(Adds new violence) By Waleed Ibrahim and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told lawmakers on Monday his government had stopped Iraq sliding into civil war and said violence in and around Baghdad had plunged under a U.S.-backed security crackdown. Maliki spoke in a formal address to parliament hours before American officials were to deliver a vital progress report on Iraq that could influence future U.S. strategy. He said security gains had been made across Iraq, but added that his forces needed more time to take over full security responsibility from U.S.-led foreign soldiers. U.S. President George W. Bush is under mounting pressure to withdraw some troops after more than four years of war in which over 3,700 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and millions have fled their homes. Bush's top officials in Iraq, military commander General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, will give their assessment later on Monday to the Democrat-controlled Congress on the president's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq. Petraeus's testimony starts at 1630 GMT. Their reports could be a turning point and are considered crucial to any move by Bush on force levels as he faces demands from Democrats and some Republicans for U.S. troops to leave. Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist, defended his government in the face of blistering criticism from both Iraqi and U.S. lawmakers. Some Democratic legislators in the United States have even called for him to be replaced. "We succeeded in stopping Iraq from sliding toward civil war, which was threatening our beloved country," Maliki said. He said levels of violence had fallen by 75 percent in Baghdad and surrounding areas since the start of the U.S. troop "surge" in February. Maliki also pledged his commitment to reconciling the country's majority Shi'ite and Sunni Arabs. "We are absolutely confident that national reconciliation is our only choice, which will take Iraq to safe shores," he added. In fresh violence, a suicide truck bomb killed 10 people and wounded 60 in northern Iraq, police said. They said the toll would have been much worse if villagers in Tal Marag, who were suspicious of the vehicle, had not fled when they saw it. A car bomb killed two people and wounded six near a hospital in central Baghdad, police added. IMPROVED SECURITY A U.S. official, who asked not to be identified, said on Sunday that Petraeus and Crocker would argue that a major pullout of forces would hurt progress made since troop levels were increased to 168,000. They were expected to highlight improved security but criticise Iraq's politicians for failing to pass laws seen as vital to healing deep sectarian divisions. Maliki has resisted demands from the influential political bloc loyal to anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. "Despite improved security, we still realise we need more time and effort so our security forces can handle security from the multinational forces," Maliki told parliament. When Maliki finished his speech, he took dozens of questions from lawmakers. Answering a Sunni Arab lawmaker, Maliki acknowledged that the term "national unity government", used to describe his cabinet, had lost its meaning in the wake of a dozen defections by Shi'ite and Sunni Arab ministers. He blamed some parties for only wanting to veto decisions amid little sign that key laws demanded by Washington will be passed soon. They include legislation that would share Iraq's vast oil wealth among its ethnic and sectarian groups. "Parliament and the government must review the origin of the national unity government and make a partnership government to put an end to this case," Maliki said without elaborating, but hinting at long promised wholesale changes to his cabinet. Citing U.S. officials, the New York Times reported on Monday that Petraeus had recommended that decisions on major troop cuts in Iraq be delayed until March 2008. Top Iraqi officials have warned that a premature U.S. troop pullout would tip the country into an all-out civil war that would engulf the region. (Additional reporting by Aseel Kami and Dean Yates in Baghdad and Susan Cornwell in Washington)
