The Australian troops deployed in Iraq will continue their mission despite criticism, the country’s Prime Minister John Howard said Wednesday.

“Our commitment to Iraq remains,” the premier said during a press conference held in Sydney with US President George W Bush. “This is not the time for any proposals for a scaling down of Australian forces.”

The American leader arrived Tuesday in Sydney for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting and has scheduled meetings with other leaders from Japan, South Korea, Russia and Indonesia during his four-day visit.

Bush praised Howard for respecting his commitment and supporting the Iraq campaign, saying they are close friends but “the alliance is bigger than the individuals.”

“It's historic work, Mr Prime Minister, and it's important work and I appreciate the contribution that the Australians have made,” Bush said.

“I believe that when the final chapters of the 21st century are written, people will say ‘we appreciate the courage and sacrifice made by our respective countries in laying the foundation for peace.’”

After paying a surprise visit to the American troops in the Iraqi province of Anbar on Monday, Bush visited the naval base in Sydney on Wednesday and even ate lunch with the military personnel.

The White House leader didn’t forget to mention the progress made in Iraq by coalition forces, saying a pact sealed by US forces and tribal leaders in the Anbar province is the perfect reflection of this progress.

“The province I saw wasn't lost to the extremists,” President Bush said. “The place I went to had changed dramatically, fundamentally because the local people took a look at what al-Qaeda stands for and said ‘we're not interested in death, destruction.’”

Bush said the top US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus told him “the security situation is changing” and things are looking up for the war-torn country.

His statement comes just a week before General Petraeus and US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker will present their reports on the security and political situation of Iraq to the Congress.

Meanwhile, Bush has another reason to be worried about the success of the Iraq campaign. That is because Howard may be surpassed by opposition leader Kevin Rudd in the upcoming elections, if the latest opinion polls reflect the option of most Australians.

The leader of the Labor Party, Rudd pledged to change the current policy and withdraw all 1,500 troops from Iraq if he wins the runoff.

Bush will meet Rudd during his visit to Australia and hopes his point of view will be taken in consideration by the 49-year-old opposition member.

Despite favouring the Iraq pullout, Rudd said diplomatic ties with Washington shouldn’t be changed.

“When it comes to the overall relationship with the United States, I am a life-long supporter of our alliance with the United States - that has not budged one bit and never has budged one bit,” he said.

Sydney has been turned into a regular fortress during the APEC summit, 4,500 security forces being deployed across the most populous city of Australia. Authorities said they are prepared to quell any outburst of violence and warned anti-war demonstrators to express their beliefs in a peaceful manner.

Even so, protesters said they will organize a march on Saturday, more than 15,000 persons being expected to attend the massive protest action.