U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday met with his ambassador to Iraq to receive a report he called “realistic” because it noted both Iraq's determined efforts to achieve stability and the fact that the country remains “a dangerous place.” Appearing at the White House with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Bush told reporters, “He brought back a report that is realistic. On the one hand, he said they've got a good government, goal-oriented people who are working to achieve certain objectives.” “I know that you've been impressed by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's determination to succeed and his willingness to lay out a common-sense agenda,” Bush told Khalilzad. Bush said his ambassador also said Iraq is “still a dangerous place because there are people there that will do anything to stop the progress of this new government.” The U.S. president asked Khalilzad to assure the Iraqi government that the United States is willing to assist them for as long as necessary. “We intend to work closely with the government and to help defend the people until this government is more capable of defending itself,” Bush said.
