Iraqis Express Cynicism at Bush's 150-minute Visit

Iraqis yesterday greeted news of President George Bush's extraordinary 150 minutes on Iraqi soil with a mixture of indifference and cynicism, as guerrilla insurgency against US forces continued and plans to hand over sovereignty to Iraqis remained mired in uncertainty.

The surprise visit to Baghdad's heavily fortified airport was intended to boost the morale of the battle-weary US troops and to display the Bush administration's determination to stay with its troubled Iraq project "until the job is done".

But Mahmoud Othman, a member of Iraq's governing council, said: "His visit cannot be considered as a visit to Iraq. It was really a visit to an American military base in the country to boost the morale of the troops. He did not conduct any official meeting with Iraqis. He did not meet with ordinary Iraqis. But it was good to hear of his promise to see the job through."

In the US, news of the visit dominated the television news on the Thanksgiving holiday, and the front pages of yesterday's newspapers. Much of the coverage focused on the elaborate secrecy surrounding the trip, which involved the president and his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, leaving the Bush ranch in Texas in disguise.

Analysts pointed out that the trip could hold political risks for the president.

"While the troops cheered the moment, it is too soon to know whether the image of Bush in his army jacket yesterday will become a symbol of strong leadership or a symbol of unwarranted bravado," Dana Milbank, a political writer at the Washington Post argued.

One of the four members of the governing council who attended the dinner at Baghdad airport, Mouwafik al-Rubei'e, described their conversation with Bush as "fruitful". He said: "The US president reaffirmed his country's commitment to build a new, democratic and prosperous Iraq."

But another member of the governing council, who asked not to be named, said the "excessive secrecy" surrounding the visit could provide a propaganda boost to the insurgents. "They will be able to boast that they forced the most powerful man in the world to come in through the back door," he said.

In Baghdad yesterday discussions were under way to try to rescue new US-backed plans to hand sovereignty back to Iraqis next summer, after the country's most revered Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, had raised objections.

The plan included election of the government through a show of hands at regional meetings. But Ayatollah Sistani wants the transitional government to be voted in by popular ballot.

The US press yesterday quoted unnamed officials saying the administration was now considering holding elections agreeable to the powerful Shia leader.

Ms Rice welcomed debate on the implementation of the existing plan so the new government "really does give to the Iraqi people the kind of voice that they need".