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WASHINGTON - President George W Bush today defended his decision to put off a change in Iraq policy until next month and rejected some recommendations that he said would "lead to defeat."
After talks with top defence officials at the Pentagon, Bush gave little hint that a big change was in the offing in an Iraq policy that Americans increasingly have doubts about.
"If we lose our nerve, if we're not steadfast in our determination to help the Iraqi government succeed, we will be handing Iraq over to an enemy that would do us harm," Bush said.
He defended his decision to put off a speech to announce his new strategy after some Democrats complained that time was of the essence and a new policy needed to be put in place quickly. He did not say when he would give the speech, but aides said it would be in January.
"I'm not going to be rushed into making a difficult decision, a necessary decision to say to our troops: 'We're going to give you the tools necessary to succeed and a strategy to succeed,"' Bush said.
He said one reason for the delay was to give the incoming defence secretary, Robert Gates, an opportunity to provide input on the review of Iraq strategy when he takes over from Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday.
With his visit to the Pentagon, Bush wrapped up a three-day review of Iraq policy with senior US officials and outside experts.
In the week since the bipartisan Iraq Study Group offered its own recommendations for Iraq, Bush said he had heard some ideas he found unacceptable.
He did not say who provided them, but the Iraq Study Group said US combat troops could be out of Iraq by early 2008 if a major effort was made to embed US trainers into Iraqi forces to improve their capability.
Some Democrats have criticised the Iraq Study Group for not setting a specific timeline to get US troops out of Iraq quickly.
"I've heard some ideas that would lead to defeat. And I reject those ideas, ideas such as leaving before the job is done; ideas such as not helping this government take the necessary and hard steps to be able to do its job," Bush said.
He sought to reassure Americans about the mission in Iraq after a series of public opinion polls said Americans believe the United States is losing the war and needs a shift in course.
In a rarity, he gave a body count of 5900 enemy killed or captured by US and Iraqi forces in October, November and early December.
Bush also sought to assure Americans about the role of Saudi Arabia in Iraq.
The New York Times said Saudi officials told Vice President Dick Cheney on his visit there last month that Saudi Arabia would support Iraqi Sunnis in any war with the Shi'ites if the United States withdrew its troops from Iraq.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said he did not think the report reflected Saudi policy.
Bush said: "I believe for example, the Saudis are committed to a government that will bring peace and stability and that's the unity government."
Bush said he was working to help Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki develop a political bloc of moderates in order to bring about reconciliation among warring factions in Iraq.
To that end, he spoke by phone to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdish region.
Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who will chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new Congress in January, said he had urged Bush to pressure Iraqi political leaders at a meeting this weekend by telling them the US commitment to Iraq is not open-ended.
- REUTERS
