Gates Meets With Iraqis on Military Aid

In this image released by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, answers to questions during a press conference at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, as U.S. Marine Gen. and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace, looks on. Gates, in an unannounced trip to the battlefront, discussed a possibble infusion of more U.S. troops into Iraq with American commanders, but said no decisions have been made. (AP Photo/Department of Defense, Cherie A. Thurlby) (Cherie A. Thurlby - AP)

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates traded ideas with Iraqi leaders Thursday about boosting military assistance for the embattled government and warned Iraq's neighbors that the U.S. will be a presence in the Persian Gulf for a long time.

But on the second day of a visit to the war zone, the new Pentagon chief would not answer the key question on the minds of many, including U.S. troops: Will he recommend a short-term increase in the number of American forces in Iraq?

Speaking to reporters after meetings with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials, Gates said the talks were "mainly on the overall approach, including the possibility of some additional assistance." He said no numbers of additional troops were discussed.

"We were really talking in broad terms," said Gates, who is in his first week as defense secretary.

Gates' visit comes as President Bush reassesses U.S. policy in the war, which is solidly opposed by the American public after 3 1/2 years of bloodshed. Among the president's options is whether to quickly add thousands of U.S. troops to the 140,000 already in Iraq, in hopes of staunching the escalating violence in Baghdad and elsewhere.

In the meetings, Gates said he discussed how "with Iraqis in the lead, we can best play a supporting role" in helping bring order to the country. He said he assured the Iraqis of "the steadfastness of American support and our enduring presence in the Persian Gulf."

Earlier in the day, he said Iran and Syria are playing a negative role in the violence. A special U.S. commission, the Iraq Study Group, recently suggested a diplomatic push that would involve all of Iraq's neighbors _ including Iran and Syria. Bush, however, has seemed disinclined to involve those two American nemeses.

"We need to make damned sure that the neighbors understand that we're going to be here for a long time _ here being the Persian Gulf," said Gates, during a morning meeting with soldiers.

He suggested that commitment will include keeping U.S. logistics and support troops in Iraq for a lot longer than the combat forces.

Gates said he discussed with the Iraqis how their government could address the deteriorating security problems. Besides an unrelenting insurgency, killings and kidnappings between Sunnis and Shiites are approaching civil war dimensions and U.S. and civilian casualties keep rising.

"One of the strong messages I received today was the desire of the Iraqi government to take a leadership role in addressing some of the challenges that face the country, above all the security problem here in Baghdad," Gates said during a press conference with Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obaidi.

Gates said there are several approaches that could be used to improve security, yet offered few details. He sidestepped several questions probing for more details about the possibility of boosting troop levels _ an idea that has gotten mixed reviews.