BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR HEADED TO WASHINGTON THURSDAY FOR TALKS WITH US PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH ON IRAQ AND THE CRISIS OVER IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME, DPA REPORTED. THE WHITE HOUSE SAID NEITHER LEADER WOULD GIVE A TIMETABLE FOR ANY TROOP WITHDRAWALS FROM IRAQ, DESPITE REPORTS THAT NEW IRAQI PRIME MINISTER NURI AL-MALIKI SAID IRAQIS THEMSELVES WOULD HAVE SECURITY UNDER CONTROL BY THE END OF 2007. "YOU'RE JUST NOT GOING TO GET HARD NUMBERS," BUSH'S SPOKESMAN TONY SNOW TOLD REPORTERS IN WASHINGTON. HE REFUSED TO COMMENT ON WHETHER AL-MALIKI'S PREDICTION, REPORTEDLY MADE WEDNESDAY IN BAGHDAD, WAS REALISTIC. "I'M NOT GOING TO DRAW JUDGMENTS ON WHETHER HE CAN OR CAN'T MAKE IT, BECAUSE ... ANY OF THESE JUDGMENTS DEPEND ON WHAT HAPPENS ON THE GROUND," SNOW SAID. BRITISH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SAID BLAIR WOULD BRIEF BUSH ON HIS RECENT MEETING WITH AL-MALIKI DURING A SURPRISE TRIP TO BAGHDAD MONDAY. HE WAS THE FIRST WESTERN LEADER TO MEET AL-MALIKI AFTER LAWMAKERS APPROVED IRAQ'S NEW UNITY GOVERNMENT LAST WEEK. BLAIR AND BUSH WERE EXPECTED TO DISCUSS AN "OBJECTIVE TIMETABLE" FOR FUTURE TROOP REDUCTIONS IN IRAQ THAT WOULD BE DICTATED BY "CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND" RATHER THAN "BY THE CALENDAR," THE OFFICIALS SAID. ON FRIDAY, BLAIR WAS DUE TO MAKE A FOREIGN POLICY SPEECH AT WASHINGTON'S GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY THAT WILL INCLUDE PROPOSALS FOR THE REFORM OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, SUCH AS THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE WORLD BANK.
