WASHINGTON, February 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - As the United States and Britain amassed more troops in the Arab Gulf region, U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday, February 26, was to make a forceful case for that a looming aggression on Iraq fits into a "big picture" strategy to “promote democracy” in the Muslim world and peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

In what aides billed as a major speech, Bush aimed to put to rest “doubts” about U.S. post-war commitments to Iraq and worries that he has put the war on terrorism and the Middle East conflict on the back burner, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

"He will talk about the implications of liberation and freedom not only for the people of Iraq, but for the region," spokesman Ari Fleischer said ahead of the 7:15 pm (0015 GMT Thursday) address to a Washington think tank.

"He will talk about how Iraq and the people of Iraq are fully capable of becoming a democracy. He will talk about the impact on the Israeli-Palestinian situation as a result of bringing peace and stability to Iraq," he added.

Bush's expected statements would set the ground for a stark contrast between Washington's reported plans to occupy Iraq for more than three years after the fall of Saddam's regime and its highly-touted promises of a democratic Iraq.

The U.S earlier refused a civilian Iraqi government to be at the helm after Saddam, and its official said that only changes would be the replacement of President Saddam and his lieutenants with senior U.S. military officer.

Washington even told Iraqi opposition leaders meeting here Wednesday it does not intend to govern a post-Saddam Iraq longer than it has to, but gave no indication of how long it would stay.

Answering strong objections by speakers at the opening of an opposition summit to U.S. plans to impose a military government in Baghdad after President Saddam Hussein is ousted, U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said U.S. forces would stay in the Arab country as long as it takes to get rid of alleged terrorists and weapons of mass destruction.

"Once Saddam was toppled, Washington wanted to see that "weapons of mass destruction are destroyed, terrorists apprehended, humanitarian needs are met, security is established and that the Iraqi people are empowered to build their own future," he claimed.

But the Iraqi opposition groups have voiced concern they could be sidelined in the event of Saddam's ouster, and the Kurds also fear their autonomy could be undermined by a U.S. deal with Turkey.

"The Conquerors always call themselves liberators," one of the Kurdish opposition leaders said.

But the Capitol Hill officials kept boasting of a role of patrons of democracy all over the world.

Bush will detail a “big picture involving peace and disarmament and security in the region,” said Fleischer. "He will talk about the humanitarian role the United States will play in providing aid and comfort to the people of Iraq."

Bush has repeatedly pointed to the campaign in Afghanistan as a example of U.S. forces acting as "liberators" not conquerors and pointed to U.S. “sacrifices” in World War II on behalf of freedom from Nazi Germany.

Top officials have put forth various scenarios for military occupation of Iraq following any war to oust Saddam Hussein and have “promised” lavish efforts to ensure Iraq's territorial integrity, quell sectarian violence, and promote democracy.

Fleischer, who in the past had said that Iraq's massive oil reserves will go a long way to paying for reconstruction, told reporters Wednesday that the White House would submit a supplemental budget measure to the U.S. Congress to defray military and post-war costs.

In a related development, the U.S. Army's most senior general said that the military force required to occupy a post-Saddam Iraq could comprise several hundred thousand troops, far higher than any estimate so far.

General Eric Shinseki, the army's Chief of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iraq was "a piece of geography that's fairly significant" and that a post-war force would have to be big enough to maintain safety in a country with "ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems", The Independent reported.