    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [June 21, 2003]
    [Pages 672-673]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    June 21, 2003

        Good morning. Ten weeks have passed since the fall of the Iraqi
    regime. Since that time, our work in Iraq has focused on two goals.
    First, we are working to make Iraq secure for its citizens and our
    military. Second, we are working to improve the lives of the Iraqi
    people after three decades of tyranny and oppression.
        Making Iraq secure is vitally important for both Iraqi citizens and
    our own forces. The men and women of our military face a continuing risk
    of danger and sacrifice in Iraq. Dangerous pockets of the old regime
    remain loyal to it, and they, along with their terrorist allies, are
    behind deadly attacks designed to kill and intimidate coalition forces
    and innocent Iraqis.
        Our military is acting decisively against these threats. In
    Operation Peninsula Strike and Operation Desert Scorpion, our forces
    have targeted Ba'ath party loyalists and terrorist organizations. In
    Baghdad, more than 28,000 American combat forces and military police are
    enforcing the law and arresting criminals. We are also training Iraqis
    to begin policing their own cities.
        As we establish order and justice in Iraq, we also continue to
    pursue Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass
    destruction. Military and intelligence officials are interviewing
    scientists with knowledge of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs and are
    poring over hundreds of thousands of documents.
        For more than a decade, Saddam Hussein
    went to great lengths to hide his weapons from the world. And in the
    regime's final days, documents and suspected weapons sites were looted
    and burned. Yet all who know the dictator's history agree that he
    possessed chemical and biological weapons and that he used chemical
    weapons in the past. The intelligence services of many nations concluded
    that he had illegal weapons, and the regime refused to provide evidence
    they had been destroyed. We are determined to discover the true extent
    of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs, no matter how long it takes.
        To date, the United States has provided Iraq with more than $700
    million in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance. This month, the
    World Food Program is distributing food rations to about 25 million
    Iraqis. America and our partners are also repairing water treatment
    plants to provide more clean water. Each week, through our efforts, more
    electricity is made available to more people throughout the country. And
    after years of neglect, Iraq's 4.2 million children under the age of 5
    are receiving vaccinations against diseases such as polio, measles, and
    tuberculosis.
        Iraq's long-term success also depends on economic development. Our
    administrator in Iraq has announced a $100 million fund to pay Iraqis to
    repair buildings and utilities. Billions of dollars taken from Iraqis by
    a corrupt regime have been recovered and will be spent on reconstruction
    projects. Iraq is already in the process of selling oil on world
    markets, which will bring in much-needed revenue to help the Iraqi
    people. This week, the port at Umm Qasr opened to commercial traffic,
    and Baghdad International Airport is expected to reopen next month.
        For the first time in over a decade, Iraq will soon be open to the
    world. And the influence of progress in Iraq will be felt

    [[Page 673]]

    throughout the Middle East. Over time, a free Government in Iraq will
    demonstrate that liberty can flourish in that region.
        American servicemembers continue to risk their lives to ensure the
    liberation of Iraq. I'm grateful for their service, and so are the Iraqi
    people. Many Iraqis are experiencing the joys and responsibilities of
    freedom for the first time in their lives. And they are unafraid. As one
    Iraqi man said, ``We are ready to rebuild our country.'' For the people
    of free Iraq, the road ahead holds great challenges. Yet at every turn,
    they will have friendship and support from the United States of America.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10 a.m. on June 20 in the Cabinet Room
    at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 21. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    June 20 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his
    remarks, the President referred to former President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq; and L. Paul Bremer III, Presidential Envoy to Iraq. The Office of
    the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this
    address.