Bush defends delay in spelling out Iraq policy

The US President George W. Bush says he refuses to be rushed into changing his strategy on Iraq. He had been due to announce a major policy shift last week, in the wake of the top level Iraq Study Group report. But his speech will now be made in January. Speaking in Washington after a three day review with senior Pentagon officials, the US President defended the delay: “There’s a lot of consultations taking place. And, as I announced yesterday, I will be delivering my plans after a long deliberation, after steady deliberation. I’m not going to be rushed into making a difficult decision.”

In a new development, US media reports say Saudi Arabia has signalled it would support Iraq’s Sunnis against the Shi-ites in the wake of a US withdrawal. Responding, Bush insisted the Saudi government remained committed to the moderate political bloc he was trying to establish with the help of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki in order to bring about reconciliation among the country’s warring factions.

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