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President Bush Calls on Nations to Unite President
Bush addressed the United Nations today and called on every nation to join the
international coalition that is establishing a free and stable Iraq.
Below are some excerpts from the President's address. "Mr.
Secretary General, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, ladies and
gentlemen: Twenty-four months ago -- and yesterday in the memory of America --
the center of New York City became a battlefield, and a graveyard, and the
symbol of an unfinished war. Since that day, terrorists have struck in Bali, in
Mombassa, in Casablanca, in Riyadh, in Jakarta, in Jerusalem -- measuring the
advance of their cause in the chaos and innocent suffering they leave
behind." "By
the victims they choose, and by the means they use, the terrorists have
clarified the struggle we are in. Those who target relief workers for death
have set themselves against all humanity. Those who incite murder and celebrate
suicide reveal their contempt for life itself. They have no place in any
religious faith, they have no claim on the world's sympathy, and they should
have no friend in this chamber. Events during the past two years have set
before us the clearest of divides: Between those who seek order, and those who
spread chaos; between those who work for peaceful change, and those who adopt
the methods of gangsters; between those who honor the rights of man, and those
who deliberately take the lives of men, and women, and children, without mercy
or shame." "Between
these alternatives there is no neutral ground. All governments that support
terror are complicit in a war against civilization. No government should ignore
the threat of terror -- because to look the other way gives terrorists the
chance to regroup, and recruit, and prepare. And all nations that fight terror,
as if the lives of their own people depend on it, will earn the favorable judgment
of history." "Our
actions in Afghanistan and Iraq were supported by many governments, and America
is grateful to each one. I also recognize that some of the sovereign nations of
this assembly disagreed with our actions. Yet there was, and there remains,
unity among us on the fundamental principles and objectives of the United
Nations. We are dedicated to the defense of our collective security, and to the
advance of human rights. These permanent commitments call us to great work in
the world -- work we must do together. So let us move forward." "Our
international coalition in Iraq is meeting its responsibilities. We are
conducting precision raids against terrorists and holdouts of the former
regime. These killers are at war with the Iraqi people -- they have made Iraq
the central front in the war on terror -- and they will be defeated. Our
coalition has made sure that Iraq's former dictator will never again use
weapons of mass destruction. We are now interviewing Iraqi citizens and
analyzing records of the old regime, to reveal the full extent of its weapons
programs and long campaign of deception. We are training Iraqi police, border
guards, and a new army, so that the Iraqi people can assume full responsibility
for their own security." "At
the same time, our coalition is helping to improve the daily lives of the Iraqi
people. The old regime built palaces while letting schools decay -- so we are
rebuilding more than a thousand schools. The old regime starved hospitals of
resources -- so we have helped to supply and reopen hospitals across Iraq. The
old regime built up armies and weapons, while allowing the nation's
infrastructure to crumble -- so we are rehabilitating power plants, water and
sanitation facilities, bridges, and airports. I have proposed to Congress that
the United States provide additional funding for our work in Iraq -- the
greatest financial commitment of its kind since the Marshall Plan. Having
helped to liberate Iraq, we will honor our pledges to Iraq -- and by helping
the Iraqi people build a stable and peaceful country, we will make our own
countries more secure." "The
success of a free Iraq will be watched and noted throughout the region.
Millions will see that freedom, equality, and material progress are possible at
the heart of the Middle East. Leaders in the region will face the clearest
evidence that free institutions and open societies are the only path to
long-term national success and dignity. And a transformed Middle East would
benefit the entire world, by undermining the ideologies that export violence to
other lands." "All
the challenges I have spoken of this morning require urgent attention and moral
clarity. Helping Afghanistan and Iraq to succeed as free nations in a
transformed region -- cutting off the avenues of proliferation -- abolishing
modern forms of slavery -- these are the kinds of great tasks for which the
United Nations was founded. In each case, careful discussion is needed -- and
also decisive action. Our good intentions will be credited only if we achieve
good outcomes. As an original signer of the UN Charter, the United States of
America is committed to the United Nations. And we show that commitment by
working to fulfill the UN's stated purposes, and give meaning to its ideals." Charles Mims |
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