[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[September 27, 2003]
[Pages 1200-1201]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
September 27, 2003

    Good morning. Earlier this week, I spoke to the United Nations, 
which has become, like our country, a target of terrorism. In the past 
month, terrorists have made two bombing attacks on the U.N. headquarters 
in Baghdad, killing Iraqi citizens, U.N. officials, and international 
aid workers. On Tuesday, I conveyed the sympathy of our country for the 
losses of the U.N. and the gratitude of our country for the relief 
efforts of the U.N. in Iraq. I also expressed America's determination to 
fight and win the war on terror for the safety of our own people and for 
the benefit of all mankind.
    The world is safer today because, in Afghanistan, our broad 
coalition destroyed the training camps of terrorists and removed the 
brutal regime that sponsored terror. The world is safer today because we 
continue to hunt down Al Qaida and its terrorist allies and have 
captured or killed nearly two-thirds of Al Qaida's known leaders and key 
facilitators.
    The world is safer today because, in Iraq, our coalition ended a 
regime that cultivated ties to terror while it built weapons of mass 
destruction. And for the safety of the people of Iraq and of all free 
nations, our forces are now conducting a systematic campaign to defeat 
holdouts of the old regime and other terrorists who have joined them.
    In the struggle between terrorist killers and peaceful nations, 
there is no neutral ground. All nations must join in confronting this 
threat where it arises, before the terrorists can inflict even greater 
harm and suffering. And all nations should stand with the people of 
Afghanistan and Iraq as they build a future based on freedom and 
democracy.
    Our coalition is helping the Iraqi people to build a secure, 
hopeful, and self-governing nation which will stand as an example of 
freedom to all the Middle East. We are rebuilding more than a thousand 
schools, supplying and reopening hospitals,

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rehabilitating powerplants, water and sanitation facilities, bridges, 
and airports. We are training Iraqi police, border guards, and a new 
army, so that the Iraqi people can assume full responsibility for their 
own security. Iraq now has its own Governing Council, has appointed 
interim government ministries, and is moving toward elections. Iraq's 
new leaders are showing the openness and tolerance that democracy 
requires, and also the courage. Yet every young democracy needs the help 
of friends. America is providing that help to Iraq, and all nations of 
good will should do their part as well.
    Our goal is a free Iraq, where the Iraqi people are responsible for 
their own affairs. We want Iraq's governmental institutions to be strong 
and to stand the test of time, so I called on the United Nations to take 
up vital responsibilities in this effort. America is now working with 
friends and allies on a new Security Council resolution which will 
expand the U.N.'s role in Iraq. As in the aftermath of other conflicts, 
the United Nations should assist in developing a constitution, training 
civil servants, and conducting free and fair elections. Many U.N. 
members, from the Philippines to Poland and now Germany, have expressed 
their commitment to helping build a democratic and stable Iraq.
    The stakes in Iraq are high, for the Middle East and beyond. If 
freedom and progress falter in the Middle East, that region will 
continue to export violence that takes lives in America and around the 
world. If democracy and tolerance and peace advance in that region, it 
will undermine the bitterness and resentment that feed terrorism. The 
terrorists understand this, so they have chosen to fight against order 
and liberty in Iraq. They must and they will be defeated. And I am 
confident that more nations will rally to the side of the Iraqi people 
and help them to build a free and peaceful nation.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 11:35 a.m. on September 26 in the 
Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September 
27. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on September 26 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of this address.