December 21, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 10, 1428

WASHINGTON, Dec 20: President George Bush on Thursday admitted continuing problems on US warfronts, saying that progress in Baghdad remained unsatisfactory, and that he was concerned weary allies might leave Afghanistan.

At his end of year press conference, Bush also lambasted Congress for lengthy delays in passing legislation, and criticised them for being irresponsible as lawmakers struggled to wrap up business before Christmas.

He was speaking a day after lawmakers passed a major bill for $555 billion in domestic spending, including $70 billion to fund the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While Bush welcomed the bill, he chastised the Democratic-controlled Congress which took over in January for taking its time as it haggled over the legislation while weighing timelines for a withdrawal from Iraq.

“The bill was approved at the last minute. Nearly three months up to the end of the fiscal year,” Bush told a press conference at the White House.

“When Congress wastes so much time and leaves this ... to the final days before Christmas, it is not a responsible way to run this government.” The House of Representatives voted 272 to 142 to approve changes made on Tuesday by the Senate.

In its earlier form, the bill had allocated money for operations in Afghanistan, but none for Iraq as part of an ongoing drive to force Bush to scale back US involvement in the war-scarred country.

“I think it is good that we ended up with a spending bill that also dealt with emergencies. I think it is good that we funded our troops without an artificial timetable,” Bush said.

But he stressed that while progress had been made in Iraq and Afghanistan, much more still had to be done by the central government in Baghdad. Bush said the United States would continue to press for further reconciliation and reform.

“A lot of times, it is local politics that will drive national politics. Are we satisfied with the progress there? No,” Bush said.

Turning to Afghanistan which has experienced its bloodiest year since the ousting of the Taliban in 2001, Bush praised Nato and the allies with troops on the frontlines lines fighting the renewed insurgency in the south.

“My biggest concern is that people say ‘well, we’re kind of tired of Afghanistan, therefore we think we’re going to leave’,” the US president said.

Reluctant US allies must understand that “it’s going to take time for this democratic experiment in Afghanistan to work. And I believe it will,” Bush said.

PUTIN: In his wide-ranging press conference, Bush also said he was taking a “watch and see” approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political future, but said he hoped Moscow would stick to a democratic path.

“My hope, of course, is that Russia is a country which understands there needs to be checks and balances, free and fair elections, a vibrant press,” Bush said in a year’s end press conference.

“There’s speculation about whether or not he (Putin) will be the prime minister. I don’t know if he is. I haven’t talked to him about it. And until that happens I think we’d better just watch and see,” he said.

—AFP