U.S. President George W. Bush vowed on Saturday to continue international war against terrorism and to push for democracy in the Middle East.

"So long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it remains a place where terrorists foment resentment and threaten American security. So we are pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East," Bush told U.S. Military Academy graduates at West Point in New York state.

Bush made the remarks days after he conceded errors in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Although he endures continuing pressure to reduce the 133,000-strong U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq, Bush has never offered a timetable for troops withdrawal from the war-torn country.

Bush insisted that "the world has seen the beginning of something new: a constitutional democracy in the heart of the Middle east."