For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 5, 2004
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
Audio
THE PRESIDENT: Good
morning. This has been an important week for the future of Iraq, for
the Middle East, and for America's security. On Tuesday, in Baghdad,
Iraq's new Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, and United Nations Special
Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi announced the members of Iraq's new interim
government. Iraq's President is Sheikh Ghazi Al-Yawar, an engineer from
northern Iraq. There will also be two Deputy Presidents, and a
33-member Cabinet.
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This interim government reflects new leadership
drawn from a broad cross-section of Iraqis. The new government brings
together men and women of varied backgrounds who represent Iraq's
ethnic and religious diversity. Five were regional officials, six are
women, and all are Iraqi patriots, dedicated to building a brighter
future for their country.
Naming this new government advances our
five-step plan to help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom as a united
and federal nation. It brings us closer to realizing the hope of
millions of Iraqis, a fully sovereign nation with a representative
government to protect their rights and serve their interests. It brings
us closer to seeing a Middle East that knows the blessings of liberty,
and it brings us closer to defeating a ruthless enemy that has killed
thousands of innocents and still threatens the peace of the world.
This new government will follow the political process outlined in the
transitional administrative law, and prepare Iraq for a national
election no later than January of next year. And while the enemy will
continue to spread violence and fear, our coalition will work in full
partnership with the new Iraqi government to provide the security that
will make that election possible. In that election, the people of Iraq
will choose a transitional national assembly, the first freely-elected,
truly representative national governing body in Iraq's history.
Iraq
is on the path to democracy and freedom, and the international
community is helping Iraq complete the journey. We're working with
allied governments and with Iraq's new leaders on a new United Nations
Security Council resolution that will express international support for
Iraq's interim government, reaffirm the world's security commitment to
the Iraqi people, and encourage other U.N. members to join in the
effort of building a free Iraq. And this month, I am traveling to
foreign capitals and international summits to discuss with world
leaders our common responsibility to help a free Iraq succeed.
Yesterday I was in Italy, where I met with the Holy Father. I also met
with Prime Minister Berlusconi and joined in marking the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of Rome. Today in France, I will meet
with President Chirac, and on the 6th of June, I will join him in
commemorating the D-Day landings at Normandy. From France, I will go
directly to this year's G8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia. This month, I
will also attend the U.S.-EU Summit in Ireland, and the NATO Summit in
Turkey. These meetings provide an opportunity for world leaders to show
our solidarity with the Iraqi people as they build a free and
democratic government.
The challenges of our time extend beyond Iraq.
The war on terror is being fought on many fronts, and since September
the 11th, we have seen terrorist violence from Morocco to Indonesia.
Yet the center of this conflict remains the Middle East. If that region
is abandoned to dictators and terrorists, it will be a constant source
of violence and alarm, exporting killers of increasing sophistication
and destructive power. If that region grows in democracy, prosperity
and hope, the terrorist movement will lose its sponsors, lose its
recruits, and lose the festering grievances that keep terrorists in
business. It is our work to win this struggle.
We're now about three
years into the war against terrorism. We've met great challenges and
there are more ahead. This is no time for impatience or self-defeating
pessimism. We have work to do in the defense of our country and for the
good of humanity, and by doing our duty and holding firm to our values,
this generation will give the world a lesson in the power of liberty.
Thank you for listening.
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