as the fourth post-invasion year begins.

In a series of speeches, Bush is trying to convince an increasingly skeptical public that he has a winning strategy for Iraq amid widespread concerns that sectarian violence is turning into civil war.

Speaking to the City Club of Cleveland, Bush provided a more somber description than usual of the situation, saying bluntly that Iraq remains an uphill battle three years after the US-led invasion.

''The situation on the ground remains tense. In the face of continued reports about killings and reprisals, I understand how some Americans have had their confidence shaken,'' Bush said. ''They wonder what I see that they don't.'' But he insisted progress was being made that the news media are not covering and he cited the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar as an example.

He cited the recovery of the town by US and Iraqi forces from the grip of al Qaeda and insurgents as a concrete example of success, saying it was now ''a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq.'' US and Iraqi forces had said Tal Afar was used as a conduit for smuggling in equipment and foreign fighters from Syria on the way to cities across central Iraq.

Bush is struggling with public approval ratings that have dropped to all-time lows of his presidency as the public becomes increasingly gloomy about US involvement in Iraq, where more than 2,300 American troops have died.

A Newsweek magazine poll conducted last week showed Bush's approval rating fell to 36 per cent, down 21 points from a year ago, amid discontent about Iraq. The survey said 65 per cent of Americans were dissatisfied with Bush's handling of the war.

Democrats have seized on the public's growing weariness in a mid-term election year to criticize Bush's handling of Iraq.

''We got rid of a brutal dictator. And that's good. But we may be on the verge of trading him for chaos and a new terror haven in the West Asia. That's a bad bargain for America's security,'' Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said.

He called on Bush to be more involved in getting European, Chinese, Russian and other world leaders to put pressure on Iraqi sects to unite, and said the president needs to take a ''risk'' and convene a summit to pressure warring Iraqi factions to create a unity government.

REUTERS VJ RAI0249