APPENDICES
Geor ge W. Bush The I r aqi Thr eat Cincinnat i, OH Oct ober 7, 2002
Thank y ou all. Thank you for t hat ver y gr acious and w ar m Cincinnat i w elcom e. I 'm honor ed t o be her e t onight ; I appr eciat e you all com ing.
Tonight I w ant t o t ake a few m inut es t o discuss a gr ave t hr eat t o peace, and Am er ica's det er m inat ion t o lead t he w or ld in confr ont ing t hat t hr eat .
The t hr eat com es fr om I r aq. I t ar ises dir ect ly fr om t he I r aqi r egim e's ow n act ions - - it s hist or y of aggr ession, and it s dr ive t ow ar d an ar senal of t er r or . Eleven year s ago, as a condit ion for ending t he Per sian Gulf War , t he I r aqi r egim e w as r equir ed t o dest r oy it s w eapons of m ass dest r uct ion, t o cease all developm ent of such w eapons, and t o st op all suppor t for t er r or ist gr oups. The I r aqi regim e has violat ed all of t hose obligat ions. I t possesses and pr oduces chem ical and biological w eapons. I t is seek ing nuclear w eapons. I t has given shelt er and suppor t t o t er r or ism , and pr act ices t er r or against it s ow n people. The ent ir e w or ld has w it nessed I r aq's eleven- year hist or y of defiance, decept ion and bad fait h.
We also m ust nev er for get t he m ost vivid event s of r ecent hist or y. On Sept em ber t he 11t h, 2001, Am er ica felt it s vulner abilit y - - ev en t o t hr eat s t hat gat her on t he ot her side of t he ear t h. We r esolv ed t hen, and w e ar e r esolved t oday, t o confr ont ever y t hr eat , fr om any sour ce, t hat
could
Mem ber s of t he Congr ess of bot h polit ical par t ies, and m em ber s of t he Unit ed Nat ions Secur it y Council, agr ee t hat Saddam Hussein is a t hr eat t o peace and m ust disar m . We agr ee t hat t he I r aqi dict at or m ust not be per m it t ed t o t hr eat en Am er ica and t he w or ld w it h hor r ible poisons and diseases and gases and at om ic w eapons. Since w e all agr ee on t his goal, t he issues is : how can w e best achieve it ?
1
br ing sudden t er r or and suffer ing t o Am er ica.
Many Am er icans hav e r aised legit im at e quest ions: about t he nat ur e of t he t hr eat ; about t he ur gency of act ion - - w hy be concer ned now ; about t he link bet w een I r aq developing w eapons of t er r or , and t he w ider w ar on t er r or . These ar e all issues w e've discussed br oadly and fully w it hin m y adm inist r at ion. And t onight , I w ant t o shar e t hose discussions w it h you.
chem ical w eapons t o kill t housands of people. This sam e t y r ant has t r ied t o dom inat e t he Middle East , has invaded and br ut ally occupied a sm all neighbor , has st r uck ot her nat ions w it hout w ar ning, and holds an unr elent ing host ilit y t ow ar d t he Unit ed St at es.
By it s past and pr esent act ions, by it s t echnological capabilit ies, by t he m er ciless nat ur e of it s r egim e, I r aq is unique. As a for m er chief w eapons inspect or of t he U. N. has said, " The fundam ent al pr oblem w it h I raq r em ains t he nat ur e of t he r egim e, it self. Saddam Hussein is a hom icidal dict at or w ho is addict ed t o w eapons of m ass dest r uct ion."
Som e4 ask how ur gent t his danger is t o Am er ica and t he w or ld. The danger is alr eady significant , and it only gr ow s w or se w it h t im e. I f
I n 1995, aft er sev er al year s of deceit by t he I r aqi r egim e, t he head of I r aq's m ilit ar y indust r ies defect ed. I t w as t hen t hat t he r egim e w as for ced t o adm it t hat it had pr oduced m or e t han 30,000 lit er s of ant hr ax and ot her deadly biological agent s. The inspect or s, how ever , concluded t hat I r aq had
5 w e
know Saddam Hussein has danger ous w eapons t oday - - and w e do - - does it m ake any sense for t he w or ld t o w ait t o confr ont him as he gr ow s even st r onger and develops even m or e danger ous w eapons?
likely
We know t hat t he r egim e has pr oduced t housands of t ons of chem ical agent s, including m ust ar d gas, sar in ner ve gas, VX ner ve gas. Saddam Hussein also has ex per ience in using chem ical w eapons. He has or der ed chem ical at t acks on I r an, and on m or e t han for t y villages in his ow n count r y. These act ions killed or inj ur ed at least 20, 000 people, m or e t han six t im es t he num ber of people w ho died in t he at t acks of Sept em ber t he 11t h.
6 pr oduced t w o t o four t im es t hat am ount . This is a
m assive st ockpile of biological w eapons t hat has never been account ed for , and capable of killing m illions.
And sur veillance phot os r eveal t hat t he r egim e is r ebuilding facilit ies t hat it had used t o pr oduce chem ical and biological w eapons. Ever y chem ical and biological w eapon t hat I r aq has or m akes is a dir ect violat ion of t he t r uce t hat ended t he Per sian Gulf War in 1991. Yet , Saddam Hussein has chosen t o build and keep t hese w eapons despit e int er nat ional sanct ions, U.N. dem ands, and isolat ion fr om t he civilized w or ld.
I r aq possesses ballist ic m issiles w it h a likely7 r ange of hundr eds of m iles -- far enough t o st r ike Saudi Ar abia, I sr ael, Tur key, and ot her nat ions -- -- in a r egion w her e m or e t han 135,000 Am er ican civilians and ser vice m em ber s live and w or k. We've also discover ed t hr ough int elligence t hat I r aq has a gr ow ing fleet of m anned and unm anned aer ial vehicles t hat
And t hat is t he sour ce of our ur gent concer n about Saddam Hussein's links t o int er nat ional t er r or ist gr oups. Over t he year s, I r aq has pr ovided safe haven t o t er r or ist s such as Abu Nidal, w hose t er r or or ganizat ion car r ied out m or e t han 90 t er r or ist at t acks in 20 count r ies t hat killed or inj ur ed near ly 900 people, including 12 Am er icans. I r aq has also pr ovided safe haven t o Abu Abbas, w ho w as r esponsible for seizing t he Achille Laur o and killing an Am er ican passenger . And w e know t hat I r aq is cont inuing t o finance t er r or and gives assist ance t o gr oups t hat use t er r or ism t o under m ine Middle East peace.
We know t hat I r aq and t he al Qaeda t er r or ist net w or k shar e a com m on enem y - - t he Unit ed St at es of Am er ica. We know t hat I r aq and al Qaeda have had high- level cont act s t hat go back a decade. Som e al Qaeda leader s w ho fled Afghanist an w ent t o I r aq. These include one v er y senior al Qaeda leader w ho r eceived m edical t r eat m ent in Baghdad t his year , and w ho has been associat ed w it h planning for chem ical and biological at t acks. We've lear ned t hat I r aq has t r ained al Qaeda m em ber s in bom b-m aking and poisons and deadly gases. And w e know t hat aft er Sept em ber t he 11t h, Saddam Hussein's r egim e gleefully celebr at ed t he t er r or ist at t ack s on Am er ica.
I r aq could10 decide on any given day t o pr ovide a biological or chem ical w eapon t o a t er r or ist gr oup or individual t er r or ist s. Alliance w it h t er r or ist s
could11 allow t he I raqi r egim e t o at t ack Am er ica w it hout leaving any finger pr int s.
Som e12 have ar gued t hat confr ont ing t he t hr eat fr om I r aq could
Ter r or cells and out law r egim es building w eapons of m ass dest r uct ion ar e differ ent faces of t he sam e ev il. Our secur it y r equir es t hat w e confr ont bot h. And t he Unit ed St at es m ilit ar y is capable of confr ont ing bot h.
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det r act fr om t he w ar against t er r or . To t he cont r ar y ; confr ont ing t he t hr eat posed by I r aq is cr ucial t o w inning t he w ar on t er r or . When I spoke t o Congr ess m or e t han a year ago, I said t hat t hose w ho har bor t er r or ist s ar e as guilt y as t he t er r or ist s t hem selves. Saddam Hussein is har bor ing t er r or ist s and t he inst r um ent s of t er r or , t he inst r um ent s of m ass deat h and dest r uct ion. And he cannot be t r ust ed. The r isk is sim ply t oo gr eat t hat he w ill use t hem , or pr ovide t hem t o a t er r or net w or k.
going next ; t hey for ged docum ent s, dest r oyed ev idence, and developed m obile w eapons facilit ies t o keep a st ep ahead of inspect or s. Eight so-called pr esident ial palaces w er e declar ed off- lim it s t o unfet t er ed inspect ions. These sit es act ually encom pass t w elve squar e m iles, w it h hundr eds of st r uct ur es, bot h above and below t he gr ound, w her e sensit ive m at er ials could be hiden.”
The w or ld has also t r ied econom ic sanct ions - - and w at ched I r aq use billions of dollar s in illegal oil r evenues t o fund m or e w eapons pur chases, r at her t han pr oviding for t he needs of t he I r aqi people.
The w or ld has t r ied lim it ed m ilit ar y st r ikes t o dest r oy I r aq's w eapons of m ass dest r uct ion capabilit ies - - only t o see t hem openly r ebuilt , w hile t he r egim e again denies t hey even exist .
The w or ld has t r ied no- fly zones t o keep Saddam fr om t er r or izing his ow n people - - and in t he last year alone, t he I r aqi m ilit ar y has fir ed upon Am er ican and Br it ish pilot s m or e t han 750 t im es.
Aft er elev en year s dur ing w hich w e hav e t r ied cont ainm ent , sanct ions, inspect ions, even select ed m ilit ar y act ion, t he end r esult is t hat Saddam Hussein st ill has chem ical and biological w eapons and is incr easing his capabilit ies t o m ak e m or e. And he is m ov ing ever closer t o developing a nuclear w eapon.
Clear ly, t o act ually w or k, any new inspect ions, sanct ions or enfor cem ent m echanism s w ill have t o be v er y differ ent . Am er ica w ant s t he U.N. t o be an effect ive or ganizat ion t hat helps keep t he peace. And t hat is w hy w e ar e ur ging t he Secur it y Council t o adopt a new r esolut ion set t ing out t ough, im m ediat e r equir em ent s. Am ong t hose r equir em ent s: t he I r aqi r egim e m ust r eveal and dest r oy, under U.N. super vision, all exist ing w eapons of m ass dest r uct ion. To ensur e t hat w e lear n t he t r ut h, t he r egim e m ust allow w it nesses t o it s illegal act ivit ies t o be int er view ed out side t he count r y - - and t hese w it nesses m ust be fr ee t o br ing t heir fam ilies w it h t hem so t hey all bey ond t he r each of Saddam Hussein's t er r or and m ur der . And inspect or s m ust have access t o any sit e, at any t im e, w it hout pr e- clear ance, w it hout delay , w it hout except ions.
The t im e for denying, deceiving, and delaying has com e t o an end. Saddam Hussein m ust disar m him self - - or , for t he sake of peace, w e w ill lead a coalit ion t o disar m him .
Many nat ions ar e j oining us in insist ing t hat Saddam Hussein's r egim e be held account able. They ar e com m it t ed t o defending t he int er nat ional secur it y t hat pr ot ect s t he lives of bot h our cit izens and t heir s. And t hat 's w hy Am er ica is challenging all nat ions t o t ake t he r esolut ions of t he U.N. Secur it y Council ser iously.
as t he lives of Afghanist an's cit izens im pr oved aft er t he Taliban. The dict at or of I r aq is a st udent of St alin, using m ur der as a t ool of t er r or and cont r ol, w it hin his ow n cabinet , w it hin his ow n ar m y, and even w it hin his ow n fam ily.
On Saddam Hussein's or der s, opponent s have been decapit at ed, w ives and m ot her s of polit ical opponent s hav e been sy st em at ically r aped as a m et hod of int im idat ion, and polit ical pr isoner s hav e been for ced t o w at ch t heir ow n childr en being t or t ur ed.
Am er ica believes
I r aq is a land r ich in cult ur e, r esour ces, and t alent . Fr eed fr om t he w eight of oppr ession, I r aq's people w ill be able t o shar e in t he pr ogr ess and pr osper it y of our t im e.
36 t hat all people ar e ent it led t o hope and hum an r ight s,
t o t he non- negot iable dem ands of hum an dignit y. People ever yw her e pr efer fr eedom t o slaver y ; pr osper it y t o squalor ; self- gover nm ent t o t he r ule of t er r or and t or t ur e. Am er ica is a fr iend t o t he people of I r aq. Our dem ands ar e dir ect ed only at t he r egim e t hat enslaves t hem and t hr eat ens us. When t hese dem ands ar e m et , t he fir st and gr eat est benefit w ill com e t o I r aqi m en, w om en and childr en. The oppr ession of Kur ds, Assyr ians, Tur kom ans, Shi'a, Sunnis and ot her s w ill be lift ed. The long capt ivit y of I r aq w ill end, and an er a of new hope w ill begin.
I f
Lat er t his w eek, t he Unit ed St at es Congr ess w ill vot e on t his m at t er . I have asked Congr ess t o aut hor ize t he use of Am er ica's m ilit ar y ,
37 m ilit ar y act ion is necessar y, t he Unit ed St at es
and our allies w ill help t he I r aqi people r ebuild t heir econom y, and cr eat e t he inst it ut ions of liber t y in a unified I r aq at peace w it h it s neighbor s.
if
Mem ber s of Congr ess ar e near ing an hist or ic vot e. I 'm confident t hey w ill fully consider t he fact s, and t heir dut ies.
38 it
pr oves necessar y, t o enfor ce U.N. Secur it y Council dem ands. Appr oving t his r esolut ion does not m ean t hat m ilit ar y act ion is im m inent or unavoidable. The r esolut ion w ill t ell t he Unit ed Nat ions, and all nat ions, t hat Am er ica speaks w it h one voice and is det er m ined t o m ake t he dem ands of t he civilized w or ld m ean som et hing. Congr ess w ill also be sending a m essage t o t he dict at or in I r aq: t hat his only chance - - his only choice is full com pliance, and t he t im e r em aining for t hat choice is lim it ed.
The at t ack s of Sept em ber t he 11t h show ed our count r y t hat v ast oceans no longer pr ot ect us fr om danger . Befor e t hat t r agic dat e, w e had only hint s of al Qaeda's plans and designs. Today in I r aq, w e see a t hr eat w hose out lines ar e far m or e clear ly defined, and w hose consequences could be far m or e deadly. Saddam Hussein's act ions have put us on not ice, and t her e is no r efuge fr om our r esponsibilit ies.
give st r engt h t o ot her s. By our cour age, w e w ill give hope t o ot her s. And by our act ions, w e w ill secur e t he peace, and lead t he w or ld t o a bet t er day.
George W. Bush
War Message
Washingt on, DC
March 19, 2003
My fellow cit izens, at t his hour Am er ican and coalit ion for ces ar e in t he ear ly st ages of m ilit ar y oper at ions t o disar m I r aq, t o fr ee it s people and t o defend t he w or ld fr om gr ave danger .
On m y or der s, coalit ion for ces have begun st r iking select ed t ar get s of m ilit ar y im por t ance t o under m ine Saddam Hussein's abilit y t o w age w ar . These ar e opening st ages of w hat w ill be a br oad and concer t ed cam paign.
Mor e t han 35 count r ies ar e giving cr ucial suppor t , fr om t he use of naval and air bases, t o help w it h int elligence and logist ics, t o t he deploym ent of com bat unit s. Ever y nat ion in t his coalit ion has chosen t o bear t he dut y and shar e t he honor of ser ving in our com m on defense.
To all of t he m en and w om en of t he Unit ed St at es ar m ed for ces now in t he Middle East , t he peace of a t r oubled w or ld and t he hopes of an oppr essed people now depend on you.
That t r ust is w ell placed.
The enem ies you confr ont w ill com e t o know your skill and br aver y. The people you liber at e w ill wit ness t he honor able and decent spir it of t he Am er ican m ilit ar y.
I n t his conflict , Am er ica faces an enem y w ho has no r egar d for convent ions of w ar or r ules of m or alit y. Saddam Hussein has placed I r aqi t r oops and equipm ent in civilian ar eas, at t em pt ing t o use innocent m en, w om en and childr en as shields for his ow n m ilit ar y; a final at r ocit y against his people.
I w ant Am er icans and all t he w or ld t o know t hat coalit ion for ces w ill m ake ever y effor t t o spar e innocent civilians fr om har m . A cam paign on t he har sh t er r ain of a nat ion as lar ge as Califor nia could39
We com e t o I r aq w it h r espect for it s cit izens, for t heir gr eat civilizat ion and for t he r eligious fait hs t hey pr act ice. We have no am bit ion in I r aq, except t o r em ove a t hr eat and r est or e cont r ol of t hat count r y t o it s ow n people.
be longer and m or e difficult t han som e pr edict . And helping I r aqis achieve a unit ed, st able and fr ee count r y w ill r equir e our sust ained com m it m ent .
Million of Am er icans ar e pr aying w it h y ou for t he safet y of your loved ones and for t he pr ot ect ion of t he innocent .
For your sacr ifice, y ou hav e t he gr at it ude and r espect of t he Am er ican people and you can know t hat our for ces w ill be com ing hom e as soon as
Our nat ion ent er s t his conflict r eluct ant ly, yet our pur pose is sur e. The people of t he Unit ed St at es and our fr iends and allies w ill not live at t he m er cy of an out law r egim e t hat t hr eat ens t he peace w it h w eapons of m ass m ur der .
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t heir w or k is done.
We w ill m eet t hat t hr eat now w it h our Ar m y, Air For ce, Navy, Coast Guar d and Mar ines, so t hat w e do not hav e t o m eet it lat er w it h ar m ies of fir efight er s and police and doct or s on t he st r eet s of our cit ies.
Now t hat conflict has com e, t he only w ay t o lim it it s dur at ion is t o apply decisive for ce. And I assur e y ou, t his w ill not be a cam paign of half m easur es and w e w ill accept no out com e but vict or y .
My fellow cit izens, t he danger s t o our count r y and t he w or ld w ill be over com e. We w ill pass t hr ough t his t im e of per il and car r y on t he w or k of peace. We w ill defend our fr eedom . We w ill br ing fr eedom t o ot her s. And w e w ill pr evail.
Geor ge W. Bush
Addr ess One Year Aft er Oper at ion I r aqi Fr eedom Washingt on, DC
Mar ch 19, 2004
Good m or ning and t hanks for com ing. Laur a and I ar e pleased t o w elcom e y ou all t o t he Whit e House. Mr . Secr et ar y , t hank you for being her e. Mem ber s of m y Nat ional Secur it y Council ar e her e, m em ber s of t he adm inist r at ion, m em ber s of our ar m ed for ces, m em ber s of t he Unit ed St at es Congr ess. Thank you for being her e. Ladies and gent lem en. I par t icular ly w ant t o t hank t he m em ber s of t he Diplom at ic Cor ps w ho ar e her e; t hank t he am bassador s for com ing t oday.
We ar e r epr esent ing 84 count r ies unit ed against a com m on danger , and j oined in a com m on pur pose. We ar e t he nat ions t hat hav e r ecognized t he t hr eat of t er r or ism , and w e ar e t he nat ions t hat w ill defeat t hat t hr eat . Each of us has pledged befor e t he w or ld: We w ill never bow t o t he violence of a few . We w ill face t his m or t al danger , and w e w ill over com e it t oget her .
As w e m eet , violence and deat h at t he hands of t er r or ist s ar e st ill fr esh in our m em or y. The people of Spain ar e bur ying t heir innocent dead. These m en and w om en and childr en began t heir day in a gr eat and peaceful cit y, yet lost t heir lives on a bat t lefield, m ur der ed at r andom and w it hout r em or se. Am er icans saw t he chaos and t he gr ief, and t he vigils and t he funer als, and w e have shar ed in t he sor r ow of t he Spanish people. Am bassador Ruper ez, please accept our deepest sy m pat hy for t he gr eat loss t hat y our count r y has suffer ed.
The m ur der s in Madr id ar e a r em inder t hat t he civilized w or ld is at w ar . And in t his new kind of w ar , civilians find t hem selves suddenly on t he fr ont lines. I n r ecent year s, t er r or ist s hav e st r uck fr om Spain, t o Russia, t o I sr ael, t o East Afr ica, t o Mor occo, t o t he Philippines, and t o Am er ica. They'v e t ar get ed Ar ab st at es such as Saudi Ar abia, Jor dan, and Yem en. They have at t acked Muslim s in I ndonesia, Tur key, Pakist an, I r aq, and Afghanist an. No nat ion or r egion is exem pt fr om t he t er r or ist s' cam paign of violence.
Each of t hese at t ack s on t he innocent is a shock, and a t r agedy, and a t est of our w ill. Each at t ack is designed t o dem or alize our people and divide us fr om one anot her . And each at t ack m ust be answ er ed, not only w it h sor r ow , but w it h gr eat er det er m inat ion, deeper r esolve, and bolder act ion against t he killer s. I t is t he int er est of ever y count r y, and t he dut y of ever y gover nm ent , t o fight and dest r oy t his t hr eat t o our people.
claim ing r esponsibilit y for t he at r ocit ies in Madr id, a m an is hear d t o I ndonesia, and Sout heast Asia. Our coalit ion is sending an unm ist akable m essage t o t he t er r or ist s, including t hose w ho st r uck in Madr id: These killer s w ill be t r ack ed dow n and found, t hey w ill face t heir day of j ust ice.
Our coalit ion is also confr ont ing t he danger ous com binat ion of out law st at es, t er r or ist gr oups, and w eapons of m ass dest r uct ion. For year s, t he Taliban m ade Afghanist an t he hom e base of al Qaeda. And so w e gav e t he Taliban a choice: t o abandon for ever t heir suppor t for t er r or , or face t he dest r uct ion of t heir r egim e. Because t he Taliban chose defiance, our coalit ion act ed t o r em ove t his t hr eat . And now t he t er r or cam ps ar e closed, and t he gov er nm ent of a fr ee Afghanist an is r epr esent ed her e t oday as an act ive par t ner in t he w ar on t er r or .
The people of Afghanist an ar e a w or ld aw ay fr om t he night m ar e of t he Taliban. Cit izens of Afghanist an hav e adopt ed a new const it ut ion, guar ant eeing fr ee elect ions and full par t icipat ion by w om en. The new Afghan ar m y is becom ing a vit al for ce of st abilit y in t hat count r y . Businesses ar e opening, healt h car e cent er s ar e being est ablished, and t he childr en of Afghanist an ar e back in school, boys and gir ls.
This pr ogr ess is a t r ibut e t o t he br ave Afghan people, and t o t he effor t s of m any nat ions. NATO - - including for ces fr om Canada, Fr ance, Ger m any, and ot her nat ions - - is leading t he effor t t o pr ovide secur it y . Japan and Saudi Ar abia have helped t o com plet e t he highw ay fr om Kabul t o Kandahar , w hich is fur t her ing com m er ce and unifying t he count r y. I t aly is w or king w it h Afghans t o r efor m t heir legal syst em , and st r engt hening an independent j udiciar y. Thr ee y ear s ago, t he people of Afghanist an w er e oppr essed and isolat ed fr om t he w or ld by a t er r or ist r egim e. Today, t hat nat ion has a dem ocr at ic gover nm ent and m any allies - - and all of us ar e pr oud t o be fr iends of t he Afghan people.
Many count r ies r epr esent ed her e t oday also act ed t o liber at e t he people of I r aq. One year ago, m ilit ar y for ces of a st r ong coalit ion ent er ed I r aq t o enfor ce Unit ed Nat ions dem ands, t o defend our secur it y, and t o liber at e t hat count r y fr om t he r ule of a t yr ant . For I r aq, it w as a day of deliver ance. For t he nat ions of our coalit ion, it w as t he m om ent w hen year s of dem ands and pledges t ur ned t o decisive act ion. Today, as I r aqis j oin t he fr ee peoples of t he w or ld, w e m ar k a t ur ning point for t he Middle East , and a cr ucial advance for hum an liber t y.
Ther e hav e been disagr eem ent s in t his m at t er , am ong old and valued fr iends. Those differ ences belong t o t he past . All of us can now agr ee t hat t he fall of t he I r aqi dict at or has r em oved a sour ce of violence, aggr ession, and inst abilit y in t he Middle East . I t 's a good t hing t hat t he dem ands of t he Unit ed Nat ions w er e enfor ced, not ignor ed w it h im punit y. I t is a good t hing t hat year s of illicit w eapons developm ent by t he dict at or have com e t o t he end. I t is a good t hing t hat t he I r aqi people ar e now r eceiv ing aid, inst ead of suffer ing under sanct ions. And it is a good t hing t hat t he m en and w om en acr oss t he Middle East , looking t o I r aq, ar e get t ing a glim pse of w hat life in a fr ee count r y can be like.
m ass gr av es w er e st ill being filled? Who w ould begr udge t he I r aqi people t heir long- aw ait ed liber at ion? On year aft er t he ar m ies of liber at ion ar r ived, ev er y soldier w ho has fought , ever y aid w or ker w ho has ser ved, ever y I r aqi w ho has j oined in t heir count r y 's defense can look w it h pr ide on a br av e and hist or ic achievem ent . They'v e ser ved fr eedom 's cause, and t hat is a pr ivilege.
Today in I r aq, a Br it ish- led division is secur ing t he sout her n cit y of Basr a. Poland cont inues t o lead a m ult inat ional division in sout h- cent r al I r aq. Japan and t he Republic of Kor ea - - of Sout h Kor ea have m ade hist or ic com m it m ent s of t r oops t o help br ing peace t o I r aq. Special for ces fr om El Salvador , Macedonia, and ot her nat ions ar e helping t o find and defeat Baat hist and t er r or ist killer s. Milit ar y engineer s fr om Kazak hst an hav e clear ed m or e t han a half a m illion explosive devices fr om I r aq. Tur key is helping t o r esupply coalit ion for ces. All of t hese nat ions, and m any ot her s, ar e m eet ing t heir r esponsibilit ies t o t he people of I r aq.
What ev er t heir past view s, ev er y nat ion now has an int er est in a fr ee, successful, st able I r aq. And t he t er r or ist s under st and t heir ow n int er est in t he fat e of t hat count r y. For t hem , t he connect ion bet w een I r aq's fut ur e and t he cour se of t he w ar on t er r or is ver y clear . They under st and t hat a fr ee I r aq w ill be a devast at ing set back t o t heir am bit ions of t yr anny over t he Middle East . And t hey have m ade t he failur e of dem ocr acy in I r aq one of t heir pr im ar y obj ect ives.
By at t acking coalit ion for ces - - by t ar get ing innocent I r aqis and for eign civilians for m ur der - - t he t er r or ist s ar e t r ying t o w eaken our w ill. I nst ead of w eakness, t hey'r e finding r esolve. Not long ago, w e int er cept ed a planning docum ent being sent t o leader s of al Qaeda by one of t heir associat es, a m an nam ed Zar qaw i. Along w it h t he usual t hr eat s, he had a com plaint : " Our enem y," said Zar qaw i, " is gr ow ing st r onger and his int elligence dat a ar e incr easing day by day - - t his is suffocat ion." Zar qaw i is get t ing t he idea. We w ill never t ur n over I r aq t o t er r or ist s w ho int end our ow n dest r uct ion. We w ill not fail t he I r aqi people, w ho have placed t heir t r ust in us. What ever it t akes, w e w ill fight and w or k t o assur e t he success of fr eedom in I r aq.
Many coalit ion count r ies have sacr ificed in bot h I r aq and Afghanist an. Am ong t he fallen soldier s and civilians ar e sons and daught er s of Aust r alia, Bulgar ia, Canada, Denm ar k, Est onia, Fr ance, Ger m any, I ndia, I t aly, Japan, t he Republic of Kor ea, t he Net her lands, Poland, Rom ania, Spain, Sw it zer land, Thailand, Tur key, Ukr aine, Uzbekist an, t he Unit ed Kingdom , and t he Unit ed St at es. We honor t heir cour age, w e pr ay for t he com for t of t heir fam ilies. We w ill uphold t he cause t hey ser ved.
t he w or ld. This t ask is hist or ic, and difficult ; t his t ask is necessar y and w or t hy of our effor t s.
I n t he 1970s, t he advance of dem ocr acy in Lisbon and Madr id inspir ed dem ocr at ic change in Lat in Am er ica. I n t he 1980s, t he exam ple of Poland ignit ed a fir e of fr eedom in all of East er n Eur ope. Wit h Afghanist an and I r aq show ing t he w ay, w e ar e confident t hat fr eedom w ill lift t he sight s and hopes of m illions in t he gr eat er Middle East .
One m an w ho believed in our cause w as a Japanese diplom at nam ed Kat suhiko Oku. He w or ked for t he Coalit ion Pr ovision Aut hor it y in I r aq. Mr . Oku w as killed when his car w as am bushed. I n his diar y he descr ibed his pr ide in t he cause he had j oined. " The fr ee people of I r aq," he w r ot e, " ar e now m aking st eady pr ogr ess in r econst r uct ing t heir count r y - - w hile also fight ing against t he t hr eat of t er r or ism . We m ust j oin hands w it h t he I r aqi people in t heir effor t t o pr event I r aq fr om falling int o t he hands of t er r or ist s." This good, decent m an concluded, " This is also our fight t o defend fr eedom ."
Ladies and gent lem en, t his good m an fr om Japan w as r ight . The est ablishm ent of a fr ee I r aq is our fight . The success of a fr ee Afghanist an is our fight . The w ar on t er r or is our fight . All of us ar e called t o shar e t he blessings of liber t y, and t o be st r ong and st eady in fr eedom 's defense. I t w ill sur ely be said of our t im es t hat w e lived w it h gr eat challenges. Let it also be said of our t im es t hat w e under st ood our gr eat dut ies, and m et t hem in full.
