JIM LEHRER: President Bush pledged more help for Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki today, and he insisted again there will be no quick U.S. pullout. The two men met in Amman, Jordan, after the first day of talks was canceled on Wednesday.
At a news conference, Mr. Bush promised to focus more on handing over security to Iraqi forces.
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: We talked today about accelerating authority to the prime minister so he can do what the Iraqi people expect him to do, and that is bring security to parts of his country that require firm action.
I know there's a lot of speculation that these reports in Washington mean there's going to be some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq. We're going to stay in Iraq to get the job done, so long as the government wants us there.
JIM LEHRER: A White House memo made public yesterday questioned the Iraqi leader's ability. Today, the president said Maliki is "the right guy," but he hasn't had the tools for the job. And Maliki said, "There is no problem." But unlike the president, he said he's willing to talk with Iran and Syria.
NOURI AL-MALIKI, Prime Minister, Iraq (through translator): We are ready to cooperate with everybody who believes that they need to communicate with the national unity government, especially our neighbors. Our doors are open, and our desire is strong that between us and our neighbors we will have strong relationships based on mutual respect and staying away from everybody's internal business.
JIM LEHRER: After the summit, the prime minister told ABC Iraqi forces will be able to take over by June of 2007.
Back in Baghdad, he urged supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to end their boycott of the Iraqi government. He said, "I hope they reconsider their decision. Political partnership means commitment." The Sadr loyalists began the boycott yesterday to protest the meeting with President Bush.
The bipartisan Iraq Study Group will call for a gradual U.S. pullback in Iraq and for talks with Iran and Syria; the New York Times and others reported that today. They said the group's report next week will not give a timetable for a pullback.
The Washington Times reported the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff are against pulling out now. They're doing their own review.
And the U.S. national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said today the president will make changes within weeks, not months. We'll have more on these Iraq developments right after this news summary.
In the latest violence, Iraqi forces found 28 bodies south of Baquba. That city has been the site of intense fighting between Iraqi police and Sunni insurgents in recent days.
Also today, American deaths for November reached 65, with word of another soldier killed in Baghdad. That's down from 106 U.S. troops killed during the month of October.
U.S. Secretary of State Rice pushed for a wider truce in the Middle East as she visited the region today. Israel and the Palestinians declared a cease-fire in Gaza last week. Today in Jerusalem, Rice met with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. Later, she called for greater efforts to create calm.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. Secretary of State: The cease-fire now needs to be consolidated by action to make certain that it is enforced. I also appreciate the statement of restraint that the Israeli government has issued concerning the cease-fire, because it is, of course, quite fragile, but we would like to see it consolidated and then extended.
JIM LEHRER: Rice also visited the West Bank and met with Palestinian President Abbas. He said talks on a national unity government of Palestinian factions had reached a dead end.
Pope Benedict made a bid for harmony with Muslims today at the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. There he prayed alongside an Islamic cleric. It's only the second time a pontiff has visited a Muslim place of worship.
Earlier, Benedict prayed with the spiritual leader of orthodox Christians, and he appealed for unity between their churches.
POPE BENEDICT XVI, Catholic Church: The divisions which exist among Christians are a scandal to the world and an obstacle to the proclamation of the gospel.
JIM LEHRER: The pope also visited the Hagia Sophia, built 1,500 years ago as a center of Christianity. It was converted to a mosque in the 15th century but is now a museum.
Some Turkish nationalists protested the visit as a sign of Christian claims on the site. We'll have more on the pope's trip from Margaret Warner later in the program tonight.
In Britain today, there were more twists in the poisoning of a former Russian spy. Alexander Litvinenko died in London one week ago. He had high doses of a radioactive element in his system.
Now, authorities have found traces of radiation at 12 sites. They also investigated contamination on two British Airways planes in London and a third plane in Moscow.
Separately, a former Russian prime minister, Yegor Gaidar, is hospitalized in Moscow, possibly from poisoning. Both men were critics of the Putin administration. We'll have more on all of this later in the program.
The governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, announced today he's running for president in 2008. He's the first Democrat to enter the race officially. The two-term governor said he'd focus on weaning the country from foreign oil. He also said he wants to avoid endless partisan debates in Washington.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than four points to close just below 12,222. The Nasdaq fell about a half a point to close at 2,431.
