WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Australia on Tuesday warned the United States against a hasty withdrawal from Iraq, saying the consequences would be disastrous.

"We believe that if the United States were to withdraw too quickly and inappropriately, the consequences would not only be disastrous for the Iraqi people, it could lead to neighboring countries being drawn in military conflict over Iraq and in Iraq," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters.

"And, of course, the consequences for the struggle against terrorism internationally would be utterly disastrous," added Downer, speaking after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "That's one message that we have delivered to the Americans. I know it's not a very popular message."

Australia, one of the first nations to commit forces to the U.S.-led war, is a strong U.S ally, with about 1,400 troops in and around Iraq.

U.S. President George W. Bush is under political pressure to find a way to end the U.S. involvement in Iraq, where an insurgency and brutal sectarian violence rage nearly four years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

New public opinion polls offered Bush a sobering picture of American doubts about his policy. A CBS News poll found Americans have never been as pessimistic about the Iraq war, with more than 60 percent saying it was a mistake.

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