US President George W. Bush (R) and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd shakes hands after holding a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington March 28, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
The United States will maintain "enough of a presence" in Iraq to ensure American success in the gulf country, President George W. Bush said at the White House Friday.
Although some progress has been made in Iraq, the country is "still in a dangerous, fragile situation," Bush told reporters after talks with visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Bush said his decision about future US military presence in Iraq will be based on the recommendations of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top US commander in Iraq, David H. Petraeus.
"All aiming to make sure that we have enough of a presence to make sure that we're successful in Iraq," Bush noted.
The United States has 159,000 troops in war-torn Iraq and is expected to cut them to about 100,000 by the time a new president enters the White House next January.
(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2008)
