Bush: Zarqawi death may 'turn the tide' in Iraq

[sabra]

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=127461

Bush: Zarqawi death may 'turn the tide' in Iraq


WASHINGTON - Under pressure to show progress in Iraq, US President George W. Bush on Thursday hailed the killing of Al-Qaeda's leader there, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, as a chance to "turn the tide" of the conflict.

Bush also welcomed the long-awaited completion of Iraq's new government and said he would discuss the future of the US presence there with top US military and diplomatic aides and the Baghdad leadership on Tuesday.

"Zarqawi's death is a severe blow to Al-Qaeda. It's a victory in the global war on terror, and it is an opportunity for Iraq's new government to turn the tide of this struggle," he said in the White House Rose Garden.

The president praised US forces who, acting on intelligence tips from Iraqis, "delivered justice" to Zarqawi in the most dramatic US operation since Saddam Hussein's capture in December 2003.