U.S. President George W. Bush has refused to admit any mistakes in Iraq, but said the cause was "necessary and noble for peace," according to Bulgarian National Television on Monday.
"I won't let politics get in the way of making important decisions to help achieve the mission," Bush said when he was interviewed by the television station before his official visit to Bulgaria shedulled on June 10.
"You can look back on any war, and determine whether or not certain tactics could be changed, but the strategic decision, removing Saddam Hussein, was the right decision," the American president added.
Talking about the competition with Russia, Bush said he is very optimistic and does not view Russia as an enemy.
But he said: "The latest conflict (with Russia) is whether or not we should be working with our allies to develop a missile shield."
Bush said the U.S. has nothing to hide and also would like to welcome Russia to join if they wish.
"We're not trying to isolate Russia. What we're attempting to do is protect ourselves and friends and allies against a rogue regime with a missile," Bush added.
He also noted that he does not think there's a military threat toward Bulgaria. If there were, he promised that the U.S. would help them.
The American president also hailed the good relations between his country and Bulgaria.
On the invitation of Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov, President Bush will arrive in Bulgaria on June 10. The bilateral cooperation within the frame of NATO, Iraq issues, Bulgarian nurses jailed in Libya and explanations on the deployment of anti-missile system in Central Europe are expected to be among the hottest topics for discussions.