Petraeus says Iraq political gains lacking

WASHINGTON, Sep 8 (Reuters) The top US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus yesterday said the Iraqi government's progress toward national reconciliation, a key justification for increased troops levels, was disappointing.

In a letter to troops three days before he briefs Congress on the war in Iraq, Petraeus said coalition forces had made uneven progress in establishing security but had the upper hand against insurgents.

''Up front, my sense is that we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq. The result has been progress in the security arena, although it has, as you know, been uneven,'' Petraeus wrote to coalition forces.

But he said Iraqi politicians had not made the gains hoped for when the Bush administration added 30,000 US troops to the war under the ''surge'' strategy.

''Many of us had hoped this summer would be a time of tangible political progress at the national level as well,'' he said.

''One of the justifications for the surge, after all, was that it would help create the space for Iraqi leaders to tackle the tough questions and agree on key pieces of 'national reconciliation' legislation. It has not worked out as we had hoped.'' ''All participants, Iraqi and coalition alike, are dissatisfied by the halting progress on major legislative initiatives,'' he said.

The Bush administration boosted troop levels -- now at 168,000 --- as part of a strategy to improve security and allow Iraqi politicians time to advance legislation seen by Washington as critical to long-term stability.

''The lack of political progress in Iraq is disturbing and I fear that all of our military efforts will be for naught if the Iraqis fail to achieve the political settlements needed to secure a bright future for that country,'' said Democrat Rep.

Ike Skelton, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee.

CONGRESS AWAITS REPORT Petraeus is due to deliver his long-awaited assessment of progress under the surge strategy next week when he appears before congressional committees starting on Monday.

The general's report will fuel debate on Capitol Hill as lawmakers weigh whether to approve more funding for the war and as Democratic leaders argue Washington should start bringing home some of its troops.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Petraeus told President George W Bush he wanted to maintain heightened troop levels in Iraq well into next year but could accept the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops starting in January.

He also is expected to discuss what senior military and defense officials call the ''natural'' course of the ''surge,'' meaning the gradual reduction of troop levels starting in April due to the availability of US forces.

Petraeus, in the letter, did not reveal what he would tell lawmakers.

He said his assessment and recommendations would reflect the strain on US forces from multiple and extended deployments and the challenges that remain.

In advance of Petraeus' appearance, the No 2 Democrat in the Senate charged the general was part of a Bush administration attempt to mislead the public with manipulated information to show the current strategy a success.

''By carefully manipulating the statistics, the Bush-Petraeus report will try to persuade us that violence in Iraq is decreasing and thus the surge is working,'' said Sen Dick Durbin of Illinois.

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