WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President Bush spent a second day Tuesday reaching out to world leaders to jimmy up international support for Iraq's elections.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush Tuesday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Schieffer and EU President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Bush thanked the leaders for their "strong statements in support of the democratic process now advancing in Iraq' and emphasized the importance of maintaining its momentum by supporting the new Iraqi government and its institutions, McClellan said.
Bush travels to Europe later this month. He is expected to press European allies, including those opposed to the Iraq War, for more help in bringing stability to Iraq and the Middle East in general.
Bush on Monday spoke to two main opponents of the war -- President Jacques Chirac of France and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
As many as 60 percent of Iraq's eligible voters turned out to cast ballots for a national assembly Sunday, defying terrorist threats and violence. The assembly will draft a national constitution, which will eventually lead to a permanent Iraqi government.
