Bush close to deciding on Iraq troop numbers

White House spokesman Dana Perino said it "may be possible" that the president decides by Friday to continue withdrawing troops after an initial drawdown ends in July, or take a brief pause to assess the situation.

Bush was due to chair a National Security Council meeting later Monday with a video link to General David Petraeus, who oversees US forces in Iraq, and the US ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker. "I dont expect him to say anything prior to the testimony that Petraeus and Crocker will provide (to Congress) that second week of April," she added.

An initial drawdown from 158,000 to 140,000 troops is planned to be completed in July, but Petraeus and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are in favor of a pause before any further withdrawal. Asked about the presidents thinking, Perino said it was "not unlikely" that he would accept a pause after July, saying: "The president thinks that theres some merit in that recommendation."

She added that Monday's talks with Petraus and Crocker were a chance to receive "their best thinking as to where we are right now and what they think they would like to recommend to the commander in chief."

Bush "obviously is grieved by the moment, but he mourns the loss of every single life from the very first that was lost in this conflict to the ones that are lost today," Perino said of the grim milestone. "And he bears the responsibility for the decisions that he made and he also bears the responsibility to continue to focus on succeeding."