Comments on military operations in Iraq, Bush administration cooperation with 9/11 Commission

BUSH TO LET MILITARY DECIDE ON TROOP STRENGTH IN IRAQ

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters April 6 that President Bush will allow U.S. military leaders to determine decisions on whether to increase the number of troops serving in Iraq.

"Those are decisions he believes should be left to our military leaders who are in the field and in the best position to make those decisions. And the president's role is to make sure that our troops have all the resources to do their job," McClellan said.

The spokesman addressed the current military operations in Iraq saying, "This is a time when there are thugs and terrorists in Iraq who are trying to shake our will. And the president is firmly committed to showing resolve and strength during this time of testing. They cannot shake our will."

Coalition forces fought on two fronts April 6, battling Shi'ite militants in southern Iraq and Sunni insurgents in the city of Fallujah in clashes that have killed 20 American troops and at least 100 Iraqis in the past several days.

Asked if the recent attacks reflected Iraqi discontent with the coalition, McClellan said: "The vast majority of the Iraqi people are committed to freedom and democracy. And we are working closely with the Iraqi people and the coalition to move forward on democracy and freedom as quickly as possible for the Iraqi people."

WHITE HOUSE CITES COOPERATION WITH 9/11 COMMISSION

"Our focus is on making sure the September 11 Commission has access to all the information that they have requested and that they need to do their job," the White House spokesman said about the Bush administration's recent decision to give the commission access to national security documents from the Clinton administration.

The White House agreed on April 2 to allow the commission investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to review thousands of pages of foreign policy and counterterrorism documents from former President Bill Clinton's administration.

"They're looking back not only at the eight months when this administration was in office prior to September 11th, but the eight years prior to that, as well, when these threats were building and emerging," McClellan said.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)