US President George W. Bush delivers a prime-time speech at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, May 24. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush on Monday warned of difficult days ahead for the US-led coalition forces in Iraq, but vowed to stick to the June 30 deadline for the occupation authority to transfer power to Iraqis.

    "Our work in Iraq has been hard. Our coalition has faced changing conditions of war, and that has required perseverance, sacrifice and an ability to adapt," Bush said in a prime-time speech delivered at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

    Bush accused elements loyal to ousted former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and foreign terrorists of trying to sow chaos and seize regional power for themselves.

    "These groups and individuals have conflicting ambitions, but they share a goal: They hope to wear out the patience of Americans,our coalition and Iraqis before the arrival of effective self-government and before Iraqis have the capability to defend their freedom," he said.

    "Iraq now faces a critical moment. As the Iraqi people move closer to governing themselves, the terrorists are likely to become more active and more brutal," Bush warned. "There are difficult days ahead and the way forward may sometimes appear chaotic."

    Bush, who is facing growing skepticism at home over his administration's plan to return power to Iraqis, vowed that the June 30 deadline for handover will be honored despite of a series of setbacks for the coalition forces in recent weeks, including mounting violence across Iraq.

    "Our coalition has a clear goal understood by all: to see the Iraqi people in charge of Iraq for the first time in generations,"he said. "And the sooner this goal is achieved, the sooner our job will be done."

    "The June 30 transfer of sovereignty is an essential commitmentof our strategy," Bush stressed.

    He then laid out in details five steps in the US plan to rebuild Iraq. The five steps are: handing over authority to a sovereign Iraqi government, helping establish security, continuingrebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, encouraging more international support, and moving toward a national election that will bring forward new leaders empowered by the Iraqis.

    Specifically, Bush said America and its coalition partners in Iraq will continue to provide technical experts to help the ministries of an interim Iraqi government, but these ministries will report to Iraq's new prime minister.

    Given the recent increase in violence, he said, the United States will maintain its troop level at the current 138,000 as long as necessary.

    After June 30, US and its coalition forces will still have important duties and American military forces in Iraq will operateunder American command as a part of a multinational force authorized by the United Nations, he said.

    "Iraq's new sovereign government will still face enormous security challenges, and our forces will be there to help," Bush said.

    In particular, the US president said America will fund the construction of a modern prison in Iraq after the handover to replace the notorious Abu Ghraib prison which has become "a symbolof disgraceful conduct" because of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops.

    "With the approval of the Iraqi government, we will demolish the Abu Ghraib prison as a fitting symbol of Iraq's new beginning," he said.

    Talking about a new Iraqi resolution presented to the UN Security Council by the United States and Britain on Monday, Bush said he had directed US Secretary of State Colin Powell to work with other members of the Security Council on the document.

    He expressed confidence that such a resolution would be adopteddespite past disagreements among the council members over the US-led war against Iraq. Enditem