"We will discuss the situation on the ground in his country, our ongoing efforts to transfer more responsibility to the Iraqi security forces, and the responsibility of other nations in the region to support the security and stability of Iraq," Bush said at the NATO summit.

Special coverage: Escalating Violence in Iraq  Related readings: Iraq one of greatest presidential blunders - Carter UN council extends US-led force in Iraq one year

"We'll continue to be flexible, and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed. But there's one thing I'm not going to do: I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete."

Jordan's King Abdullah, who is hosting the meetings, has warned that unless bold steps are taken posthaste, the new year could dawn with three civil wars in the Mideast - in Lebanon, between the Palestinians and Israelis and in Iraq. He says the fighting in Iraq amounts to a civil war between the Sunnis and Shiites, but Bush chooses to characterize it differently.

"No question it's tough," Bush said Tuesday. "There's a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented, in my opinion, because of these attacks by al-Qaida, causing people to seek reprisal."

His meeting with al-Maliki is part of a new flurry of diplomacy the Bush administration has undertaken across the Middle East.

Vice President Dick Cheney just returned from a brief trip to consult with Saudi Arabia about recent Mideast developments. And after the Bush-al-Maliki summit, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is staying behind in the region for talks with Palestinian, and possibly, Israeli leaders, who agreed last weekend on a cease-fire to end five months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Bush is regaining his footing on the world stage after the November election when Democrats seized the reins of both the House and Senate. The election was largely viewed as a referendum on the war, and the day after, Bush announced that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was stepping down from his post.

1

2

3