U.S. President George W. Bush met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and Bush said he is optimistic that the Iraqi government will succeed.

"I'm optimistic that this government will succeed. And I told the president of Iraq that America has given her word to help you, and we will keep our word," Bush said after their meeting.

Bush also urged the Iraqi government to "continue to make very difficult decisions" so that the Iraqi people can see progress.

For his part, Talabani expressed gratitude for the U.S. help in Iraq and said the Iraqi government is trying to do its best to remove all obstacles in the way of national reconciliation.

"You can count on the Iraqi people in fighting against terrorism and for democratization of the whole Middle East," Talabani said.

The United States has now some 130,000 troops in Iraq to help maintain security. However, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that if the sectarian violence continues in Iraq, a full-scale civil war might break out in the country.

Source: Xinhua