    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [March 15, 2003]
    [Pages 266-267]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 266]]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 15, 2003

        Good morning. This weekend marks a bitter anniversary for the people
    of Iraq. Fifteen years ago, Saddam Hussein's
    regime ordered a chemical weapons attack on a village in Iraq called
    Halabja. With that single order, the regime killed thousands of Iraq's
    Kurdish citizens. Whole families died while trying to flee clouds of
    nerve and mustard agents descending from the sky. Many who managed to
    survive still suffer from cancer, blindness, respiratory diseases,
    miscarriages, and severe birth defects among their children.
        The chemical attack on Halabja, just one of 40 targeted at Iraq's
    own people, provided a glimpse of the crimes Saddam Hussein is willing to commit and the kind of threat he now
    presents to the entire world. He is among history's cruelest dictators,
    and he is arming himself with the world's most terrible weapons.
        Recognizing this threat, the United Nations Security Council
    demanded that Saddam Hussein give up all his
    weapons of mass destruction as a condition for ending the Gulf war 12
    years ago. The Security Council has repeated this demand numerous times
    and warned that Iraq faces serious consequences if it fails to comply.
    Iraq has responded with defiance, delay, and deception.
        The United States, Great Britain, and Spain continue to work with
    fellow members of the U.N. Security Council to confront this common
    danger. We have seen far too many instances in the past decade, from
    Bosnia to Rwanda to Kosovo, where the failure of the Security Council to
    act decisively has led to tragedy. And we must recognize that some
    threats are so grave and their potential consequences so terrible that
    they must be removed, even if it requires military force.
        As diplomatic efforts continue, we must never lose sight of the
    basic facts about the regime of Baghdad. We know from recent history
    that Saddam Hussein is a reckless dictator
    who has twice invaded his neighbors without provocation, wars that led
    to death and suffering on a massive scale. We know from human rights
    groups that dissidents in Iraq are tortured, imprisoned, and sometimes
    just disappear; their hands, feet, and tongues are cut off; their eyes
    are gouged out; and female relatives are raped in their presence.
        As the Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said this week, ``We have a moral obligation to
    intervene where evil is in control. Today, that place is Iraq.''
        We know from prior weapons inspections that Saddam has failed to account for vast quantities of
    biological and chemical agents, including mustard agent, botulinum
    toxin, and sarin, capable of killing millions of people. We know the
    Iraqi regime finances and sponsors terror. And we know the regime has
    plans to place innocent people around military installations to act as
    human shields.
        There is little reason to hope that Saddam Hussein will disarm. If force is required to disarm him, the
    American people can know that our Armed Forces have been given every
    tool and every resource to achieve victory. The people of Iraq can know
    that every effort will be made to spare innocent life and to help Iraq
    recover from three decades of totalitarian rule. And plans are in place
    to provide Iraqis with massive amounts of food, as well as medicine and
    other essential supplies, in the event of hostilities.
        Crucial days lie ahead for the free nations of the world.
    Governments are now showing whether their stated commitments to liberty
    and security are words alone or convictions they're prepared to act
    upon. And for the Government of the United States and the coalition we
    lead, there is

    [[Page 267]]

    no doubt: We will confront a growing danger, to protect ourselves, to
    remove a patron and protector of terror, and to keep the peace of the
    world.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:21 a.m. on March 14 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on March 15. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    March 14 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his
    remarks, the President referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The
    Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.