Washington ? The U.S. military is working more aggressively to forge cease-fires with Iraqi militants and quell the violence around Baghdad, judging that 80 percent of enemy combatants are “reconcilable,” a top U.S. commander said Thursday.

However, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno also warned that he may not be able to make a full assessment of the situation in Iraq by September, as demanded by lawmakers.

Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters by video conference that he is pressing his military officers to reach out to the tribes, to some small insurgent groups and to religious and political leaders to push them to stop the violence.

“We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won’t conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces,” Odierno said from Camp Victory in Baghdad. “We believe a large majority of groups within Iraq are reconcilable and are now interested in engaging with us. But more importantly, they want to engage and become a part of the government of Iraq.”

Stemming the violence in and around the capital city is key to giving the Iraqi government time to stabilize and move toward reconciliation with the warring sectarian factions. That would then allow the U.S. to begin withdrawing troops.

Odierno said he believes that about 80 percent of the enemy fighters – including key Sunni insurgent groups and Shiite militia – could be brought into the political process. The remainder, he said, are largely al-Qaida operatives who will have to be captured or killed.

He cautioned that the process will be slow. And he repeatedly warned that he may need more time to determine if the military buildup ordered by President Bush earlier this year has begun to work.

He said he will provide his report in September as required.

“The assessment might be I’ve seen enough and it’s effective, or I’ve seen enough and it’s not going to be effective,” Odierno said. “Right now if you asked me, I would tell you I’ll probably need a little bit more time to do a true assessment.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was visiting the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, said Thursday that he expects commanders to begin evaluating the buildup by the end of the summer and he will provide an interim report due to Congress in July.

“I don’t think the goalposts have changed really at all,” he said, when asked about Odierno’s comments.

Odierno added that as the final units of the troop buildup move into Iraq, it may take them up to two months to “really get a feel for their sectors, so they truly can have an impact on security and stability in their area.”

Complicating matters, he said, is that the enemy knows about the September deadline and is likely to increase the violence during the next few months in an effort to push the U.S. out.

“They understand that if things aren’t going well, a recommendation might be made to reduce our force presence here in Iraq,” Odierno said. “So in my mind, of course they’re going to try to do that.”