US President George W. Bush on Wednesday reiterated the importance of the reform plan in the Middle East and said the only path to true progress was the path of freedom, justice and democracy.

"In the short term, we will work with every government in the Middle East dedicated to destroying the terrorist networks," Bush said in a speech to the graduating students at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado.

"In the longer term, we will expect a higher standard of reform and democracy from our friends in the region," said Bush, who has planned to put forward the so-called "Broader Middle East Initiative" at this year's G8 summit in the United States.

"Democracy and reform will make those nations stronger and more stable, and make the world more secure by undermining terrorism at its source. Democratic institutions in the Middle East will not grow overnight," Bush said.

"In America, they grew over generations. Yet the nations of the Middle East will find, as we have found, the only path to true progress is the path of freedom and justice and democracy," Bush said.

Bush vowed that the US struggle would not end with success in Iraq.

"Overcoming terrorism and bringing greater freedom to the nations of the Middle East is the work of decades ... This conflict will take many turns with setbacks on the course to victory," Bush said.

Source: Xinhua