US President George W. Bush willsay in his State of the Union address Wednesday evening that Iraq's election opens "a new phase" for the United States to increasingly focus on training Iraqi security forces.

"The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country," Bush says in excerpts of his annual State of the Union address released by the White House in advance.

"We will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare morecapable Iraqi security forces -- forces with skilled officers, andan effective command structure," says Bush.