Washington: US President George W Bush today (May 15, 2004) said he was "determined" that incidents of abuse of Iraqi prisoners would "never" happen again and vowed to continue working with Iraqi leaders to establish a "democratic and independent" Government in the war-ravaged country.

Referring to abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib prisons and elsewhere, Bush, in his weekly address said, "Our country has great respect for the Iraqi people, and we are determined to expose and punish the abuse of Iraqi detainees."

"Charges have been filed against seven soldiers, and the first trial is set to begin next week. My administration and our military are determined that such abuses never happen again," he added.

Condemning the beheading of an American civilian Nicholas Berg by terrorists in Iraq, Bush said terrorists were "barbarians" and hence the only way to deal with them was to confront the enemy.

"The savage execution of this innocent man reminds us of the true nature of our terrorist enemy, and of the stakes in this struggle," he said.

"There is only one way to deal with terror. We must confront the enemy and stay on the offensive until these killers are defeated."

Bush asserted that this was precisely what the US and other coalition forces were doing in Iraq.

"As we attack and defeat the enemies of freedom in Iraq, we will continue to work with Iraqi leaders to build a free, democratic and independent Government.