    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [March 23, 2003]
    [Pages 289-292]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Operation Iraqi Freedom and an Exchange With Reporters
    March 23, 2003

        The President. I am pleased with the progress that we're making in
    the early stages of a--of the war to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass
    destruction and to free the Iraqi people from the clutches of a brutal
    dictatorship.
        Today in our church service, Laura and I
    prayed for the coalition forces, those in the coalition forces who lost
    their lives. We pray for their families. We ask God's comfort for those
    who mourn today. And we thank all the coalition forces for their bravery
    and courage in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
        It is evident that it's going to take a while to achieve our
    objective, but we're on course, we're determined, and we're making good
    progress.
        I'll answer a few questions.
        Q. Sir, have you seen the tape----
        Q. Mr. President----
        The President. One at a time, please. Scott [Scott Lindlaw,
    Associated Press]. Thank you.

    Prisoners of War

        Q. What do you know about the prisoners--anything, sir?
        The President. I've been briefed, I'm constantly briefed by the
    Pentagon and through the National Security Office. I would--I don't know
    all the details yet.

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    I do know that we expect them to be treated humanely, just like we'll
    treat any prisoners of theirs that we capture humanely.
        I think it's an interesting contrast that a lot of their soldiers
    welcome American troops. They're surrendering gleefully, happily. And
    they'll be treated well. And I ask you to ask the Defense Department for
    further details.
        Patsy [Patricia Wilson, Reuters].

    Saddam Hussein/Operation Iraqi Freedom

        Q. Sir, what do you know about Saddam Hussein and his fate, if
    anything?
        The President. I know that Saddam Hussein
    is losing control of his country, that we're slowly but surely achieving
    our objective.
        It's important for the American people to realize that this war has
    just begun, that it may seem like a long time because of all the action
    on TV, but in terms of the overall strategy, we're just in the beginning
    phases, and that we're executing a plan which will make it easier to
    achieve objective and, at the same time, spare innocent life.
        And I'm most proud of our troops and coalition troops for showing
    their bravery and skill.
        Larry [Larry McQuillan, USA Today].
        Q. Mr. President, you know--at this point, can you tell Americans, I
    mean, is the war progressing the way you expected it to?
        The President. Yes, Larry, it is. It is, and I--the air campaign is
    achieving its objective, and the ground campaign is also achieving
    objective. We're slowly but surely taking control of that country so
    that we can free the people of Iraq and eventually clear that country of
    weapons of mass destruction. We've made good progress.
        One of the big concerns early on was the southern oilfields. As you
    all remember, we had discussions about that. There was a lot of
    speculation about whether or not coalition forces would be able to get
    to the southern oilfields in time, before--so that Saddam
    Hussein wouldn't destroy them. As a matter of
    fact, I had frequently talked about the southern oilfields or oilfields
    in general in my declaratory policy. Tommy Franks put a plan in place that moved on those oilfields quickly,
    and at least in the south, they are secure. And that is positive news
    for all of us.
        Most of the south is now in coalition hands. Obviously, there's
    pockets of resistance in a place like Basra. We're making great
    progress--in the west, we're making great progress. The area, the launch
    sites for the scuds, while certainly not 100 percent secure, but we've
    made good progress.
        And so I can assure the American people we're making good progress,
    and I also can assure them that this is just the beginning of a tough
    fight.

    Prisoners of War

        Q. Sir, have you specifically been told that American POWs have been
    executed? And even----
        The President. I have not been told that. I have been told that we
    have a problem with potential capture. I'm waiting to--when I get back
    upstairs, I'll talk back to the Pentagon again. I was told early this
    morning that perhaps our troops were captured. Maybe between the time I
    left Camp David and here I'll learn more. But I am concerned about our
    troops. Obviously, anytime one of our soldiers loses a life, I grieve
    with their parents and their loved ones. And if there is somebody
    captured--and it looks like there may be--I expect those people to be
    treated humanely.

    Regime Change

        Q. What is your level of confidence that the Iraqi regime will
    surrender or collapse before U.S. forces need to be engaged in a fight
    in Baghdad?
        The President. I--all I know is we've got a game plan, a strategy to
    free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein and
    rid his

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    country of weapons of mass destruction, and we're on plan.
        Bill [Bill Plante, CBS News], and then Mike [Mike Allen, Washington
    Post].

    Prisoners of War

        Q. Iraqi TV has shown what appear to be American POWs and also what
    appear to be American dead. Your reaction?
        The President. I expect them to be treated--the POWs I expect to be
    treated humanely. And--just like we're treating the prisoners that we
    have captured humanely. If not, the people who mistreat the prisoners
    will be treated as war criminals.
        Mike.

    Saddam Hussein

        Q. Mr. President, do you retain hope that Saddam Hussein will go
    into exile, and are there any active negotiations about that?
        The President. You know, Mike, I--he had
    his chance to go into exile. I gave him a 48-hour ultimatum to leave the
    country so that we could disarm Iraq peacefully. He chose not to go into
    exile.

    Turkey

        Q. Mr. President, how concerned are you about the situation in the
    north and Turkey's statement that they will send troops in there and
    that Americans might get caught in some kind of crossfire up there?
        The President. We have got more troops up north, and we're making it
    very clear to the Turks that we expect them not to come into northern
    Iraq. We're in constant touch with the Turkish military as well as
    Turkish politicians. They know our policy, and it's a firm policy. And
    we've made it very clear to them we expect them not to go into northern
    Iraq as well as--and they know we're working with the Kurds to make sure
    there's not an incident that would cause there to be an excuse to go
    into northern Iraq.

    Prisoners of War/Casualties

        Q. Mr. President, what are you saying to the families of those U.S.
    soldiers who appear to be killed or captured and are paraded on
    television----
        The President. I say to the families, thank--I thank them for the
    sacrifice they make, and we pray with them. I pray for God's comfort and
    God's healing powers to anybody, coalition force, American, Brit,
    anybody who loses a life in this--in our efforts to make the world more
    peaceful and more free.
        Ed [Ed Chen, Los Angeles Times].

    Weapons of Mass Destruction

        Q. Mr. President, are you surprised the enemy has not used any
    weapons of mass destruction?
        The President. I am thankful the enemy has not used any weapons of
    mass destruction. And we will continue employing a strategy to make it
    difficult for the enemy to use weapons of mass destruction.
        A couple more; then I've got to go.

    Funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom

        Q. Mr. President, what will you be telling the congressional leaders
    tomorrow about the cost----
        The President. Wait until I talk to them. It's probably best they
    hear it directly from me.

    Prisoners of War

        Q. Mr. President, to your knowledge, is there any hope of getting
    these soldiers back?
        The President. What?
        Q. To your knowledge, is there any chance of getting these soldiers
    back?
        The President. Of course.

    Humanitarian Aid for Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, how swiftly do you expect to get humanitarian
    aid----
        The President. Good question. I appreciate you asking that question.
    The question is on humanitarian aid. In the south of

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    Iraq, coalition forces have worked hard to make the port area secure, to
    make the transit of humanitarian aid as safe as possible. As--I was told
    this morning in my briefings that humanitarian aid should begin moving--
    massive amounts of humanitarian aid should begin moving within the next
    36 hours. And that's going to be very positive news for a lot of people
    who have suffered a long time under Saddam Hussein.
        We've got a massive ground assault going on, and right behind it
    will be a massive movement of humanitarian aid to help the people of
    Iraq. We have made that promise to the people of this country that we
    will do everything we can to protect innocent life. And we're doing
    that. And we'll do everything we can to help the Iraqi people. First
    thing, of course, that will help the Iraqi people is to rid them from a
    brutal dictator, somebody who has stayed in
    power through mutilation and rape and torture, somebody who has starved
    his own people so he could build palaces. When free from that
    dictatorship, life will be a lot better.
        But we also understand we have an obligation--and this is just not
    America; it's coalition forces--have an obligation to put food and
    medicine in places so the Iraqi people can live a normal life and have
    hope. And that's exactly what's going to happen shortly when the area is
    completely--safe enough to move the equipment forward.
        Listen, thank you all.

    President's Stamina

        Q. How are you holding up, sir?
        The President. I feel just fine. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 1 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White House
    upon his return from Camp David, MD. In his remarks, he referred to
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.