"There are no strains in the relationship," spokesman Tony Snow told reporters in recounting a 50-minute videoconference call on Saturday between President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Snow said Bush is "very happy, actually, with the way the prime minister is working," and he noted that Maliki said "history will record that because of US efforts Iraq is a free country."
The two countries were due to release a joint statement on the call later on Saturday.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006