AMMAN, Jordan - President Bush said Thursday that he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed in high-stakes talks that Iraq should not be partitioned into separate, semiautonomous zones.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is seen during his meeting with US President George W. Bush, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006, in Amman, Jordan. [AP]

"The prime minister made clear that splitting his country into parts, as some have suggested, is not what the Iraqi people want, and that any partition of Iraq would only lead to an increase in sectarian violence," Bush said after nearly two and a half hours of talks aimed at stabilizing Iraq. "I agree."

Al-Maliki left the door open for countries like Iran and Syria to play a part in Iraq's struggle for peace.

"We are ready to cooperate with everybody who believes that the need to cooperate with the national unity government, especially our neighbors," al-Maliki said.

He said that "Iraq is for Iraqis and its borders will be sound."

Bush and al-Maliki had been set to start meeting on Wednesday, but that opening session was canceled following disclosure of US doubts about the Iraqi leader's capabilities and a Baghdad protest of his attendance.

But any tension over that stunning turn of events was not apparent when the leaders appeared together before reporters. "He's a strong leader who wants a free and democratic Iraq to succeed," Bush said.