Rejecting calls to leave Iraq, President George W. Bush approved on Thursday gradual U.S. troop reductions from their highest level of the war and said more can return home as progress is made. At the same time he said Iraq needs «an enduring relationship with America.» In remarks prepared for a prime-time address from the presidential Oval Office, Bush offered a strategy for reducing U.S. forces. «The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is: return on success. The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home», according to The Associated Press. Bush said the U.S. engagement will stretch beyond his presidency, requiring military, financial and political support from Washington. He said Iraqi leaders «have asked for an enduring relationship with America. And we are ready to begin building that relationship in a way that protects our interests in the region and requires many fewer American troops.» Bush said his strategy _ to leave about 130,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq to continue fighting _ would bridge the desires of people who want to bring troops home and those who believe that success in Iraq is essential to U.S. security.
