    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 22, 2003]
    [Pages 1187-1189]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Iraqi
    Ministers
    September 22, 2003

        President Bush. We're going to have a couple of statements here.
    First, it's my honor to welcome two Ministers from Iraq--free Iraq--the
    Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Electricity, people charged
    with improving the lives of the Iraqi citizens, people who the Governing
    Council has picked to lead these ministries.
        And we've had a fascinating discussion. These two good souls have
    found that the system wasn't conducive for--the system they inherited
    was not conducive for taking care of the citizens. It was a--the
    infrastructure was old and tired; power was centralized. Really, they
    inherited a system of a corrupt tyrant.
        And their job now is to improve life. I love their spirit. I love
    the fact that they are dedicated to doing their jobs. And I also
    appreciate the appraisal of what's going on in Iraq, the assessment that
    we're making good progress toward achieving our objective.
        So thank you all for coming here to America. We're proud of you and
    proud

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    of you being pioneers for a free people. And welcome.
        If you'd like to say a few words, Madam Minister, we'd like to hear
    them.
        Minister Nesreen Berwari. Well, on September 3d, the Governing
    Council formed an Iraqi Government. And this has been the most
    significant move after two steps before that. Forming the Government and
    Iraqis taking care of their own affairs has been received very well by
    the Iraqi people.
        A sense of progress is being sensed in the streets of Iraq. More
    work is being done. And the work on restoring services to pre-war levels
    has been achieved. Now we're working on planning for the next year
    program. We have great plans to improve services. Our mission is to show
    a different governance. We want to tell the Iraqis that the change that
    has happened 4 months ago is for their own benefit, through improving
    the public service.
        But also investing on Iraq that can become an asset to itself and to
    the rest of the world, an Iraq that can add values of peace and
    prosperity to itself, to the region, and to the rest of the world. A
    working Iraq is in the best interests of everybody, and you don't have
    to do a lot of investment, because Iraq is rich, rich with people, rich
    with oil, rich with water. We only needed help in the beginning, and we
    will do it ourself and contribute to the rest of the world.
        Our visit this week is to seek support, continuous support from the
    U.S. Government who liberated us, and we're very thankful for that, and
    to pledge and show our commitment to the future partnership and
    cooperation.
        Thank you.
        President Bush. Mr. Minister, Minister of Electricity.
        Minister Aiham Alsammarae. Thank you, Mr. President, for the
    opportunity. We are, since of course the war until now, we are working
    very hard to rebuild the electricity, which is destroyed by almost 30
    years of system, that you know how was a system of doing things--almost
    no technical background for it.
        We lost a lot of power. We lost a lot of powerplants over the year.
    We don't have really, in the time when the war is over, more than 3,300
    megawatt out of actually, before the war, almost 4,400. We are right now
    reaching that number back again. We have a plan to, by next June, to
    build another 2,000 to 3,000 megawatt. This is all--will make Iraq again
    having a lot of opportunities for work, because the employment will be
    high. When you have electricity, you have oil to produce. When you have
    electricity, you have a treatment for the water.
        All that I like to talk about this more and more, but I like to tell
    you about what's happening in Iraq the last 5 months. The last 5 months,
    Iraqis, they have the freedom to talk. We have almost right now 86
    newspaper, while before the war we have only 3 or 4 newspapers, all
    controlled by the Government. All the 86 newspapers are not controlled
    by anyone right now except the individuals who own them.
        We have actually the people right now talking freely in the market.
    They go and get, for example, dishes. We know that every single Iraqis
    right now, he can go and buy anything he wants. This is the freedom
    which we missed before, and we got it over the last 5 months. If the
    Iraqi people and the American help us for the next year and a half, I
    almost guarantee--I guarantee it to the President but I almost guarantee
    it to the American people that we will have different Iraq, Iraq who is
    going to help the United States and the free world and also help the
    area around us, because we are going to build a democracy and Iraq will
    become example for all the Middle East areas and all the countries
    around us.
        We need the help of the Americans right now to build Iraq so you
    have a secure country here, and you have a secure world,

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    and we have a secure Iraq. And I appreciate it, and thank you very much.
        President Bush. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:26 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House.