President George W. Bush used his weekly Oval Office radio address to reiterate the main points he covered in Thursday night's televised address on Iraq.

The president Saturday reviewed the events of the week, beginning with the testimony on Capitol Hill by Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.

Bush told his radio audience he has accepted Petraeus' recommendation to reduce the U.S. force in Iraq by 5,700 troops before Christmas and by five combat brigades by July 2008.

"(Petraeus has) also recommended that in December we begin a transition to the next phase of our strategy in Iraq, in which our troops will shift over time from leading operations to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces," Bush said.

He said Petraeus and Crocker would deliver another report to Congress in March, providing "a fresh assessment of the situation in Iraq and of the troop levels we need to meet our national security objectives."