WASHINGTON, Dec 23: President Barack Obama celebrated a bipartisan “season of progress” on Wednesday at a year-end news conference, marking an up-and-down second year in office that blended a thrashing at the polls, slow progress on the economy and late victories in Congress.

He forecast struggles over spending next year with Republicans who take control of the House, and vowed to try again and pass sweeping immigration legislation that was blocked by Republican critics. “If I believe in something strongly I stay on it,” he said.

Mr Obama opened the news conference with a reference to the nuclear arms control treaty with Russia that the Senate ratified earlier in the day on a bipartisan vote. In addition to cutting nuclear weapons and launchers, he said the pact would allow U.S. inspectors to “be back on the ground” in Russia.

“So we'll be able to trust but verify,” he added, quoting the late president Ronald Reagan in another in a string of bipartisan gestures of recent weeks.

The economy was not nearly as dominant a subject as it has been at other news conferences in Obama's tenure. He said the nation was past the “crisis point” and he intended to focus next year on reducing unemployment and making the country more competitive in the international marketplace. Unemployment was measured at 9.8 per cent last month, down only slightly from its double-digit high last year. Economic growth has been stronger in recent months than earlier in his term, but not yet powerful enough to guarantee a quick recovery. DEFICIT REDUCTION:

Obama said deficit reduction would be a major issue next year.

“I guarantee you, as soon as the new Congress is sworn in, we're going to have to have a conversation about, how do we start balancing our budget or at least getting to a point that's sustainable when it comes to our deficit and our debt?” he said.

“And that's going to require us cutting programs that don't work, but it also requires us to be honest about paying for the things that we think are important.”

The president said that after elections on Nov 2, many “predicted Washington would be headed for more partisanship and more gridlock. Instead, this has been a season of progress for the American people.”

Obama spoke a few hours after the Senate ratified the treaty he negotiated with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to reduce both nations' nuclear arsenals, the final major action of a productive post-election Congress.—AP