Franks, speaking to reporters briefly during the one-day visit, said the trip to the Iraqi capital was partly an "emotional event" to show appreciation to commanders "who have done the bone-crushing hard work."

The US Central Command chief flew into Baghdad's airport, one of the first sites in the Iraqi capital secured by US troops, his military plane landing on a taxiway as the runway was still in disrepair from the bombing campaign.

Franks rode in a dozen-vehicle motorcade, which included Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles, to Saddam's Abu Ghurayb North Palace, which has been converted into a US military center.

The general toured the ornate rooms of the palace, including a bathroom where the sink fixtures, toilet-paper dispenser and toilet-bowl brush were all made of gold.

"It's the oil-for-palace program," said Franks, referring sarcastically to the "oil-for-food" program under which Iraq was able to sell oil under UN supervision for food, medicine and other necessities.

Smoking a cigar in the palace, Franks spoke by telephone with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld before he and other commanders held a closed-door teleconference with Bush.

Franks declined to give details about his talks with Bush, saying that he "simply provide(s) the president and the National Security Council a statement of where we are in the operation."

"I think over the past week we have seen water being turned back on in this country. I think we have seen power being turned back on in this country. I think we've seen hospitals going back to work all over the country," Franks said.

But he cautioned that there was still fighting going in on Iraq.

"Every day we see remnants of what we call Arab fighters of foreign fighters who have come in from a number of other countries," Franks said.

Franks had earlier stressed that his trip to the Iraqi capital was meant to meet with troops and that he was "not looking to have a victory parade in downtown Baghdad."

(ATTENTION: POOL REPORT)

SPACE.WIRE