Hungary Is An Example Iraq Should Follow, Bush Says

BUDAPEST, Hungary June 22, 2006 — -- In a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution, President Bush reiterated the U.S. commitment in Iraq and compared the development of democracy there to Hungary's progress from communism.

Bush said the Hungarian people knew the promise of freedom because many had lived through fascism, communism or both, but now lived in a free country.

"The lesson of the Hungarian experience is clear: Liberty can be delayed, but it cannot be denied," he said.

With a beautiful backdrop of the Danube River, Bush appealed to the Hungarians' sense of their country's history to urge patience in Iraq.

"Iraq's young democracy still faces determined enemies, people who will use violence and brutality to stop the march of freedom," he said. "Defeating these enemies will require sacrifice and continued patience, the kind of patience the good people of Hungary displayed after 1956."

"We will help them rebuild a country destroyed by a tyrant. We will help the Iraqis defeat the enemies of freedom."

The president praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel al-Maliki for his commitment to what Bush called "the democratic ideals that also inspired Hungarian patriots in 1956 and 1989."

President Bush highlighted the efforts of Hungarian troops in Afghanistan and noted that they were helping to train Iraqi security forces.

"By supporting these two young democracies, you are strengthening two new allies in the war on terror, and you're bringing hope to millions of people in a vital region of the world," he said.