White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says she is unsure whether the Bush administration will seek Congress' approval for permanent Iraq occupation.

Speaking on Fox News, Perino echoed the remarks by State Department Coordinator for Iraq, David Satterfield, who earlier this week refused to say whether it is 'a constitutional requirement' for the White House to 'consult with Congress' on a long-term agreement with Iraq.

"The negotiations on it have just started. In fact, there was a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday. And members will be fully briefed. We don't know if this is going to result in something that Congress will need to approve or not," Perino said.

She added that the White House will consult with the Congress 'all along the way'.

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Perino attempted to draw parallels between Iraq and the other countries the US has been in war with before -such as Japan, Germany and South Korea.

"These countries are ones that have blossomed after we have been there for a while. And we hope that would be the same with Iraq," she expounded.

President George W. Bush is requesting a new troops surge in Iraq for a war many Americans are dissatisfied with, claiming it was launched with no justification other than 'Bush's lies'.

The US invaded Iraq in 2003 under the false pretext that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction.