Associated Press - WASHINGTON -- President Bush prodded Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday to unite rival factions and show some overdue political progress.
At the same time, Iraqi's largest Sunni Arab political bloc announced plans to pull out of the government, setting back reconciliation.
Bush and al-Maliki spoke for 45 minutes in a secure video conference, part of a regular series of conversations on the war and Iraq's struggling democracy.
"The president emphasized that the Iraqi people and the American people need to see action _ not just words _ but need to see action on the political front," said White House press secretary Tony Snow. "The prime minister agreed."
Iraqi legislators have faced criticism in the U.S. for taking a summer break while American forces are fighting to create conditions for them to end their sectarian political divisions. But many Iraqi legislators have accused al-Maliki of failing to provide leadership on political reconciliation.
The White House, meanwhile, downplayed the significance of the Sunni Accordance Front's leaving the Iraqi government. Rafaa al-Issawi, a leading member of the Front, said at a news conference Wednesday that the Sunni bloc's six Cabinet ministers would submit their resignations. Al-Issawi said the decision to leave the government followed what he called al-Maliki's failure to respond to the Accordance Front.
Snow said reconciliation is ongoing. He noted that Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and the minister of defense, both Sunnis, remain in place.
"There's political wrangling in Baghdad as there is in Washington," Snow said. "The prime minister has made it clear that he remains determined to try to pull the coalition together."
On Capitol Hill, Democrats and many Republicans have grown impatient with the Iraqi government's progress as U.S. forces continue to fight and die.
Bush and al-Maliki noted some upbeat news on two other fronts.
They both welcomed Saudi Arabia's pledge Wednesday to open diplomatic relations with the Shiite-led government in Iraq and to explore plans to open an embassy in Baghdad. Bush also praised the Iraqi national team for winning the prestigious Asian Cup soccer tournament.
"Both leaders noted that the victory demonstrated to the world what Iraqis could do when they work together," Snow said.