Bush consults aides on new Iraq policy

Washington, Dec 29 (UNI) President George Bush has said he is making good progress on a revised strategy for Iraq that will help the United states achieveits objective.

Talking to newsmen in the midst of consultations at his Texas ranch with his top national security advisers yesterday, Bush said he would be speaking with Republican and Democratic members of Congress. ''Success in Iraq is vital for our own security,'' as well as an important part of the War on Terror, he said.

The president said the ''key to success'' was an Iraqi government ''willing to deal with the elements there that are trying to prevent this young democracy from succeeding.'' ''We want to help them succeed. And so we'll continue to consult with the Iraqis,'' he added.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace briefed President Bush on their recent trip to Iraq, and Bush, in turn, promised that he would continue his consultations before announcing changes to US policy in Iraq.

Others who participated in the discussions included Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

As Bush continues to consult on Iraq with those beyond his national security team, the US troop levels in Iraq are tied to the recommendations of US military commanders in Iraq as well as the ongoing requirements voiced by the Iraqi government.

Defense Department officials maintain that the size of the US deployment in Iraq is based on those recommendations and requirements. In mid-November, press reports estimated that there were between 140,000 and 152,000 US troops in Iraq, and a similar number was reported for October 2005.

The Pentagon announced December 27 that it planned to dispatch the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the US Central Command's (CENTCOM's) forward operating base in Kuwait at the start of 2007. The brigade's assignment puts it ''on call'' to respond to any emergency in the region identified by the CENTCOM commander, General John Abizaid.

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