By Evelyn Leopold UNITED NATIONS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday that President George W. Bush's plans to study the U.S. report on Iraq was "very positive" and called again for talks with Iran and Syria. Annan had been interviewed by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which criticized Bush for his war strategy. It issued 79 recommendations on Wednesday, among them a call for diplomatic engagement with Iraq's neighbors Syria and Iran. "I think the president will have to study the report and decide how to proceed, what to expect and how to implement it," Annan told reporters. "But it is a well-known fact that in my contacts with the administration in the past, I had urged them to talk to both Iran and Syria." Bush rejected direct talks with Syria and Iran. He said they might be part of a regional support group if they met certain conditions. The panel recommended a rapid increase in training of Iraqi forces and that U.S. combat troops be withdrawn by 2008. Asked about the recommendations, Annan said: "I never believe there is only one way of solving a problem, and I think that the idea that the president has asked for the report to look at other options, and has indicated he is going to study it is very positive." Several days ago Annan said Iraq was in the grips of a civil war and many people were worse off now than under Saddam Hussein. Annan leaves office on Dec. 31.
