ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Bush and Prime Minister al-Maliki of Iraq will meet next week in Jordan to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Iraq.

Their meeting November 29–30 comes as various groups contemplate the direction of the American-led war. A Pentagon committee and the congressionally chartered Iraq Study Group have been preparing reports for Mr. Bush, and Iran has asked the presidents of Iraq and Syria to meet in Tehran.

In a joint statement last night, Messrs. Bush and Maliki said they would meet in Amman, Jordan, to discuss building security and stability in Iraq. Mr. Bush will fly directly to Amman from the NATO summit in Riga, Latvia.

The White House press secretary, Tony Snow, distributed the statement to reporters returning home with Mr. Bush from an eight-day Asia trip.

“We will focus our discussions on current developments in Iraq, progress made to date in the deliberations of a high-level joint committee on transferring security responsibilities and the role of the region in supporting Iraq,” the statement said.

“We reiterate our commitment to building the foundations of a peaceful, democratic and secure Iraq and to strengthening the partnership between our two nations,” the statement said.

Messrs. Bush and Maliki last met July 25 in Washington.

The national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, told reporters that when the two leaders meet in Jordan, “We’re not looking for a big, bold announcement.”

The meeting will allow a joint commission established to examine how to speed up the transition from coalition to Iraqi security forces to report to Messrs. Bush and Maliki, Mr. Hadley said.

“It will also be an opportunity for the president and the prime minister to review the situation in Iraq more generally and talk about the way forward in order to accomplish … move toward our objectives in an expeditious way,” he said.

The idea for a meeting came up a week or more ago, and plans accelerated in the last few days, Mr. Hadley said.

On Monday, President Ahmadinejad of Iran asked the presidents of Iraq and Syria to attend a weekend summit in Tehran, a move seen as another effort by Iran to play a strong role in the Middle East.

Asked about what role Iran and Syria should be playing, Mr. Hadley said: “We think it is important that Iraq be speaking directly to these countries and making it clear to them that they need to play a positive role in seeking security, stability, and democracy in Iraq. … We are supportive of Iraqi government officials as they deliver that message.”

Mr. Hadley said Jordan was chosen as the site of the meeting between Messrs. Bush and Maliki because of its support for the unity government in Iraq and the fact that Mr. Bush would be in the region. In their statement, the two leaders said they looked forward to meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

Mr. Bush is to arrive in Jordan in the late afternoon or early evening, conduct some business that evening and the next morning, and then return to Washington, Mr. Hadley said.

Also yesterday, Mr. Bush, heading home from an eight-day journey to reassure Asia of America’s commitment to the region, told American troops stationed in Hawaii that their participation in the war on terror “will determine how your children and grandchildren live.”

Mr. Bush had breakfast with uniformed forces at an open-sided mess hall at Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu.

He made his way through the food line, piling his plate with ham, eggs, a biscuit topped with gravy, and potatoes. He shook hands with troops in camouflage uniforms. After eating, Mr. Bush thanked the military personnel for their service “on behalf of a grateful nation.”

“You serve at a time when we witness an ideological struggle between those who love freedom and those who hate freedom,” the president said. “I’m determined, like you are determined, that freedom prevails.”

Afterward, there was a briefing at the U.S. Pacific Command, whose territory spreads from the West Coast to the Indian Ocean.