Washington: US President George W. Bush held a meeting with his top advisors to explore strategies for adopting a new approach in Iraq.

 
Bush met with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Department Monday as he conducts a government-wide review of his policy in Iraq that has come under mounting criticism.

Bush's internal review was paralleled by a bipartisan report released last week calling for a new approach that included setting a timeframe for withdrawing US soldiers and opening dialogue with Iran and Syria, two of Iraq's neighbbours suspected of undermining stability in Iraq.

 
"This administration wants to succeed in Iraq, because we understand success in Iraq will help protect the US in the long run," he said.

Bush also heard updates on the State Department's effort to rebuild Iraq. The State Department has assembled civilian-run "Provincial Reconstruction Teams" on local levels in the war-torn country.
 

Bush has refused unconditional talks with Iran and Syria until Tehran halts uranium enrichment and Damascus stops interfering in another conflict spot in the Middle East, Lebanon, where the US says Syria is working against the Lebanese government.
 

Bush has also opposed a timeframe for US military withdrawals.
 

"It remains the president's belief that, yes, you want to withdraw US troops under the proper conditions," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

 "It's conditions-based. And it is when you are in a position to have an Iraq that can stand up, sustain, govern and defend itself," he said.

Bush told reporters that he would closely coordinate the review in the State Department with recommendations from the Pentagon. Bush later met with outside experts on Iraq.

Bush has been trying to develop a new strategy after acknowledging that the situation in Iraq was 'bad'.

He dismissed Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and tapped former CIA director Robert Gates to replace him. Gates is to be sworn in Dec 18 after the US Senate last week overwhelming approved the nominee.

The Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by former secretary of state James Baker III and congressman Lee Hamilton, warned that Iraq was headed toward chaos and that the sectarian bloodshed that has engulfed the country could spread into a broader regional conflict.

Bush's Republican party lost control of Congress in Nov 7 elections largely viewed as a referendum on the White House policy in Iraq. Polls show most Americans have turned against the war and have lost confidence in Bush's ability to manage the conflict.