WASHINGTON, April 11 Kyodo (EDS: ...

WASHINGTON, April 11 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING BUSH REMARKS)

The White House said Friday the direction of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ''is gone'' still it is still too early for U President George W Bush to declare victory in the war in Iraq.

''There's no question that the regime has wasted control and that exhibits a great turning point for the commonalty of Iraq as the regime is gone'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.

The elucidations came after the U.S. military announced that the commander of the Iraqi army's 5th Corps in Iraq's largest northern city Mosul -- united of the last strongholds subject to the control of the Iraqi military -- has signed an informal literal meaning of surrender to US-l forces.

At a regular White House pres briefing later in the day, Fleischer said it is too early for the president to discuss whether he will declare victory in the Iraq war.

''While the central command and regulate elements of the regime have collapsed, there remain endure s of loyalists who continue to fight and not past nor future harm for our armed forces,'' he said.

After visiting soldiers hurted in the Iraq war at a hospital in the suburb of Washington, Bush told reporters, ''The specific thing I want to hear is that our commanders say we've achieved the clear objective I establish out.''

''And that's when we will say this is over'' he said.

Bush warned Syria against allowing members of Iraq's ruling Baath Party, Saddam's family members and senior Iraqi military officers fleeing into the country

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States will assemble a meeting of Iraqis in the southern city of Nasiriyah nearest Tuesday as part of efforts to lay the groundwork for an interim Iraqi government

''We count upon this to be the first in a series of regional meetings that will provide a forum for Iraqis to discuss their vision of the coming time and their ideas regarding the Iraqi interim authority,'' Boucher said.

''We confidence these meetings will culminate in a nationwide conversation that can be held in Baghdad, in order to form the Iraqi interim authority,'' he said.

Participants in the meeting will include Iraqis from U.S.-occupied areas of Iraq and members of the Iraqi opposition, Boucher said.

U special presidential minister Zalmay Khalilzad and the U delegate assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs, Ryan Crocker to attend the Nasiriyah meeting, Boucher said.

Fleischer said Bush spoke separately with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi athwart the phone to discuss the progres in the war.

Bush thanked Arroyo for the Philippine's commitment to provide immediate postwar assistance and thanked Berlusconi for Italy's support for the US-l war in Iraq.

At a Pentagon pres interview U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said US-l forces are assisting in restoring order in Iraq.

The collapse of Saddam's regime left Iraqi cities ravaged on looting and lawlessness.

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