At the East Room news conference, Bush said al-Maliki was very clear in stating that "he does not want American troops to leave his country until his government can protect the Iraqi people. And I assured him that America will not abandon the Iraqi people."

It was not clear how many U.S. troops will be in Baghdad as a result of the new plan. About two weeks ago, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that the number of Iraqi and U.S. troops in Baghdad had recently grown from 40,000 to 55,000.

Bush and al-Maliki met alone with only a translator in the room for about 70 minutes before others joined the talks, Bush national security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters.

Under the plan to beef up security in Baghdad, forces would comb different neighborhoods to establish a police presence, "giving some reassurance to the population there that, in a way, the sheriff has arrived," Hadley said.

Bush complimented the beleaguered leader for his courage and perseverance in the face of sectarian violence. Recent attacks have sapped political support for the more than three-year-old war in Iraq, in both the United States and Iraq.

On Lebanon, the administration insists that Hezbollah must first return two captured Israeli soldiers and stop firing missiles into Israel before any cease-fire.

"I told him (al-Maliki) I support a sustainable cease-fire that will bring about an end to violence," Bush said.

Al-Maliki sidestepped a question at the White House news conference about his position on Hezbollah.

"Here, actually, we're talking about the suffering of a people in a country. And we are not in the process of reviewing one issue or another, or any government position," al-Maliki said.

Democrats criticized al-Maliki's comments. "Prime Minister Maliki missed an important opportunity to state his position on Hezbollah, and instead left the impression that he does not oppose this terrorist organization's outrageous attacks on Israel," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

Kerry called on Maliki to strongly condemn the use of terror anywhere, including by Hezbollah against Israel in his speech to Congress on Thursday.

Responding to the Democratic criticism, Hadley said "there's an opportunity here I hope we don't miss," and he urged lawmakers to take advantage of the fact that a democratically elected Iraqi leader was about to address Congress. "It's been an issue for Republicans and Democrats, how to get Iraq right," the White House adviser said.

After al-Maliki's speech to Congress on Wednesday, Bush was taking him to nearby Fort Belvoir, Va., for a meeting with U.S. troops and their families. Both leaders will "thank them for their courage and their sacrifice," Bush said.

The president said improved military conditions outside Baghdad will make it possible to move U.S. military police and other forces to the capital, where an estimated 100 people a day are being killed. The crimes, blamed largely on sectarian death squads, usually go unsolved.

Al-Maliki said the most important element of a new security program "is to curb the religious violence."

Iraq's government must have a policy that "there is no killing and discrimination against anyone," al-Maliki said.

U.S. officials believe control of Baghdad - the political, cultural and economic hub of the country will determine the future of Iraq.

U.S. and Iraqi soldiers captured six members of an alleged death squad in Baghdad on Tuesday, while attacks elsewhere in Iraq left more than two dozen dead.

Al-Maliki met Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon for about an hour. "He is very focused clearly on the Baghdad situation and he recognizes that it is not a military problem as such, it is a combination of political and military and economic," Rumsfeld said.

According to Pentagon spokesman Eric Ruff, no final decision has been made on exactly how many U.S. forces will be shifted to Baghdad, but that there will be a range of forces that include both U.S. and Iraqi troops.