NEW YORK, Jan 21: US President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address Tuesday, urged North Korea and Iran to follow Libya's lead in giving up weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes and defended the US-led war in Iraq.

"We are insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear programme," Bush said in a nationally televised address. "America and the international community are demanding that Iran meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons."

"America is committed to keeping the world's most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the world's most dangerous regimes," he said. He hailed Libya's decision last December to disclose and dismantle all of its WMD programmes, and noted that US foreign diplomacy is producing results in prompting other countries to abandon such programmes.

"For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible, and no one can now doubt the word of America," he said. Mr Bush reiterated his resolve to continue to fight against terrorism. "We refuse to live in the shadow of this ultimate danger," he said.

He defended his decision to go to war with Iraq in March last year. The US-led invasion ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power and led to his capture.

"Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programmes would continue to this day," Mr Bush said. "Had we failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been revealed as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging defiance by dictators around the world."

"There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many nations, and submitting to the objections of a few. America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people."

Mr Bush said the US policy towards Iraq was gaining support from the international community, noting that more than 30 countries, including Japan, had sent troops or committed troops to Iraq to help with its reconstruction.

"Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized," he said. "This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, El Salvador and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq.

"As we debate at home, we must never ignore the vital contributions of our international partners, or dismiss their sacrifices," he said. Mr Bush cited the progress the United States has been making in Iraq and renewed commitments to ensuring Iraq is free and peaceful.

"The once all-powerful ruler of Iraq was found in a hole, and now sits in a prison cell," he said of Saddam's capture by US forces last month. "The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right," he said. "America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right."

In the election-year State of the Union address, Mr Bush placed special emphasis on domestic concerns ranging from economic recovery and job creation to the issues of health care and marriage.