(Adds details) WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Wednesday to discuss Iraq and North Korea, the White House said. It will be Bush's first news conference of the new year and comes amid strong opposition in the U.S. Congress to his reworked Iraq strategy that includes sending 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq. A White House official said Bush, in his opening statement before reporters in the East Room, will discuss a phone conversation he was expected to have with Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. U.S. officials reported on Monday night that radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, one of Iraq's most powerful figures, was believed to have left Iraq and was now in Iran. Bush will also talk about a debate in the House of Representatives this week over a proposed nonbinding resolution against his troop increase. The measure would not force the president to change course, but would be the first time lawmakers have challenged him directly on the war. Democrats argue in favor of the resolution by insisting Americans have lost faith in the war while Republicans warn against undermining the U.S. struggle with terrorism. The White House official said Bush would also talk about a breakthrough deal reached this week with North Korea to curb its nuclear ambitions. U.S. officials describe the deal as a major breakthrough but conservatives complained it rewarded bad behavior by North Korea and Democrats charged Bush allowed North Korea to become a nuclear-weapon state without gaining much improvement over a deal under former President Bill Clinton.
