by Olivier Knox
WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush on Wednesday hailed the opening of Iraq's new national assembly as "a bright moment" and downplayed its failure thus far to agree on a unity government for the war-torn country.
"I congratulate the Iraqis for their assembly" Bush said at the outset of a press conference almost two years to the day after he ordered US troops to invade Iraq to topple dictator Saddam Hussein.
"It's a bright moment in what is a process toward writing of a constitution, the ratification of the constitution and elections," said the president. "We've always said this is a process and today was a step in that process."
The milestone 90-minute session, coming six weeks after Iraq's first free elections in half a century, was largely ceremonial because of a political stalemate over the Kurds' political role and the status of their militia.
Bush downplayed the failure to name a cabinet but acknowledged "there's a lot of work to be done" as the body moves ahead with its main task of drafting a constitution ahead of elections expected for late this year.
"Obviously, there's concern now I read about ... that, you know, they haven't formed a government yet. But I take a different look," said the president. "There will be a government."
Bush said the "wholesome process" of debating the shape of a new government in Iraq "in a transparent way" was encouragement enough that democracy was growing there and will be "a positive example" throughout the Middle East.
With smaller members of the US-led military coalition dropping out, Bush also downplayed Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's announcement that Rome looked to start withdrawing its 3,300 troops out of Iraq in September.
Bush said he had telephoned Berlusconi to tell him the White House had settled on Pentagon number two and leading Iraq war architect Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank, and the prime minister had broached the troop withdrawal.
"He wanted me to know that there was no change in his policy; that, in fact, any withdrawals would be done in consultation with allies and would be done depending upon the ability of Iraqis to defend themselves," said the US leader.
Bush repeated that democracy in Iraq would help spread reforms throughout the Middle East "over time" but carefully avoided claiming vindication from Palestinian elections or growing pressure for Syria to quit Lebanon.
"I just don't worry about vindication," he said. "The people who deserve the credit in Iraq are the Iraqi citizens that defied the terrorists."
"I firmly believe that (thanks to) the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan, I believe there will be a Palestinian state, I believe we'll be able to convince Syria to fully withdraw ... from Lebanon or else she'll be isolated, I believe those examples will serve as examples for others over time," he said.
"And that will lead to more peace, and that's what we want," said Bush.
The US leader's central public rationale for the war has shifted to building democracy in Iraq after US-led troops abandoned their quest for alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which had been his core argument for invading.
A recent poll by the non-partisan Pew Research Center found a decidedly mixed attitude about Iraq among the US public, with growing optimism about the situation there coupled with rising disapproval of Bush's handling of Iraq.
More people than ever, 47 percent, said going to war was the wrong decision, while an equal number said it was the right call, according to the survey, which had an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.
Just 40 percent of respondents approved of Bush's handling of Iraq in February, down from 45 in January, while his disapproval ratings rose from 50 percent to 53 percent.
While just 47 percent said the January 30 elections would make Iraq more stable, that number was up sharply from 29 percent in January, while the number saying things in Iraq are going well rose from 48 percent to 54 percent.

03/16/2005 17:13 GMT