Bush distances himself from the 'non-functional' Iraqi government

President George Bush referred publicly to the growing US frustration with Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, yesterday, but said the Iraqi people would have to decide whether to continue supporting him.

His remarks fell short of the glowing endorsement Mr Maliki is accustomed to receiving from the US President and followed demands by the powerful Democratic Senator Carl Levin for the Iraqi Assembly to throw out Mr Maliki.

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Senator Levin is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and his comments on Monday that the Maliki government is "non-functional" sent shockwaves trough the political establishment.

The Senator wants withdrawal of American troop to begin within four months and believes that most of the US forces should be out of the country by the middle of next year.

"I hope the parliament will vote the Maliki government out of office and will have the wisdom to replace it with a less sectarian and more unifying prime minister and government," Senator Levin said after a three-day trip to Iraq and Jordan.

Mr Bush was asked about Iraq at a news conference with the Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, and the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, at a North American summit.

Carefully scripted to avoid giving the impression that America is the political puppet-master in Iraq, Mr Bush said: "The fundamental question is will the government respond to the demands of the people. And if the government ... doesn't respond to the demands of the people, they will replace the government. That's up to the Iraqis to make that decision, not American politicians."

The American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, told reporters in Baghdad yesterday that progress was "extremely disappointing".

The carefully choreographed tours of parts of Iraq for US politicians have been run by the Defence Department. They brought congressmen and senators more accustomed to the corridors of power into the Green Zone to meet US and Iraqi officials. They have also gone on whirlwind trips to forward fighting bases and there have been heavily guarded tours of open markets in Anbar province, where the US wants to show that its alliance with Sunni leaders has reduced violence. Several Democratic politicians said on their return that they were no longer in favour of withdrawing US forces.

But Senator Levin made the most forceful call for leadership change in Iraq from a leading American politician. Some two dozen congressmen and senators travelled to Iraq during August to prepare themselves for next month's crucial progress report by General David Petraeus.

A majority in Congress want to end the war and their response to the Petraeus report may determine how long the US remains engaged in its failing war. Some of the returning politicians have expressed support for the US military strategy, but Senator Levin's opinion is the one the White House fears most.

Earlier, he had released a joint statement with the Republican Senator John Warner, which cast doubt on Iraq's political future. Recent meetings between Mr Maliki, and Iraqi political leaders were "the last chance for this government to solve the Iraqi political crisis", they said.

Should a planned summit between Mr Maliki, rival Sunni political leaders and Kurdish officials fail to reach a compromise on a share-out of Iraq's oil and the return of some Baath party members to their old jobs, he should be ousted, they added.

"The Iraqi Council of Representatives and the Iraqi people need to judge the government of Iraq's record and determine what actions should be taken, consistent with the Iraqi Constitution, to form a true unity government to meet those responsibilities."

In Baghdad, former commanders of Saddam's military went on trial for their role after the 1990-91 Gulf War in crushing a Shia rebellion in southern Iraq in which tens of thousands died. The 15 defendants, include the former commander of Saddam's Republican Guard, his defence minister and his half-brother, the director of Iraq's intelligence services.

The most high-profile is Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majeed, known as "Chemical Ali", who was already sentenced to death in a separate trial. He faces charges of gassing Kurds.