[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[November 8, 2002]
[Pages 2053-2054]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
[[Page 2053]]
Remarks on the Passage of a United Nations Security Council Resolution
on Iraq
November 8, 2002
Good morning. With the resolution just passed, the United Nations
Security Council has met important responsibilities, upheld its
principles, and given clear and fair notice that Saddam Hussein must fully disclose and destroy his weapons of mass
destruction. He must submit to any and all methods to verify his
compliance. His cooperation must be prompt and unconditional, or he will
face the severest consequences.
The world has now come together to say that the outlaw regime in
Iraq will not be permitted to build or possess chemical, biological, or
nuclear weapons. That is the judgment of the United States Congress.
That is the judgment of the United Nations Security Council. Now the
world must insist that that judgment be enforced.
Iraq's obligation to disarm is not new or even recent. To end the
Persian Gulf war and ensure its own survival, Iraq's regime agreed to
disarm in April of 1991. For over a decade the Iraqi regime has treated
its own pledge with contempt. As today's resolution states, Iraq is
already in material breach of past U.N. demands. Iraq has aggressively
pursued weapons of mass destruction, even while inspectors were inside
the country. Iraq has undermined the effectiveness of weapons inspectors
with ploys, delays, and threats, making their work impossible and
leading to 4 years of no inspections at all.
The world has learned from this experience an essential lesson:
Inspections will not result in a disarmed Iraq unless the Iraqi regime
fully cooperates. Inspectors do not have the power to disarm an
unwilling regime. They can only confirm that a government has decided to
disarm itself. History has shown that when Iraq's leaders stall
inspections and impede the progress, it means they have something to
hide.
The resolution approved today presents the Iraqi regime with a test,
a final test. Iraq must now, without delay or negotiations, fully
disarm, welcome full inspections, and fundamentally change the approach
it has taken for more than a decade.
The regime must allow immediate and unrestricted access to every
site, every document, and every person identified by inspectors. Iraq
can be certain that the old game of cheat-and-retreat, tolerated at
other times, will no longer be tolerated. Any act of delay or defiance
will be an additional breach of Iraq's international obligations and a
clear signal that the Iraqi regime has once again abandoned the path of
voluntary compliance.
With the passage of this resolution, the world must not lapse into
unproductive debates over whether specific instances of Iraqi
noncompliance are serious. Any Iraqi noncompliance is serious because
such bad faith will show that Iraq has no intention of disarming. If
we're to avert war, all nations must continue to pressure Saddam
Hussein to accept this resolution and to
comply with its obligations and his obligations.
America will be making only one determination: Is Iraq meeting the
terms of the Security Council resolution or not? The United States has
agreed to discuss any material breach with the Security Council, but
without jeopardizing our freedom of action to defend our country. If
Iraq fails to fully comply, the United States and other nations will
disarm Saddam Hussein.
I've already met with the head of the U.N. inspections program and the head of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, which has responsibility for
nuclear matters. I've assured them that the United States will fully
support their efforts, including a
[[Page 2054]]
request for information that can help identify illegal activities and
materials in Iraq. I encourage every member of the United Nations to
strongly support the inspection teams. And now the inspectors have an
important responsibility to make full use of the tools we have given
them in this resolution.
All patriotic Iraqis should embrace this resolution as an
opportunity for Iraq to avoid war and end its isolation. Saddam
Hussein cannot hide his weapons of mass
destruction from international inspectors without the cooperation of
hundreds and thousands of Iraqis, those who work in the weapons program
and those who are responsible for concealing the weapons. We call on
those Iraqis to convey whatever information they have to inspectors, the
United States, or other countries, in whatever manner they can. By
helping the process of disarmament, they help their country.
Americans recognize what is at stake. In fighting a war on terror,
we are determined to oppose every source of catastrophic harm that
threatens our country, our friends, and our allies. We are actively
pursuing dangerous terror networks across the world. And we oppose a
uniquely dangerous regime, a regime that has harbored terrorists and can
supply terrorists with weapons of mass destruction, a regime that has
built such terrible weapons and has used them to kill thousands, a
brutal regime with a history of both reckless ambition and reckless
miscalculation.
The United States of America will not live at the mercy of any group
or regime that has the motive and seeks the power to murder Americans on
a massive scale. The threat to America also threatens peace and security
in the Middle East and far beyond. If Iraq's dictator is permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, he could
resume his pattern of intimidation and conquest and dictate the future
of a vital region.
In confronting this threat, America seeks the support of the world.
If action becomes necessary, we will act in the interests of the world.
And America expects Iraqi compliance with all U.N. resolutions.
The time has come for the Iraqi people to escape oppression, find
freedom, and live in hope.
I want to thank the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, for his leadership, his good work, and his determination
over the past 2 months. He's worked tirelessly and successfully for a
resolution that recognizes important concerns of our Security Council
partners and makes Iraq's responsibilities clear. I also thank our
Ambassador to the United Nations, John Negroponte, and his team at our U.N. mission in New York for their
hard work and outstanding service to our country. Secretary of State
Powell's team has done a fine job.
The American people are grateful to the Security Council for passing
this historic resolution. Members of the Council acted with courage and
took a principled stand. The United Nations has shown the kind of
international leadership promised by its charter and required by our
times. Now comes the hard part. The Security Council must maintain its
unity and sense of purpose so that the Iraq regime cannot revert to the
strategies of obstruction and deception it used so successfully in the
past.
The outcome of the current crisis is already determined: The full
disarmament of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq will occur. The only
question for the Iraqi regime is to decide how. The United States
prefers that Iraq meet its obligations voluntarily, yet we are prepared
for the alternative. In either case, the just demands of the world will
be met.
Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 10:44 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq;
Hans Blix, Executive Chairman, United Nations Monitoring, Verification
and Inspection Commission; and Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General,
International Atomic Energy Agency.