Less than a week after the creation of the Iraqi government, US President George W. Bush and Tony Blair, the British prime minister, meet on Thursday night in Washington to discuss the timing of troop withdrawals in an effort to address growing domestic unease about the war.
Although US and British officials stress they will pursue a conditions-based approach to withdrawal and shun artificial timetables, on Tuesday Mr Bush gave his clearest signal that he sees the new government as a critical turning point. "This is a new chapter in our relationship," he said.
"This sovereign government is going to assess their security situation and their security forces and their needs, and work with our commanders . . . we're now able to take a new assessment about the needs necessary for the Iraqis," he said.
The meeting between the two leaders in Washington had been delayed until the creation of the Iraqi government. According to Downing Street, it will offer the first chance for Mr Blair to brief Mr Bush about his impressions from his visit to Baghdad on Monday, and on the change the national unity government could make.
Officials said Mr Blair got a genuine sense that Nuri al-Maliki, the new prime minister, wants to make the government work and that no-one, not even Sunnis, wanted the British to leave immediately.
The US has 133,000 troops in Iraq, which the administration had been hoping to reduce to 100,000 by the end of the year. Britain has 8,000 troops in Iraq. On Monday, Mr Maliki said Iraqi security forces would assume control of two stable provinces from June, and a further 14 of the 18 by the year-end.
On Wednesday he predicted: "Our forces are capable of taking over the security in all Iraqi provinces within a year and a half."
Mr Blair and Mr Bush are also expected to call for better equipment and training for Iraqi security forces, and seek co-ordinated international support for rebuilding Iraq.
The war has severely undercut the authority of both men, with success in Iraq defining their political legacies. Mr Bush has increasingly looked beyond his sluggish approval ratings – at a low of 31 per cent – to history to judge him on the war. "If you're thinking big enough, that history will prove you right or wrong. But you won't know in the short term," he said this month.
Karl Rove, Mr Bush's chief political strategist, recently conceded: "We're in a sour time. I mean, being in the middle of a war where people turn on their television sets and see brave men and women dying is not something that makes people happy and optimistic and upbeat."
Although Iraq is the focus, the talks will be wide-ranging, including progress in Iran, Sudan, the coming G8 summit and concerns about Russia, a follow up on Africa and last year's G8 at Gleneagles and the stalled progress of the Doha talks. "They will talk about how to deal with Russia in light of its recent behaviour," said one US official.