WASHINGTON: Congress remains sharply divided over the U.S. policy in Iraq, casting doubt on plans by leading senators to deliver to President George W. Bush a bipartisan recommendation by January.

In the first hearing on Iraq since the Nov 7 elections in which Democrats won control of Congress, a top Army general swatted down both Democratic and Republican proposals to change course in Iraq.

Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said yesterday the number of troops deployed to Iraq should not increase or decrease sharply. Instead, the United States should focus on accelerating the training of Iraqi forces so they can be pushed front and centre into battle, he said.

''Our troop posture needs to stay where it is,'' Abizaid said.

His remarks provided little to no fodder for lawmakers hoping to bolster their arguments on how to change Iraq policy, leaving Congress more or less in the same stalemate as before the hearing.

Leading Democrats, including Senator Carl Levin, contend the United States should pull out some troops within the next few months to signal to the Iraqis that the U.S. commitment is limited and to encourage them to assume more responsibility.

In turn, Republican Senators John Warner, John McCain and Lindsey Graham warn that a pullout of troops could be disastrous. Warner has not staked out a firm position yet, whereas McCain and Graham say Bush should send more troops to Iraq to settle the violence once and for all.

The rift leaves unclear how the two sides will reach consensus as promised within the next two months.

By January, Levin and Warner say they plan to reach an accord on Iraq and deliver a bipartisan recommendation to the president.—AP