U.S. President George W. Bush intensified diplomatic efforts in hopes of quelling rising violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, turning to allies as his national security adviser said the conflict in Iraq had entered "a new phase" requiring changes. Bush was welcomed on Tuesday to this small Baltic country, a firm ally in the war on terror. He participated in a daybreak ceremonial welcoming at Kadriorg Palace, the official residence and working office of the president of Estonia. Bush arrived here Monday night ahead of a two-day summit in neighboring Riga, Latvia, expected to deal with deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, where NATO has 32,000 troops. Greeting Bush was Estonia's U.S.-educated President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. The two leaders were to have a joint news conference later Tuesday. Bush also met with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, praising him for "your economic accomplishment and your contributions to peace and liberty around the world." Bush was leaving midday for Latvia. Both Estonia and Latvia are former Soviet republics that are strong U.S. allies, with forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. "Obviously everyone would agree things are not proceeding well enough or fast enough" in Iraq, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters aboard Air Force One as Bush flew eastward on Monday. Bush will head to Amman, Jordan, for talks Wednesday and Thursday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and King Abdullah of Jordan, the Associated Press reported. From Air Force One, the president spoke to the leaders of France and Egypt. Addressing the upcoming meetings with al-Maliki, Hadley said, "We're clearly in a new phase characterized by an increase in sectarian violence that requires us to adapt to that new phase." Bush and al-Maliki "need to be talking about how to do that and what steps Iraq needs to take and how we can support" Iraq's leaders, Hadley said.
