[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[October 7, 1992]
[Page 1772]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Free Elections in Kuwait
October 7, 1992

    The President is pleased to note that this week Kuwait held free 
parliamentary elections. The United States has been a strong supporter 
of this process since the Amir's decision to hold elections was 
announced during the Iraqi occupation. We have also been encouraged by 
the statement by the Crown Prince that the Kuwaiti Government will soon 
propose legislation to amend the constitution to broaden the electorate 
and specifically to give women the right to vote in future elections. 
The Amir and the Kuwaiti people are to be congratulated on this latest 
stage in Kuwait's progress toward full recovery and reconstruction.
    These elections reaffirm Kuwait's hard-won independence and the 
freedoms enjoyed by the Kuwaiti people, in sharp contrast to the agony 
the Iraqi people still endure from Saddam. The gulf between Kuwait's 
determination to begin a democratic process and Saddam's brutalities 
against the Iraqi people is a vivid reminder of why the coalition had no 
choice but to use force to liberate Kuwait. The United States remains 
committed both to supporting Kuwait in its physical and political 
reconstruction and to support the efforts of the Iraqi opposition toward 
building a democratic future for the people of Iraq.