World News Bush says U.S. will persevere in Iraq

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CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) - President George W. Bush, trying to dispel rising doubts about the war in Iraq, declared May 24 the United States would stay in Iraq until it was free and democratic.

He said that the United States would keep its troop level at the current 138,000 as long as necessary but suggested that more U.S. soldiers might have to be sent.

In a half-hour prime-time address at the U.S. Army War College, he also promised to demolish the Abu Ghraib prison that has become an ugly symbol of the U.S. occupation.

With nearly 800 U.S. soldiers killed so far in Iraq, Bush warned that the violence would continue and probably get worse. "There are difficult days ahead and the way forward may sometimes appear chaotic," he said.

Five months before the U.S. presidential election, Iraq has helped push down Bush's approval rating to a new low and has increased doubts about his handling of the war.

In response, he outlined five steps that he said would help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom: transferring authority to a sovereign new Iraqi government, helping establish security in areas still gripped by chaos, urging broader international support, reconstructing the country, and setting up national elections.

米、イラク民主化への措置発表

ブッシュ米大統領は5月24日、イラク戦争で挙げられている疑惑を払しょくしようと、アメリカは、自由と民主化がもたらされるまで、イラクにとどまるという方針を発表した。

Shukan ST: June 4, 2004

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