President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spoke by telephone Thursday on Iraqi legislative initiatives-particularly on political reconciliation-and the need to continue to build a bilateral “enduring friendship,” the White House said. During the 40 minute conversation, “the two leaders discussed working with legislative bodies and getting laws passed, and that the process can be challenging and at times frustrating,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said. “They also agreed that recent improvements in security and the economy in Iraq were a tribute to the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people and should provide for progress in the areas of political reconciliation,” Perino told reporters. Bush and al-Maliki “welcomed the neighbors' conference that's coming up at the beginning of November in Istanbul,” Perino said, adding that “they also talked about the importance of building the enduring partnership between Iraq and the United States.”
