Bush denies Iraq headed for civil war

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President George W. Bush denied
on Tuesday that Iraq was headed for civil war as the country
was rocked by a new surge of sectarian violence.

Bush told ABC News he had spoken to leaders of all Iraqi
sects after last week’s bombing of a major Shi’ite mosque and
“I heard loud and clear that they understand that they’re going
to choose unification, and we’re going to help them do so.”

In the worst week of sectarian bloodshed since a 2003
U.S.-led invasion, attacks in Baghdad killed at least 60 people
on Tuesday, leading U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to say the
country “came close to civil war”

Asked what Washington would do if civil war broke out, Bush
said in the ABC interview: “I don’t buy your premise that
there’s going to be a civil war.”

Citing U.S. efforts to train Iraqi police and soldiers,
Bush reiterated his stance that U.S. troops would stay in Iraq
“until the Iraqis can defend themselves.”

Bush’s comments coincided with new opinion polls showing
that America’s backing for his handling of the war in Iraq had
tumbled to an all-time low and the vast majority of troops
fighting there want out within the next year.

The latest surveys painted a grim picture for Bush amid
violence in Iraq that has dented U.S. hopes for stability
needed to pave the way for any drawdown of U.S. troops.