For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 1, 2004
President's Radio Address
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THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. A year ago, I declared an end to
major combat operations in Iraq, after coalition forces conducted one
of the swiftest, most successful and humane campaigns in military
history. I thanked our troops for their courage and for their
professionalism. They had confronted a gathering danger to our nation
and the world. They had vanquished a brutal dictator who had twice
invaded neighboring countries, who had used weapons of mass destruction
against his own people, and who had supported and financed terrorism.
On that day, I also cautioned Americans that, while a tyrant had
fallen, the war against terror would go on.
One year later, despite many challenges, life for the Iraqi people
is a world away from the cruelty and corruption of Saddam's regime. At
the most basic level of justice, people are no longer disappearing into
political prisons, torture chambers, and mass graves -- because the
former dictator is in prison, himself. And their daily life is
improving. Electricity is now more widely available than before the
war. Iraq has a stable currency and banks are thriving. Schools and
clinics have been renovated and reopened, and power plants, hospitals,
water and sanitation facilities, and bridges are being rehabilitated.
Iraq's oil infrastructure is being rebuilt, with the Iraqi oil industry
already producing about 2.5 million barrels per day.
On the ground in Iraq, we have serious and continuing challenges.
Illegal militias and remnants of the regime, joined by foreign
terrorists, are trying to take by force the power they could never gain
by the ballot. These groups have found little support among the Iraqi
people.
Our coalition is implementing a clear strategy in Iraq. First, we
will ensure an atmosphere of security as Iraqis move toward
self-government. Our coalition supports the efforts of local Iraqis to
negotiate the disarmament of the radicals in Fallujah. We've also made
it clear that militias in Najaf and elsewhere must disarm or face grave
consequences. American and coalition forces are in place, and we are
prepared to enforce order in Iraq.
The second element of our strategy is to return sovereignty to the
people of Iraq on the schedule that we agreed to with the Iraqi
Governing Council. Like any proud people, Iraqis want to manage their
own affairs -- and that is a goal we share. On June 30th, a sovereign
Iraqi interim government will take office. Iraqis will assume all
administrative duties now performed by the coalition. Since February,
United Nations Special Advisor Lakhdar Brahimi has been consulting with
Iraqis on how best to form that interim government. The United States
fully supports his mission.
As the transfer of sovereignty approaches on June 30th, we are
likely to see more violence from groups opposed to freedom. We will
not be intimidated or diverted. On July 1st, and beyond, our
reconstruction and military commitment will continue.
In the cause of a free and stable Iraq, our servicemen and women
are working hard and sacrificing greatly. And families of the brave
troops who have fallen must know that their loss is not in vain. We
will finish our work in Iraq, because the stakes for our country and
the world are high. The failure of Iraqi democracy would embolden
terrorists around the globe, increase dangers to the American people,
and extinguish the hopes of millions in the Middle East. The success
of Iraqi democracy would send forth the news, from Damascus to Tehran,
that freedom can be the future of every nation. And democracy will
succeed in Iraq, because our coalition is strong, because our resolve
is firm, and because the people of Iraq desire and deserve to live in
freedom.
Thank you for listening.
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