For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 23, 2003
President's Radio Address
Audio
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Earlier this week, terrorists struck
the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. The U.N. personnel and
Iraqi citizens killed in the bombings were engaged in a purely
humanitarian mission. Men and women in the building were working on
reconstruction, medical care for Iraqis, and the distribution of food.
Among the dead was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the U.N. representative for
Iraq -- a good man serving an important cause.
On the same day, a terrorist in Jerusalem murdered 20 innocent
people riding a bus, including five Americans. The killer had concealed
under his clothing a bomb filled with metal fragments, designed to kill
and injure the greatest number of people possible. Among the 110 people
hurt were 40 children.
These two bombings reveal, once again, the nature of the
terrorists, and why they must be defeated. In their malicious view of
the world, no one is innocent. Relief workers and infants alike are
targeted for murder. Terrorism may use religion as a disguise, but
terrorism violates every religion and every standard of decency and
morality.
The terrorists have declared war on every free nation and all our
citizens. Their goals are clear. They want more governments to
resemble the oppressive Taliban that once ruled Afghanistan. Terrorists
commit atrocities because they want the civilized world to flinch and
retreat so they can impose their totalitarian vision. There will be no
flinching in this war on terror, and there will be no retreat.
From Afghanistan to Iraq, to the Philippines and elsewhere, we are
waging a campaign against the terrorists and their allies, wherever
they gather, wherever they plan, and wherever they act. This campaign
requires sacrifice, determination and resolve, and we will see it
through. Iraq is an essential front in this war. Now we're fighting
terrorists and remnants of that regime who have everything to lose from
the advance of freedom in the heart of the Middle East.
In most of Iraq, there is steady movement toward reconstruction and
a stable, self-governing society. This progress makes the remaining
terrorists even more desperate and willing to lash out against symbols
of order and hope, like coalition forces and U.N. personnel. The world
will not be intimidated. A violent few will not determine the future of
Iraq, and there will be no return to the days of Saddam Hussein's
torture chambers and mass graves.
Working with Iraqis, coalition forces are on the offensive against
these killers. Aided by increasing flow of intelligence from ordinary
Iraqis, we are stepping up raids, seizing enemy weapons, and capturing
enemy leaders. The United States, the United Nations, and the
civilized world will continue to stand with the people of Iraq as they
reclaim their nation and their future.
We're determined, as well, not to let murderers decide the future
of the Middle East. A Palestinian state will never be built on a
foundation of violence. The hopes of that state and the security of
Israel both depend on an unrelenting campaign against terror waged by
all parties in the region. In the Middle East, true peace has deadly
enemies. Yet America will be a consistent friend of every leader who
works for peace by actively opposing violence.
All nations of the world face a challenge and a choice. In
continued acts of murder and destruction, terrorists are testing our
will, hoping we will weaken and withdraw. Yet across the world, they
are finding that our will cannot be shaken. Whatever the hardships, we
will persevere. We will continue this war on terror until all the
killers are brought to justice. And we will prevail.
Thank you for listening.
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