Bush outlines agenda for new term

US President George W. Bush outlined his agenda for his second term on Thursday, after claiming victory Wednesday in the presidential election.

Bush said at a news conference, following a cabinet meeting earlier in the morning, that Americans should come together to combat terror, appealing to voters who had voted for his rival John Kerry.

"Whatever our past disagreements, we share a common enemy. And we have common duties to protect our peoples," he said.

Top on his agenda was anti-terrorism. "We are fighting a continuing war on terror and every American has a stake in the outcome of this war," he said.

The president pledge to reach out to US "friends and allies, our partners in the EU and NATO to promote development and progress, to defeat the terrorists."

The United States would work to ensure the Iraqi elections scheduled for January next year were a success and security in the country was maintained, and that peace in the Middle East was crucial to global stability, he added.

On the domestic front, Bush vowed to take practical measures to help "job creators, the entrepreneurs and the small-business owners," to accelerate the momentum of the economy and to keep creating jobs.

The "complicated and outdated tax code" must be reformed, as "needless paperwork" was a drag on the economy, he said.

He promised to confront frivolous lawsuits which he said were driving up the cost of health care and hurting doctors and patients, and continue education reform to bring high standards and accountability to schools.

On Social Security, Bush said it was "more than a problem to be solved", it was an opportunity to help millions of Americans "find security and independence that comes from owning something, from ownership."