President George W. Bush on Saturday acknowledged the "grim" daily images of violence in Iraq but again insisted that US efforts to stabilise the troubled country are working. As part of a campaign to overcome growing public disquiet about the US presence in Iraq, Bush set out his "two-track strategy" to overcome insurgents and establish democracy.
"The military track of our strategy is to defeat the terrorists and continue helping Iraqis take greater responsibility for defending their freedom," he said in his weekly radio address.
"The images we see on television are a grim reminder that the enemies of freedom in Iraq are ruthless killers with no regard for human life."
Bush said "the terrorists' objective is to break the will of America and of the Iraqi people before democracy can take root."
"This year, they tried to stop the free Iraqi elections - and failed. Now, the terrorists are trying to undermine the new government and intimidate Iraqis from joining the growing Iraqi security forces. Yet democracy is moving forward, and more and more Iraqis are defying the terrorists by joining the democratic process," he argued.
The bitter insurgency and the mounting toll on US forces in recent months have severely dented support for the Iraq campaign among the public and lawmakers.
But Bush highlighted how the US-nominated Iraqi Governing Council had kept working through insurgent threats and how the transfer of sovereignty one year ago had gone ahead, as did the country's elections in January.
Bush reaffirmed that once Iraqi security forces can do their job properly, the 130,000 US troops in Iraq would come home.
"The political track of our strategy is to continue helping Iraqis build the institutions of a stable democracy," he said, highlighting the work of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, who has been in Washington this week.
Under the current plan, the interim government must draw up a constitution by mid-August which must be approved in a referendum so elections for a permanent government can be held before the end of the year.
Bush said these were "monumental tasks for the new democracy of Iraq."
"Our nation's mission in Iraq is difficult, and we can expect more tough fighting in the weeks and months ahead.
"Yet I am confident in the outcome," he said. "The Iraqi people are growing in optimism and hope. They understand that the violence is only a part of the reality in Iraq."
While US generals have warned that more foreign fighters are moving into Iraq and there is little sign that the insurgency is abating, Bush said "increasing numbers of Iraqis are overcoming their fears and working actively to defeat the insurgents."
The president, who is preparing a major speech for Tuesday's first anniversary of the US handover to an all-Iraqi provisional government, said Americans should be "proud" of accomplishments in Iraq.
"Our country has been tested before, and we have a long history of resolve and faith in the cause of freedom. Now we will see that cause to victory in Iraq," he declared, insisting: "A democratic Iraq will be a powerful setback to the terrorists who seek to harm our nation.
Bush added that "a democratic Iraq will be a great triumph in the history of liberty."
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