Also, Gao believes it demonstrated the Bush administration's firm resolve to reconstruct the war-torn nation. With its original aim of turning Iraq into a model for "democracy" far from being fulfilled, it has compromised and switched to a more pragmatic goal, he noted.

Gao welcomed the positive changes that have taken place in Iraq since reconstruction began. For example, in the general election in December 2005, Iraqis turned out to be ready to use their ballots to elect a government that could represent them, he noted, adding that the order during the election was surprisingly good. A political framework has been established in Iraq despite the power struggle among different groups and the new framework is improving, he observed.

According to him, the present goal the Bush administration pursues in Iraq is to establish a democratically elected government capable of running the country. It no longer seeks a triumph in Iraq; instead, it is trying to make its failure less severe, he commented.

The United States is not expected to pull out of Iraq any time soon, experts say. Gao noted that most of the Iraqis are opposed to the invasion of foreign troops. In particular, they find it unacceptable that the United States interfered in the Saddam case, which should be the mandate of the Iraqi Government. However, they have to face up to the reality. As Iraqi forces are not strong enough to safeguard the country and protect its borders, they have to rely on U.S. troops to maintain security and stability. Without the presence of U.S. troops, Iraq would become a haven of extremists, Gao said.

In order to make a troop withdrawal possible, the United States is helping Iraq to train its security forces, Gao noted. Moreover, he stressed that the Bush administration and the Iraqi Government are both eager to reorganize the military and police forces disbanded after the fall of Saddam's regime. They are believed to be more competent than newly trained armed forces.