WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush touted the progress made in Iraq's political process and acknowledged that there was still difficult work to be done in the country in a speech at the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia on Monday.

    "The past two and half years have been a period of difficult struggle in Iraq, yet they've also been a time of great hope and achievement for the Iraqi people," Bush said.

    "The Iraqi people have assumed sovereignty over their country, held free elections, drafted a democratic constitution and approved that constitution in a nationwide referendum," Bush said,adding that Iraqis will go to polls for the third time this year on Dec. 15 "to choose a new government under the new constitution."

    "It is a remarkable transformation for a country that has virtually no experience with democracy, and which is struggling toovercome the legacy of one of the worst tyrannies the world has known," Bush said.

    Nonetheless, Bush admitted that there is still "difficult work"to be done in Iraq and the new Iraqi government will face "many challenges" in the days ahead.

    US media has pointed out that Bush used his visit to Philadelphia, birthplace of the US Constitution, as a reminder before Iraq's Dec. 15 elections that the path to democracy is not always easy.

    This is Bush's third speech made to win the public support for the Iraq mission, as more and more Americans disapprove the Bush administration's Iraq policy and Bush's approval ratings have fallen to record lows.

    Bush's speech is also aimed at counter-attacking the Congress Democrats who have blasted Bush's Iraq policy and called for an early withdrawal of US troops in Iraq. Enditem