Iraq's Maliki with Bush: 'Task before us is gigantic'

President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Photo by Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

by Mark Silva

Although President Bush was downplaying talk of Iraq and Iran at the United Nations today, Bush met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met in a sidebar session at a New York hotel.

"I have made it clear to the American people that our troop levels will depend upon success,'' Bush said. "When Gen. Petraeus reported to the country, you know, I talked about troops coming home based upon success. And success in Iraq is important to the future of our country -- it's obviously important to the people of Iraq. ''

Maliki, speaking through an interpeter, said: "We have made it very clear and emphasized that the future of Iraq goes through the gates of national reconciliations, of political agreements. That is the way to make the states and that's the way to ensure and assure the future of Iraq.''

"We generally meet via TV screens,'' Bush said with Maliki by his side.

"We talked about a lot of issues, and spent time talking about reconciliation and law,'' the president said. "And the prime minister and the speaker are dedicated to getting good law out of the assembly. And the political parties in Iraq must understand the importance of getting these laws passed.''

"If we were to leave before the job is done, chaos could ensue, innocent people would lose their life, extremists would be emboldened; nations that are worried about the United States would -- about our commitment, would lose their nerve; the countries of the Middle East would be endangered, and that would cause America to be endangered, as well.

Maliki concurred, through an interpreter, that they had "reviewed a number of issues... All of them are common issues that we strongly believe that they represent the mutual goal that we have, the mutual goal of confronting and defeating terrorism, as well as building and continuing to build the Iraqi institutions and the Iraqi government.

"The Iraqi side is fully prepared to assume all the responsibilities and to work for a better future for all of Iraq,'' he said.

"The task before us is gigantic,'' Maliki said. "We have succeeded in ridding Iraq of the dictatorship and the regime that governed there. Now we have another challenge, which is to get rid of terrorism, terrorist organizations. The road will be long; it requires cooperation and the international community in order to uproot terrorism and secure a better future for everyone.

"We believe and we feel that there is a development and progress that's happening every day in our political life, in the way to manage and administer the country in the security situation,'' he said. "It is important for Iraq and the region to be away from conflicts, to have a safer region and a safer Iraq, and to uproot terrorism in that part of the world and in that country.

"We have a great deal of confidence that we will be victorious,'' the prime minister said.