Bush Declaired End of War

US President George Bush May 1 declared that the military phase of the battle to topple Saddam Hussein`s government had ended in a speech delivered to the nation.

The declaration was made 43 days after the President had announced to the nation on the beginning of the war, which started on March 10.

He made the speech, which was aired live across the nation, on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln before thousands of uniformed sailors and aviators as the ship approached San Diego Harbor. He continued, "The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort. Our coalition will stay until our work is done.”

"The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. It is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11th, 2001, and still goes on,” he said.

He also emphasized, "The war on terror is not over, yet it is not endless. No act of the terrorists will change our purpose, or weaken our resolve, or alter their fate.”

maypole@donga.com