    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 1, 2004]
    [Pages 696-698]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    May 1, 2004

        Good morning. A year ago, I declared an end to major combat
    operations in Iraq, after coalition forces conducted one of the
    swiftest, most successful and humane campaigns in military history. I
    thanked our troops for their courage and for their professionalism. They
    had confronted a gathering danger to our Nation and the world. They had
    vanquished a brutal dictator who had twice invaded neighboring
    countries, who had used weapons of mass destruction against his own
    people, and who had supported and financed terrorism. On that day, I
    also cautioned Americans that, while a tyrant
    had fallen, the war against terror would go on.

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        One year later, despite many challenges, life for the Iraqi people
    is a world away from the cruelty and corruption of Saddam's regime. At the most basic level of justice, people are
    no longer disappearing into political prisons, torture chambers, and
    mass graves because the former dictator is in prison, himself. And their
    daily life is improving. Electricity is now more widely available than
    before the war. Iraq has a stable currency, and banks are thriving.
    Schools and clinics have been renovated and reopened, and powerplants,
    hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and bridges are being
    rehabilitated. Iraq's oil infrastructure is being rebuilt, with the
    Iraqi oil industry already producing about 2.5 million barrels per day.
        On the ground in Iraq, we have serious and continuing challenges.
    Illegal militias and remnants of the regime, joined by foreign
    terrorists, are trying to take by force the power they could never gain
    by the ballot. These groups have found little support among the Iraqi
    people.
        Our coalition is implementing a clear strategy in Iraq. First, we
    will ensure an atmosphere of security as Iraqis move toward self-
    government. Our coalition supports the efforts of local Iraqis to
    negotiate the disarmament of the radicals in Fallujah. We've also made
    it clear that militias in Najaf and elsewhere must disarm or face grave
    consequences. American and coalition forces are in place, and we are
    prepared to enforce order in Iraq.
        The second element of our strategy is to return sovereignty to the
    people of Iraq on the schedule that we agreed to with the Iraqi
    Governing Council. Like any proud people, Iraqis want to manage their
    own affairs, and that is a goal we share. On June 30th, a sovereign
    Iraqi interim government will take office. Iraqis will assume all
    administrative duties now performed by the coalition. Since February,
    United Nations Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi has been consulting with Iraqis on how best to form
    that interim government. The United States fully supports his mission.
        As the transfer of sovereignty approaches on June 30th, we are
    likely to see more violence from groups opposed to freedom. We will not
    be intimidated or diverted. On July 1st and beyond, our reconstruction
    and military commitment will continue.
        In the cause of a free and stable Iraq, our service men and women
    are working hard and sacrificing greatly. And families of the brave
    troops who have fallen must know that their loss is not in vain. We will
    finish our work in Iraq, because the stakes for our country and the
    world are high. The failure of Iraqi democracy would embolden terrorists
    around the globe, increase dangers to the American people, and
    extinguish the hopes of millions in the Middle East. The success of
    Iraqi democracy would send forth the news from Damascus to Tehran that
    freedom can be the future of every nation. And democracy will succeed in
    Iraq, because our coalition is strong, because our resolve is firm, and
    because the people of Iraq desire and deserve to live in freedom.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 9:57 a.m. on April 30 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on May 1. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    April 30 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.

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