[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.