Hungary's success in sweeping away communist rule decades after the Soviet Union crushed a bloody uprising in 1956 is a shining example for Iraq to follow, President George W. Bush said yesterday.

"Hungary represents the triumph of liberty over tyranny," Mr Bush said in a speech on a hill from where Soviet troops fired on the Hungarian capital Budapest to put down the revolt.

Just weeks before Mr Bush visits Russia amid US concern that Moscow is backsliding on democracy, he praised Hungary as a "beacon of liberty" in a speech delivered at the heart of a region that was under Moscow's control for decades.

He compared Iraq's struggle to develop into a democracy to Hungary's effort to bring down communist rule 50 years ago and said Iraqis would need the same kind of patience as Hungarians as they try to establish a thriving democracy.

"Hungary is now a valued member of NATO and the European Union. You know that the democratic journey is not easy but you continue to make the tough decisions that are necessary to succeed," he said.

"The lesson of the Hungarian experience is clear - liberty can be delayed but it cannot be denied."

Aides said Mr Bush's comments were not a signal to Russia, although he will attend a summit of the Group of Eight industrialised nations in St Petersburg next month.

But his remarks on the difficulty of building democracy were clearly relevant to the Middle East, where Washington hopes a stable, democratic Iraq will serve as an example for the region.

Mr Bush noted that he had met Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last week in Baghdad.