NEW YORK, Dec 7: The situation in Iraq is deteriorating and unlikely to improve any time soon, according to a classified cable and briefings from the Central Intelligence Agency, the New York Times said on Tuesday.

The assessments are more pessimistic than the Bush administration's portrayal of the situation to the public, government officials told the newspaper. These officials said the CIA's assessments revealed a "mixed" bag in Iraq, with news of progress tempered by the difficulties expected ahead.

Asked about the Times article, the CIA said it did not comment on classified documents. US officials did not dispute the CIA document, but emphasized that Iraq offered a mixed picture. One official said the "general thrust" of the article appeared to be broadly on the mark.

A separate, senior US official, who would not comment on the accuracy of the Times report, insisted that the basic task - of building Iraq civil and military services - was being carried out.

"These things present a picture of Iraq that's mixed. There's good, there's less good and the point is to try to improve on those areas where the performance has been less than optimal," he said.

"Where there are problems you try to fix them and that's where our focus is. But the overall trend in terms of building more robust Iraqi security forces and more robust government institutions that will be the foundation for a democratic Iraq are going in the right direction," the senior official said. -Reuters