The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Washington

US President George W. Bush said Friday that US-led forces "could easily" stay in Iraq ten years or more and that he was "not really" surprised that Osama bin Laden was still at large.

But Bush, in an interview with NBC television, took issue with Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's suggestion that US troops might stay in Iraq 100 years, saying: "100 years isn't the right number. That's a long time."

But the president said "it could very well be" that it would be a long-term presence and, when asked wether it might last ten years, replied: "It could easily be that, absolutely."

Any US military presence would have to be "on the invitation of the Iraqi government," Bush added during the interview, which was broadcast as he was on a week-long trip to the Middle East.

Asked whether he was surprised that bin Laden, the al-Qaeda terrorist chief behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, still

Kuwait report adds: President Bush said Saturday that his build-up of U.S. troops in Iraq one year ago has turned the country into a place where "hope is returning," and he predicted a long-term engagement that would outlast his presidency. "We must do all we can to ensure that 2008 will bring even greater progress," Bush said. He said long-term success in Iraq in vital to stability in the Mideast, and warned that the United States should not turn its back on its friends.

Bush said no decision has been made on bringing more U.S. troops home from Iraq. He maintained his long-held stance that a reduction in force levels will depend on conditions in Iraq, and that he would defer to the top U.S. commander there, Gen. David Petraeus, who is scheduled to make a recommendation in March. "My attitude is if he didn't want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me," Bush said.