Iraqi leader tells Congress his nation is ally in terror fight; touts economy

"Iraqis are your allies in the war on terror," al-Maliki declared, prompting a standing ovation from a full chamber.

But there was also evidence of some friction between U.S. lawmakers and al-Maliki over the war in Lebanon and what some Democrats said was the overly optimistic tone of his remarks about Iraq.

In his half-hour speech, the prime minister made little mention of the casualties in Iraq. Instead, he highlighted the doubling of the gross domestic product over the last three years and improvements in the lives of everyday Iraqis. And he appealed for more financial aid for fledgling Iraqi companies, saying that much of the enormous U.S. and foreign investment in his country had gone to pay for security companies.

Democrats complained that al-Maliki's remarks had oversimplified the situation in Iraq by ignoring the mounting death toll for Iraqis and Americans alike, as well as the recent surge in sectarian conflict and the increasingly dangerous situation in Baghdad, where President George W. Bush and al-Maliki on Tuesday said they would send additional troops.

"The prime minister was speaking in the style more of the president of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce than the prime minister of Iraq," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who last month was a sponsor of a resolution calling for U.S. troops to begin leaving Iraq.

Earlier, in a breakfast with congressional leaders, al-Maliki, who is a Shiite Muslim, bristled at repeated requests to denounce the militant Shiite group Hezbollah. When pressed, he would say only that he condemned terrorism around the world. He also rebuffed calls from some Democrats for him to renounce his condemnation of Israel for its attacks in Lebanon.

Some Democrats declined to attend his speech, though their leaders emphasized that there had been no organized boycott. Others responded to the prime minister's upbeat assessment with gestures of boredom. As al-Maliki extolled wide participation in Iraqi elections, Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, leaned down in the front row to tie his shoe.