For Immediate Release
June 26, 2004
President's Radio Address
Audio
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I'm traveling to the U.S.-EU
summit in Ireland, homeland to so many Irish Americans, and one of the
fastest growing and modern economies in the European Union. I will
also be attending the NATO summit in Turkey, a proud nation that
successfully blends a European identity with secular democracy and
Islamic traditions.
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I will discuss with our European allies our common struggle to
defeat the forces of global terror, our common interest in the spread
of prosperity and our common efforts to help the people of Iraq secure
for themselves a future of freedom.
Next Wednesday, full sovereignty in Iraq will be in the hands of
the free Iraqi people. As that day approaches, the enemies of freedom
in Iraq are growing ever more desperate. Last Tuesday, a young man
from South Korea, Kim Sun-il, was viciously murdered by terrorists.
That cold-blooded act demonstrated once again the evil nature of the
enemy. Their barbaric violence is designed to destabilize Iraq's new
government, intimidate the Iraqi people and shake the will of our
coalition. Yet, our will is firm. South Korean President Roh has
reaffirmed his determination to send more troops to help rebuild Iraq.
Iraq's leaders, in a daily display of courage, refuse to be deterred
from their dream of democracy, stability and prosperity for the Iraqi
people.
The international community has a responsibility to promote the
rise of a free Iraq, and it is meeting that responsibility. Today, the
nations of the European Union pledged their support for the new
government of Iraq. Next week, at the NATO summit, we will discuss
Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi's request for NATO help in training Iraq's
security forces. NATO has the capability to help the Iraqi people
defeat the terrorist threat facing their country. As Iraq moves toward
the transfer of sovereignty next week, NATO, the European Union and the
United States are united in our determination to help the people of
that nation.
The world's free nations also have a responsibility to advance the
blessings of liberty that have lifted our own nations. Earlier this
month, the nations of the G8 pledged their energies and resources to
working in partnership with the peoples of the broader Middle East to
advance human dignity, freedom, democracy, the rule of law and economic
opportunity. The United States, the European Union and NATO are
looking beyond the borders of Europe to support the momentum of freedom
in the broader Middle East.
At these summits, we will seek to strengthen the security of our
homelands from the threat of terror. We have taken steps to freeze and
block terrorists' finances, make transportation safer and improve
information sharing. We will discuss ways to further improve
transportation safety and border security. Travel between our nations
is the lifeblood of our friendship, our economies and our alliances,
and that travel must be safe.
One important way to make the world safer is to make the world
better. The United States and Europe share a fundamental interest in
the health of the global economy. Our trade and investment
relationship is the largest in the world. It creates millions of jobs
on both sides of the Atlantic. Open trade has the power to lift
nations out of poverty, so we will reaffirm our commitment to free and
fair trade, and the removal of obstacles to global economic growth.
We believe that freedom has the power to defeat poverty and
hopelessness and ignorance. We believe the advance of freedom makes
the world safer for all nations. And we believe that when free nations
work together, freedom will always prevail.
Thank you for listening.
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