Envoys seen opposing Iraq policy shift

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. general and diplomat in Iraq are expected to argue against a major decrease in troop levels for now in much-awaited testimony to Congress on Monday, but leading Democrats said the administration was pursuing a failed strategy.

In Baghdad, Iraq's Shi'ite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, said on Sunday his government had made progress on all fronts and urged neighboring countries to work together to stop what he called "evil" from destabilizing the region.

Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will likely make the case a major change in U.S. President George W. Bush's strategy in the deeply unpopular war could make matters worse, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition he not be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The official told Reuters that Petraeus and Crocker were expected to warn that a big cut in troop levels could undercut any progress made under the "surge" of forces into Iraq this year.

Bush, under mounting pressure to change course in Iraq, urged Democratic lawmakers demanding a timetable for troop withdrawal to listen to Petraeus and Crocker before "jumping to any conclusions."

Bush plans a prime-time speech on the U.S. role in Iraq on Thursday, but is not expected to announce a major policy shift after four years of a deeply unpopular war that has killed more than 3,700 U.S. troops and over 70,000 Iraqis.

The U.S. official said Petraeus and Crocker also were not expected to advocate any change in Iraq's leadership despite frustration at its failure to reconcile Iraq's Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish populations.

Senior U.S. Democrats have criticized Maliki's performance, and some have even called for his replacement.