Bush makes final address, assures US economy will grow

New Delhi: US President George W Bush made his final State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

Bush steered clear of major new initiatives. With concern mounting over the health of the US economy, he sought to assure the American people that the economy will continue to grow.

"In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth. In the short run we can all see this growth is slowing," he said.

On Iraq, Bush said last year's troop buildup, in the nearly five-year-old war, is yielding results.

Looking ahead, he said that American troops would shift from leading operations to partnering with Iraqi forces.

He repeated his hope of getting a peace deal signed in the Middle East before he leaves office in January 2009.