U.S. President George W. Bush met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani at the White House Thursday, having reassured him that Washington is "fully committed" to aiding the Iraqi government.

"I told the president that I'm fully committed to helping the Iraqi government achieve important objectives," Bush told reporters after the meeting.

"We call them benchmarks, political law necessary to show the Iraqi citizens that there is a unified government willing to work on the interest of all people," he said.

Bush also said he was sending one of his top aides Meghan O'Sullivan to Baghdad to help U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker work with Iraqi leaders on making political progress.

Talabani said that the Iraqi government is taking control its own country. "I don't deny difficulties, I don't deny shortcomings," Talabani said of his country. "I don't deny that still we are suffering from some problems. But we are determined to (meet) benchmarks, and we are determined to move forward and to achieve."

Talabani last visited the White House in September 2005.