President Bush has praised a new agreement by top Iraqi leaders aimed at fostering national unity, but he says there is still more to do.
Mr. Bush Monday said he telephoned Iraq's senior leaders to congratulate them on reaching the deal, which he called an important step toward Iraq's national reconciliation.
But the president says he also reminded the Iraqi leaders that more work remains to be done.
The government leaders of Iraq's majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni and Kurdish sects announced the new deal late Sunday.
It includes easing restrictions on members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party rejoining government ministries.
But some Sunni political leaders say the deal does not go far enough. The Iraqi parliament must vote on the proposed legislation after lawmakers return from recess in early September.
Mr. Bush's comments Monday on the Iraqi accord coincide with criticism of the Maliki government by U.S. politicians in both the opposition Democratic and his own Republican Party, as well as plummeting U.S. public support for the war.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and REUTERS.
