President George W. Bush said Thursday that he has ordered top US civilian administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer to work out a new strategy designed to accelerate the transfer of power to Iraqis.  

"What I'm interested in doing is working with Ambassador Bremer and the (Iraqi) Governing Council to work out a plan that will encourage the Iraqis to assume more responsibility," Bush told reporters in the White House.

"Ambassador Bremer sat right here yesterday and talked to me about the Iraqis' desire to be more involved in the governance of their country, and that's a positive development, because precisely that's what we want," Bush said, referring to a meeting of US National Security Council he convened at the White House on Thursday which also involved Bremer.

Bush stressed that the United States wants the Iraqis to be more involved in the governance of their country.

"So Ambassador Bremer, with my instructions, is going back to talk to the Governing Council, to develop a strategy," he said. "And he'll report back after he's consulted with the very people that we want to assume more responsibility," Bush added.

Bush's remarks assumed significance because this is the first time for the administration to publicly admit that it is mulling a new strategy in Iraq amid escalating attacks on US-led occupation forces over the past two weeks.

The decision came after Bremer, summoned back to Washington at short notice on Tuesday, held two days of talks with top administration officials on how to speed up the political transition in Iraq.

The consultations involved Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Presidential National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. President Bush intervened personally on Wednesday and held a joint meeting with Rumsfeld and Bremer alone.

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2003)