21 January 2005	Friday	10 Zilhaj 1425

WASHINGTON, Jan 20: US President George Bush launched his second term on Thursday with an urgent pledge to spread freedom to "the darkest corners of our world" and vowed to heal divisions like those over the war in Iraq.

In the 55th US presidential inauguration and the first since the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, Mr Bush solemnly took the oath of office and declared that defeating terrorism required embracing a global mission to foment democracy.

"It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world," said Mr Bush.

"It is the urgent requirement of our nations security, and the calling of our time," said Mr Bush, whose first four years were scarred by terrorism and marked by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In a speech that mentioned none of those crises by name, President Bush told the polarized US public: "We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes and I will strive in good faith to heal them."

He also had conciliatory words to US allies, many of whom broke with Washington over the March 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein: "We honour your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help.

"Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedoms enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies defeat," said the president.

An unprecedented security blanket and a thin dusting of snow did not stop tens of thousands of well-wishers and protesters from streaming into downtown Washington, which was all but locked down for the ceremony.

Honoured guests included California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; former president Bill Clinton; former president Jimmy Carter; and former president George Bush and wife Barbara, the current president's parents.

First Lady Laura Bush, in a white suit, and twin daughters Barbara and Jenna, stood at Bush's side as he swore on the US Capitol steps to defend the United States and uphold the US constitution.

Pennsylvania Avenue, which links the White House to the US Capitol, was adorned with US flags and red, white and blue bunting and lined with cheering supporters as well as demonstrators clutching signs such as: "In fighting monsters, we are becoming one."

But Mr Bush had words for those concerned about his preemptive war policy, saying that spreading freedom was "not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary."

And, in response to some critics who say Washington is forcing its values on others, Mr Bush pledged that "America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way."

"We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world," he said.

While Mr Bush has repeatedly said elections scheduled for Jan 30 in Iraq as a beacon of hope in that strife-torn country, the closest he came to referring to the war there was to say: "Because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom."

Earlier, Mr Bush, accompanied by his wife, daughters, his parents, and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, attended an early service in the "Church of Presidents," Saint John's, two blocks from White House under heavy guard.

An army of police and secret service agents responsible for the president's safety patrolled the streets around the White House, which were sealed with forbidding black anti-riot fences while dump trucks blocked key access points.

On the grounds of the presidential mansion itself, specially trained counter-assault forces could be seen, stamping their feet to keep warm in the chilly morning air while clutching submachine guns.

In his speech, Mr Bush also laid out domestic goals such as helping more Americans own their own homes and businesses, improving US education, and partially privatizing the government-run social security retirement programme. Following in tradition, he gave few specifics, something left to his Feb 2 State of the Union address. -AFP