    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [January 8, 1991]
    [Pages 12-13]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to Allied Nations on the Persian Gulf Crisis
    January 8, 1991

        More than 5 months ago, in the early morning hours of August 2d,
    Iraqi forces rolled south and the rape of Kuwait began. That unprovoked
    invasion was more than an attack on Kuwait, more than the brutal
    occupation of a tiny nation that posed no threat to its large and
    powerful neighbor. It was an assault on the very notion of international
    order.
        My purpose in speaking to you, the people of countries united
    against this assault, is to share with you my view of the aims and
    objectives that must guide us in the challenging days ahead. From the
    center of the crisis in the Middle East, to people and countries on
    every continent, to the families with loved ones held hostage, to the
    many millions sure to suffer at the hands of one man with a stranglehold
    on the world's economic lifeline, Iraq's aggression has caused untold
    suffering, hardship, and uncertainty.
        In the more than 5 months since August 2d, Iraqi troops have carried
    out a systematic campaign of terror on the people of Kuwait--unspeakable
    atrocities against men and women and, among the maimed and murdered,
    even innocent children. In the more than 5 months since August 2d,
    Iraq's action has imposed economic strains on nations large and small--
    among them some of the world's newest democracies at the very moment
    they are most vulnerable. And yet, Iraq's aggression did not go
    unchallenged.
        In the 5 months since August 2d, the world has witnessed the
    emergence of an unprecedented coalition against aggression. In the
    United Nations, Iraq's outlaw act has met a chorus of condemnation in 12
    resolutions with the overwhelming support of the Security Council. At
    this moment, forces from 27 nations--rich and poor, Arab and Muslim,
    European, Asian, African, and American--stand side by side in the Gulf,
    determined that Saddam's aggression will not stand.
        We're now entering the most critical period of this crisis. For the
    past 5 months, Saddam has held the world and the norms of civilized
    conduct in contempt. In the next few days, Iraq arrives at a deadline
    that spells the limit of the civilized world's patience.
        Let me be clear about the upcoming deadline. January 15 is not a
    ``date certain'' for the onset of armed conflict; it is a deadline for
    Saddam Hussein to choose, to choose peace over war. The purpose of
    declaring this deadline was to give Saddam fair warning: Withdraw from
    Kuwait, without condition and without delay, or--at any time on or after
    that date--face a coalition ready and willing to employ ``all means
    necessary'' to enforce the will of the United Nations.
        Every one of us, each day of this crisis, has held out hope for a
    peaceful solution. Even now, as the deadline draws near, we continue to
    seek a way to end this crisis without further conflict. And that is why,
    back on November 30, I offered to have Secretary Baker travel to Baghdad
    to meet with Saddam Hussein. And that is why, even after Saddam failed
    to respond, failed to find time to meet on any of the 15 days we put
    forward, I invited Iraq's Foreign Minister to meet with Secretary Baker
    in Geneva on January 9th.
        In Geneva, we will be guided by the will of the world community--
    expressed in

    [[Page 13]]

    those 12 U.N. resolutions I mentioned a moment ago. I didn't send
    Secretary Baker to Geneva to compromise or to offer concessions. This
    meeting offers Saddam Hussein a chance--possibly the final chance--
    before the U.N. deadline to resolve by peaceful means the crisis that he
    has created.
        Saddam may seek to split the coalition, to exploit our sincere
    desire for peace, to secure for himself the spoils of war. He will
    fail--just as he has failed for more than 5 months. I know that
    pressures are now building to provide Saddam some means of saving face,
    or to accept a withdrawal that is less than unconditional. The danger in
    this course should be clear to all. The price of peace now on Saddam's
    terms will be paid many times over in greater sacrifice and suffering.
    Saddam's power will only grow, along with his appetite for more
    conquest. The next conflict will find him stronger still--perhaps in
    possession even of nuclear weapons--and far more difficult to defeat.
    And that is why we simply cannot accept anything less than full
    compliance with the United Nations dictates: Iraq's complete and
    unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait.
        I began by saying that Iraq's action was more than an attack on one
    nation--it is an assault on us all, on the international order we all
    share. We who have witnessed in this past year an end to the long years
    of cold war and conflict, we who have seen so much positive change,
    stand now at a critical moment, one that will shape the world we live in
    for years, even decades, to come.
        The key now in meeting this challenge is for this remarkable
    coalition to remain steadfast and strong. If we remain in the days ahead
    nations united against aggression, we will turn back not only the
    actions of an ambitious dictator; we will, as partners, step forward
    toward a world of peace.
        Thank you, and may God bless all of you.

                        Note: This message was recorded January 6 at Camp
                            David, MD, and it was broadcast at noon on
                            January 8 over the U.S. Information Agency
                            WORLDNET satellite network. In his message,
                            President Bush referred to President Saddam
                            Hussein and Foreign Minister Tariq `Aziz of Iraq
                            and Secretary of State James A. Baker III. A
                            tape was not available for verification of the
                            content of this message.