Bush hails Iraq reconciliation agreement

President Bush on Monday praised Iraqi leaders for their work on an agreement that the White House hopes will pave the way toward broad national reconciliation in the war-torn country.

Speaking to reporters at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, Bush said the agreement, which Iraqi leaders from all factions announced Sunday, “begins to establish new power-sharing agreements, commits to supporting bottom-up security and political initiatives, and advances agreement among Iraq’s leadership on several key legislative benchmarks.”

{mosads}However, the president added, the agreement also should be a reminder for all Iraqi leaders that “more needs to be done.”

He also argued that the U.S. must help Iraq as it moves toward national reconciliation, a step Republicans and Democrats agree is crucial to stabilize the country. The president called on the Iraqi parliament, which reconvenes next month, to codify the agreement.

“It’s in our interest that we help the Iraqi people succeed,” Bush said. “Success in Iraq will be a major blow to the extremists and radicals who would like to attack America again.”

The president pledged that the U.S. “will continue to support Iraq’s leaders and all the Iraqi people in their efforts to overcome the forces of terror that seek to overthrow a nascent democracy.”