US President Bush meets Iraqi President Talabani

(10 Sep 2008) SHOTLIST 1. US President George W. Bush and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani sitting in White House Oval Office 2. Reporters 3. SOUNDBITE (English) George W Bush, US President: "But there is no doubt that the surge has been effective, which has enabled us to take out troops. Iraqis want there to be fewer US troops, the United States wants there to be fewer US troops, but both of us want to realise that vision based upon success, and so Mr President, welcome back. I'm glad you're feeling good, and thank you for the visit." 4. Cutaway of Talabani and Bush during meeting 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jalal Talabani, Iraqi President: "I can say all parts of Iraq (are) liberated from terrorist control and activities. Through that, some groups remain hiding themselves from here or there, but there is no place, no inch of Iraqi land under the control of terrorist activities. There are some terrorists still groups hiding themselves and thanks to you and the sacrifice of your brave army and to the Iraqi people, now we can live in peace and security, and Iraqi government started to spend the money which we have for serving the Iraqi people." 6. Talabani and Bush in meeting 7. Talabani and Bush shaking hands STORYLINE: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met with US President George W. Bush in the White House on Wednesday, just a day after Bush announced he will bring 8-thousand US troops home from Iraq by February. Bush told Talabani, who recently had knee surgery and a shunt placed in an artery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, that conditions remain difficult in Iraq, but security gains were allowing him to pull out troops. "The Iraqis want there to be fewer US troops," Bush said. "The United States wants there to be fewer US troops. But both of us want to realise that vision based upon success," he added. On Tuesday Bush said one Marine battalion and one Army brigade would be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan in the autumn and winter to help combat a rise in extremist activity there. Bush plans to pull about 4-thousand troops out of Iraq before the end of the year and another 4-thousand in January, reducing force levels there to roughly 138-thousand. The 8-thousand troop drawdown represents just 5 percent of the 146-thousand US troops now in Iraq. The Iraq war began in March 2003 and has consumed vast US military resources. Talabani praised the US president's military build-up in his country. "There is no inch of Iraqi land under the control of terrorist activities," Talabani told Bush. The Iraqi President thanked Bush for the "sacrifice of your brave army." "Now we can live in peace and security," Talabani said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...