ARAB-US RELATIONS - Nov 20 - Bush Denies Decision On Altering Iraq Troop Levels.

Bush says he has made no decisions on altering troop numbers in Iraq following reports that the Pentagon was considering a temporary boost to curb sectarian violence in Baghdad. The Washington Post reported that a Pentagon team reviewing Iraq policy was considering several options, including a temporary troop increase to accelerate the training of Iraq forces and curb sectarian bloodshed. "I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases", Bush said in Indonesia. In addition to the Pentagon policy "scrub" - which is being overseen by the uniformed military - the White House has ordered a review to consider new policies to address the Iraq chaos, which has claimed the lives of 2,855 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. The Iraq Study Group, a Congress-mandated review led by James Baker, former secretary of state, and Lee Hamilton, former Democratic congressman, is next month expected to produce its recommendations for a policy shift on Iraq. In addition to recommending a boost in support for training Iraqi troops, its report is expected to call for the White House to talk to Iran and Syria - which the Pentagon has accused of fomenting parts of the insurgency - about finding ways to stabilise Iraq. While the Pentagon is still completing its review, the top US commander in the Middle East Gen John Abizaid, last week told Congress he believed the US had the correct number of troops in Iraq. His comments drew criticism from John McCain, widely seen as Republican frontrunner for the 2008 presidential race, who said he was disappointed that the military was pursuing a course of "status quo". In the wake of their US mid-term election victory, Democrats have argued that the US public voted for change in Iraq, which they say should equate to troop withdrawals, a move that Gen Abizaid last week said would exacerbate sectarian violence in Iraq. Some influential Republicans such as McCain and Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator, want the White House to increase troops in Iraq. Over the past couple of weeks, however, McCain has hinted that he may support withdrawing from Iraq if the White House does not boost troops to a level he believes necessary to achieve success in Iraq. He has said it would be "immoral" to send troops back to Iraq if US policy is simply going to result in delaying defeat.