Iraq comfortable with gradual U.S. troop withdrawal

BAGHDAD, Sep 11 (Reuters) Iraq would be comfortable with a gradual withdrawal of US troops as long as such plans were discussed first with the government in Baghdad, the Iraqi government spokesman said.

''I don't think there would be a problem with a gradual withdrawal that's agreed with the Iraqis,'' Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters yesterday in response to testimony by the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, who said American forces could be cut back to around 130,000 troops by the middle of next year.

''But a sudden withdrawal is not in anyone's interest, not in the region's, not in Iraq's,'' added Dabbagh.

A senior US military official said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had been briefed on the statement that Petraeus presented to a congressional hearing in Washington.

Petraeus's recommendations, if accepted, would restore US troop levels to roughly where they were in January before the start of a U.S. troop build-up, which Petraeus said was mostly meeting its military objectives.

Dabbagh said Petraeus's report yesterday was positive, but it also ''reflected some difficulties on the ground'' and it was important Iraq's security forces had time to be built up fully.

Although violence has ebbed in some parts of the country, it continues to rage in others. A suicide truck bomb killed 10 people and wounded 60 in northern Iraq on Monday while a car bomb killed two people in central Baghdad, police said.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the increased US troop levels had delivered tangible security gains, but that they would be wasted unless Iraq's politicians pushed for reconciliation among warring Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.

''I regret to state that our political performance falls short of what it takes to deal with the daunting challenges faced by this country,'' he told Reuters in response to testimony from Petraeus and US ambassador Ryan Crocker.

''Simply put, we need to do better politically. True, this is primarily the responsibility of ourselves, but we need help.

Sustained American and regional support will be crucial to enable the key Iraqi players to reach this national pact.'' Petraeus and Crocker appeared at a congressional hearing seen as a key moment in the US debate over the war, which US President George W Bush has vowed to pursue but which many leading Democrats, who control both houses of Congress, say must end.

REUTERS TB RN0449