BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told visiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he would let US generals decide whether there is a need for a surge in US troops deployed in Iraq, according to Iraqi officials with knowledge of the meeting.
In a press conference, Gates said his conversation with the Iraqi prime minister and defense minister included "no numbers. . . . We were really talking in broader terms."
Iraq's defense minister, Abdul Qadir, later indicated general acceptance of an idea that has emerged as one of the chief options President Bush is considering as he reevaluates Iraq policy. "I did not say no to an increase in the number of US troops," Qadir said in a brief interview after the meeting at Maliki's residence in the Green Zone. "If we need it, we need it."
But after seeing Gates, Maliki met with Shi'ite members of his alliance where divisions unfolded over whether more US troops were needed, said Sami al-Askari, a Shi'ite member of Parliament who is close to Maliki. Askari, who attended the second meeting, said there was a general feeling that "there's no need for further troops."
Gates said that he "emphasized . . . the steadfastness of American support" for Iraq during his meeting with Maliki. The message he heard back from Maliki, he said, is that the Iraqi government wants to take the lead role in solving the country's security problems, including in the most violent zones in and around Baghdad.
Gates has billed his trip to Iraq, launched the day after he became defense secretary earlier this week, as key to formulating his recommendations for President Bush on how to re shape the US approach in Iraq. But in his public comments he gave little indication of how his two days of talks with generals, enlisted soldiers, and Iraqi officials have affected his views.
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