By Jeremy Pelofsky CARLISLE, Pa., Dec 17 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he is leaving to his successor a stronger anti-terrorism partnership with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia forged in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. For Bush, who leaves office on Jan. 20, the 2001 attacks were a defining moment of his presidency. In a speech at the U.S. Army War College, he praised the coalition of countries that sided with Washington to fight terrorism. "We will leave behind a strong coalition of more than 90 nations composing almost half the world who are committed to combating terror and sharing intelligence and keeping our citizens safe," Bush told War College students, who are studying military and intelligence methodology. "This coalition includes Pakistan. A country that was a supporter of the Taliban before Sept. 11 today is a strong partner of the United States," Bush said. While the Bush administration formed a close relationship with former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, relations between with the new government in Islamabad are still developing. Strains emerged over Pakistan's anger at U.S. air strikes on its territory near the Afghanistan border, which serves as a base for Taliban and al Qaeda-linked fighters. The United States has also pressed Pakistan to assist its nuclear rival India after attacks in Mumbai in which some of the attackers were suspected of ties to groups in Pakistan. The U.S.-Saudi relationship is another delicate one President-elect Barack Obama will inherit next month. U.S. ties with Saudi Arabia deteriorated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which leaders of the two countries have tried to mend. Despite improved security cooperation, Bush's pleas for OPEC relief from soaring oil went largely ignored when prices were hitting new highs. Now with oil prices declining, OPEC on Wednesday decided to cut oil production, which was criticized by the White House. Bush praised Saudi relations, saying: "A nation that produced 15 of the 9/11 hijackers now serves as a staunch ally in the war on terror." Bush said improved intelligence had choked off terrorist financing and derailed plots. He also touted better CIA on-the-ground intelligence and a program to interrogate key terrorism leaders. "Like the struggle against communism during the Cold War, the struggle against terror will be a generational conflict, one that will continue long beyond my presidency," Bush said. "As my administration leaves office next month, we will leave behind the institutions and tools our country needs to prevail in the long struggle ahead," he said. (Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by David Wiessler)
A pair of donated shoes that is part of a display of shoes labeled with names of Iraqis who died during the war in Iraq, is seen during a protest in ...
