Bush says up to Iraq on whether to replace Maliki

MONTEBELLO, Quebec, Aug 21 (Reuters) US President George W Bush said today it was up to the Iraqi people whether to replace Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and urged him to do more to broker peace between the warring sides.

Bush did not offer a direct endorsement of Maliki and acknowledged the difficulties in achieving political goals in Iraq.

The US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, earlier today said that progress was ''extremely disappointing.'' ''I think there's a certain level of frustration with the leadership in general, inability to ... come together to get, for example, an oil revenue law passed or provincial elections,'' Bush told reporters after meetings with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.

The United States increased the number of troops in Iraq to 162,000 to try to quell unrelenting violence so that the Iraqi government can move ahead with those political goals.

The chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, just back from a visit to Iraq, yesterday urged that Maliki's government be voted out of power because they have been unable to reach compromises on key policy issues.

However, Bush argued that some progress was being made in Iraq, pointing to oil revenue being distributed to various provinces despite the lack of a new law as well as the passage of some 60 pieces of legislation by the Iraqi parliament.

''If the government doesn't ... respond to the demands of the people, they will replace the government,'' Bush said. ''That's up to the Iraqis to make that decision, not American politicians.'' Crocker and the commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, will report to Bush and Congress on progress in Iraq early next month.

REUTERS GT BD2402