Bush's top aide visits Iraq

U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley is making a visit in Iraq to assess situation in the war-torn Arab country, the White House confirmed on Monday.

The unannounced visit by Hadley is "a long-planned trip to the region" that was "part of our ongoing assessment and continued cooperation" with the Iraqi government headed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

"While the logistics are difficult, anytime you can have a face- to-face meeting with your partner or your colleague, that can help facilitate communication and it also gives Mister Hadley a good chance to be on the ground to assess things and be able to report back to the president," she said.

Perino denied the saying that U.S. President George W. Bush had sent his national security adviser to Iraq to ease strained relations with Baghdad, saying "I think that the press reports about the relationship being sensitive are overblown."

Bush had a video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki on Saturday, having reiterated U.S. support for al-Maliki and his government. Prior to the conference, the Iraqi premier was reported to have issued a series of critical statements about American policy in Iraq over the past week.

Source: Xinhua