President George W Bush announced Thursday that several army units will return from Iraq by next summer, but ruled out a complete withdrawal from the war-torn country in the following two years.

In a national address, Bush said the situation in Iraq has improved sufficiently enough to start bringing approximately 30,000 troops home. About 5,700 servicemen will return to the US by the end of 2007, the rest being scheduled to arrive home by mid-July.

Following this partial withdrawal, the number of US soldiers present in Iraq will be reduced to 130,000, as it was before Bush ordered a surge in January. The White House leader said the troop surge provided the expected results, quelling sectarian violence and successfully combating al-Qaeda.

“Our success in meeting these objectives now allows us to begin bringing some of our troops home,” Bush said, acknowledging that “our challenge in Iraq is formidable.”

The Iraq war quickly became unpopular among Americans, most of them wanting the conflict to end, while Democrats in the Congress tried to pressure Bush in accepting a timetable for a full withdrawal.

The top commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus presented his assessment of the situation in Iraq earlier this week and based on his report, Bush agreed to bring some troopers home. But his decision didn’t please the Democrats, who again criticized President Bush for dodging a complete pullout and continuing what seems to be an open-ended mission.

Bush said peace and stability will prevail in Iraq only if the US continues to support the Baghdad government, asking Americans to be patient, because results will soon appear.

“This vision for a reduced American presence also has the support of Iraqi leaders from all communities,” he said. “At the same time, they understand that their success will require US political, economic and security engagement that extends beyond my presidency.”

Like General Petraeus, Bush reminded the progress made in the western Anbar province, where Sunni tribal leaders formed an alliance with US and Iraqi troops aimed at combating insurgency.

He also underlined that the government began making important steps towards reconciliation between political and religious factions, a move which represents the core of a future democratic rule in Iraq.

Bush acknowledged that many important issues were left hanging by Baghdad leaders, mostly due to political turmoil and the sluggishness of the decision-making process.

“The government has not met its own legislative benchmarks - and in my meetings with Iraqi leaders, I have made it clear that they must,” the US leader said.

In his testimony, the US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker outlined the numerous flaws of the Iraqi administration and said the Shiite-led government is “dysfunctional” at the moment.

The assessment also revealed some positive aspects, both Crocker and Bush welcoming the government’s decision to allow former Sunni soldiers to rejoin the army and receive pensions.

Even if Bush gave his approval for a partial withdrawal, dissensions between Democrats and Republicans continue to exist. Democrats urged the White House leader to accept a timetable for a pullout, saying the Iraq campaign failed to provide the expected results and success isn’t looming in the near future.

Republicans have also doubted the strategy’s success, but remained committed to the plan proposed by Bush, who said both sides should get over their different opinions and join forces.

“The way forward I have described tonight makes it possible, for the first time in years, for people who have been on opposite sides of this difficult debate to come home,” Bush said.

His call didn’t change the Democrats’ stance, who criticized Bush for not clearing important aspects of his plan.

“The president failed to provide either a plan to successfully end the war or a convincing rationale to continue it,” Senator Jack Reed said after Bush’s televised address.

Bush did not forget Iraq’s neighbours, urging them to support Baghdad’s plans, because a secure Iraq would ensure stability in the region. Bush once again criticized Iran and Syria for backing militias fighting security forces in Iraq.