Washington: Conceding that the prisoner abuse incident in Iraq has had a "terrible impact" on America's image internationally, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said President George W Bush is committed to correct the wrong.

"I spent a good part of my time in Jordan this past weekend dealing with this problem and the terrible impact it has had on our image in the world," he said addressing convocation at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina yesterday (May 17, 2004).

Powell said that the US was now going through "a period of deep disappointment, a period of deep pain over some of our soldiers not doing the right thing at a place called Abu Ghraib."

Mentioning about the international economic conference he attended in Jordan last week where the issue of American abuse of Iraqi prisoners was a recurring theme, he said, "I told the audiences... that all Americans deplored what happened there and there could be no excuse."

"Watch America. Watch how we deal with this. Watch how America will do the right thing... Watch how a nation such as ours will not tolerate such actions."

"Above all, they will see a President our President, President Bush to find out where responsibility and accountability lie. And justice will be done. The world will see that we are still a nation with a moral code that defines our national character," he said.