US President George W. Bush instructed on Friday that Iraq be removed from the US list of "state sponsors of terrorism".

Citing the downfall of ex-Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Bush said in a memorandum to Secretary of State Colin Powell, "There has been a fundamental change in the leadership and policies of the Government of Iraq.

"Iraq's government is not supporting acts of international terrorism...Iraq's government has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future," Bush said in the statement, which the White House made public.

To remove Iraq from the list of "state sponsors of terrorism", Powell has to inform the Congress of Bush's certification that Iraq no longer supports terrorism.

For now, in addition to Iraq, Cuba, Iran, Libya, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Syria and Sudan are on the US list of "state sponsors of terrorism".

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2004)