Bush hails Iraq progress

By Tabassum Zakaria and Matt Spetalnick

MANAMA (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Saturday that America's new strategy had reversed Iraq's descent into mayhem and the United States was on track to complete the withdrawal of 20,000 troops by mid-year.

After talks at a base in the Kuwaiti desert with his military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, Bush said security gains in Iraq "are allowing some U.S. forces to return home".

He added: "Any additional reduction will be based on the recommendation of General Petraeus, and those recommendations will be based entirely on the conditions on the ground in Iraq."

Bush conceded that until last year, "our strategy simply wasn't working", with Iraq riven by sectarian violence and al Qaeda militants strengthening their grip in many areas. He said the new strategy, involving a troop buildup and a focus on counter-insurgency warfare, was turning things around.

Bush later flew to Bahrain, a close U.S. ally which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, where he was greeted by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

Bush praised the king for Bahrain's efforts on democratic reforms, citing the holding of elections and that a woman was elected to the parliament. "Bahrain's reforms are making your nation stronger, you're showing strong leadership, you're showing the way forward to other nations," Bush said.

About 200 demonstrators gathered near the U.S. embassy in the capital Manama, carrying anti-U.S. placards and some chanting slogans against the ruling family. "State terrorism - Made in USA," read one placard.

In Kuwait, Bush said: "Iraq is now a different place from one year ago. Much hard work remains, but levels of violence are significantly reduced. Hope is returning to Baghdad, and hope is returning to towns and villages throughout the country."

"Al Qaeda remains dangerous, and it will continue to target the innocent with violence. But we've dealt al Qaeda in Iraq heavy blows, and it now faces a growing uprising of ordinary Iraqis who want to live peaceful lives."

With the Iraq war nearing the five-year mark, Bush has refused to discuss any further troop cuts for now, saying that will depend on his commanders' judgments. The limited phased withdrawal of 20,000 troops was announced by Bush in September.

But he gave a sense of the long-term U.S. commitment when he said in a television interview on Friday that the United States would have a presence in Iraq that could "easily" last a decade.

The war remains deeply unpopular among Americans, keeping Bush's approval ratings stuck around 30 percent and below.

But a fall in violence has taken much of the steam out of efforts by Democratic congressional leaders to try to link war funding to troop withdrawal timetables, something Bush refuses to accept. Most Democrats maintain, however, that dramatic changes are needed in Bush's Iraq strategy.

TROOP REDUCTIONS

Petraeus is due to report to the U.S. Congress in March on whether more troop reductions are advisable. Asked on Saturday whether more troops could be withdrawn this year, Petraeus said it was possible but no decision had been made.