Iraqi Leader to Visit Bush; Talks to Focus on Violence

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will also speak to Congress. (Samir Mizban - AP)

Moving more U.S. troops to help secure Baghdad would represent at least a temporary setback in the long-standing ambition of American commanders to withdraw from the cities, while raising again the question of whether the number of troops in Iraq is adequate.

Even while acknowledging that the initial results of the security plan have been disappointing, the senior administration official said the White House is encouraged by Maliki's efforts on other fronts, such as increasing oil production, an anti-corruption campaign, and an effort to promote more dialogue between Sunnis and Shiites. "There's been some progress," the official said.

Maliki's trip this week, which includes meetings at the White House and a speech to a joint meeting of Congress, offers an opportunity for Bush to try to show a restive American public that success is still possible despite the rising violence. It will also probably be a chance for Maliki to show some independence of Washington, given his recent sharp criticism of Israel's military operation in Lebanon, which has the White House's backing.

Maliki said Saturday that he would discuss "the aggression against Lebanon," saying, "The dangers of this aggression will reflect on the whole region . . . and I will talk to the United Nations and the United States to hasten a cease-fire."

Within Maliki's ruling coalition of Shiite religious parties, there has been sharp disagreement over whether the prime minister should be going to Washington at all. Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric whose militia has twice attempted uprisings against American forces in Iraq, directed part of his sermon at Friday prayers in Kufa to Maliki.

Leslie H. Gelb, a veteran foreign affairs analyst who, with Biden, has advocated a greater decentralization of political power in Iraq, said Maliki's comments about Lebanon made clear "where his basic loyalties lie" -- with the Shiite cause. "That suggests how hard it is to make a national government work," he said.

Mosher reported from Baghdad. Special correspondent Naseer Mehdawi in Baghdad contributed to this report.