Extent of troops pull-out 'depends on success'

President George Bush will announce plans for a limited withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, the White House said tonight.

Mr Bush will make a prime-time televised address from the Oval Office to the American people in which he will call for Congress to “come together on a policy of strength in the Middle East” and support the recommendations made by the US commander on the ground earlier this week.

The speech will come after General David Petraeus completed two days of testimony to Congress on US progress in Iraq.

The general said the US troop surge and military objectives were “in large measure being met” and advised the President to start withdrawing US forces from Iraq from this month.

He said the US would be able to reduce troop levels by around 30,000 to pre-surge numbers by next summer as Iraqi security forces continued to “shoulder more of the load”.

Excerpts from the President’s speech, which were released by the White House, show Mr Bush will say: “The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is ’return on success’. The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home.”

And in all we do, I will ensure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to defeat the enemy.“

He will add: “The premise of our strategy is that securing the Iraqi population is the foundation for all other progress.

“The goal of the surge is to provide that security – and to help prepare Iraqi forces to maintain it.

“Our success in meeting these objectives now allows us to begin bringing some of our troops home.”

The president will say the success of a free Iraq is “critical” to American security at home and the US must succeed “for the safety of future generations of Americans”.

He will describe Iraq as an ally which is “fighting for its survival”.

“Terrorists and extremists who are at war with us around the world are seeking to topple Iraq’s government, dominate the region, and attack us here at home,” he will say.

“This ally has placed its trust in the United States. And tonight, our moral and strategic imperatives are one: We must help Iraq defeat those who threaten its future – and also threaten ours.

“Americans want our country to be safe, and our troops to begin coming home from Iraq.

“Yet those of us who believe success in Iraq is essential to our security, and those who believe we should bring our troops home, have been at odds.

“Now, because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home.”

He will say it is now possible “for the first time in years, for people who have been on opposite sides of this difficult debate to come together”.

But he will add the Iraqi government needs to do more to achieve reconciliation after more than three decades of “tyranny and division”.

“The government has not met its own legislative benchmarks – and in my meetings with Iraqi leaders, I have made it clear that they must,” he will say.

“Iraq’s national leaders are getting some things done. For example, they have passed a budget. They are sharing oil revenues with the provinces... And local reconciliation is taking place.

“The key now is to link this progress in the provinces to progress in Baghdad. As local politics change, so will national politics.”

He will go on: “Some say the gains we are making in Iraq come too late. They are mistaken.

“It is never too late to deal a blow to al Qaeda. It is never too late to advance freedom. And it is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win.”

In the UK, Liberal Democrats leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: “These announcements herald the beginning of the end game in Iraq.

“General Patraeus has given George Bush breathing space but expectation in the USA of a complete withdrawal will not go away.

“The case for British withdrawal remains as strong as ever.”