[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 21, 2004]
[Pages 2142-2147]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City
September 21, 2004
Mr. Secretary-General, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen: Thank you
for the honor of addressing this General Assembly. The American people
respect the idealism that gave life to this organization. And we respect
the men and women of the U.N., who stand for peace and human rights in
every part of the world. Welcome to New York City, and welcome to the
United States of America.
During the past 3 years, I've addressed this General Assembly in a
time of tragedy for my country and in times of decision for all of us.
Now we gather at a time of tremendous opportunity for the U.N. and for
all peaceful nations. For decades, the circle of liberty and security
and development has been expanding in our world. This progress has
brought unity to Europe, self-government to Latin America and Asia, and
new hope to Africa. Now we have the historic chance to widen the circle
even further, to fight radicalism and terror with justice and dignity,
to achieve a true peace founded on human freedom.
The United Nations and my country share the deepest commitments.
Both the American Declaration of Independence and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights proclaim the equal value and dignity of
every human life. That dignity is honored by the rule of law, limits on
the power of the state, respect for women, protection of private
property, free speech, equal justice, and religious tolerance. That
dignity is dishonored by oppression, corruption, tyranny, bigotry,
terrorism, and all violence against the innocent. And both of our
founding documents affirm that this bright
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line between justice and injustice--between right and wrong--is the same
in every age and every culture and every nation.
Wise governments also stand for these principles for very practical
and realistic reasons. We know that dictators are quick to choose
aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace.
We know that oppressive governments support terror, while free
governments fight the terrorists in their midst. We know that free
peoples embrace progress and life, instead of becoming the recruits for
murderous ideologies.
Every nation that wants peace will share the benefits of a freer
world, and every nation that seeks peace has an obligation to help build
that world. Eventually, there is no safe isolation from terror networks
or failed states that shelter them or outlaw regimes or weapons of mass
destruction. Eventually, there is no safety in looking away, seeking the
quiet life by ignoring the struggles and oppression of others.
In this young century, our world needs a new definition of security.
Our security is not merely found in spheres of influence or some balance
of power. The security of our world is found in the advancing rights of
mankind.
These rights are advancing across the world, and across the world,
the enemies of human rights are responding with violence. Terrorists and
their allies believe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
American Bill of Rights and every charter of liberty ever written are
lies to be burned and destroyed and forgotten. They believe that
dictators should control every mind and tongue in the Middle East and
beyond. They believe that suicide and torture and murder are fully
justified to serve any goal they declare, and they act on their beliefs.
In the last year alone, terrorists have attacked police stations and
banks and commuter trains and synagogues and a school filled with
children. This month in Beslan we saw, once again, how the terrorists
measure their success, in the death of the innocent and in the pain of
grieving families. Svetlana Dzebisov was
held hostage along with her son and her
nephew. Her nephew did not survive. She recently
visited the cemetery, and saw what she called the ``little graves.'' She
said, ``I understand that there is evil in the world, but what have
these little creatures done?''
Members of the United Nations, the Russian children did nothing to
deserve such awful suffering and fright and death. The people of Madrid
and Jerusalem and Istanbul and Baghdad have done nothing to deserve
sudden and random murder. These acts violate the standards of justice in
all cultures and the principles of all religions. All civilized nations
are in this struggle together, and all must fight the murderers.
We're determined to destroy terror networks wherever they operate,
and the United States is grateful to every nation that is helping to
seize terrorist assets, track down their operatives, and disrupt their
plans. We're determined to end the state sponsorship of terror, and my
Nation is grateful to all that participated in the liberation of
Afghanistan. We're determined to prevent proliferation and to enforce
the demands of the world, and my Nation is grateful to the soldiers of
many nations who have helped to deliver the Iraqi people from an outlaw
dictator.
The dictator agreed in 1991, as a condition of a cease-fire, to
fully comply with all Security Council resolutions, then ignored more
than a decade of those resolutions. Finally, the Security Council
promised serious consequences for his defiance. And the commitments we
make must have meaning. When we say ``serious consequences,'' for the
sake of peace, there must be serious consequences. And so a coalition of
nations enforced the just demands of the world.
Defending our ideals is vital, but it is not enough. Our broader
mission as U.N. members is to apply these ideals to the
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great issues of our time. Our wider goal is to promote hope and progress
as the alternatives to hatred and violence. Our great purpose is to
build a better world beyond the war on terror.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
established a Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. In 3
years, the contributing countries have funded projects in more than 90
countries and pledged a total of $5.6 billion to these efforts. America
has undertaken a $15 billion effort to provide prevention and treatment
and humane care in nations afflicted by AIDS, placing a special focus on
15 countries where the need is most urgent. AIDS is the greatest health
crisis of our time, and our unprecedented commitment will bring new hope
to those who have walked too long in the shadow of death.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
joined together to confront the evil of trafficking in human beings.
We're supporting organizations that rescue the victims, passing stronger
antitrafficking laws, and warning travelers that they will be held to
account for supporting this modern form of slavery. Women and children
should never be exploited for pleasure or greed anywhere on Earth.
Because we believe in human dignity, we should take seriously the
protection of life from exploitation under any pretext. In this session,
the U.N. will consider a resolution sponsored by Costa Rica calling for
a comprehensive ban on human cloning. I support that resolution and urge
all governments to affirm a basic ethical principle: No human life
should ever be produced or destroyed for the benefit of another.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
changed the way we fight poverty, curb corruption, and provide aid. In
2002, we created the Monterrey Consensus, a bold approach that links new
aid from developed nations to real reform in developing ones. And
through the Millennium Challenge Account, my Nation is increasing our
aid to developing nations that expand economic freedom and invest in the
education and health of their own people.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
acted to lift the crushing burden of debt that limits the growth of
developing economies and holds millions of people in poverty. Since
these efforts began in 1996, poor countries with the heaviest debt
burdens have received more than $30 billion of relief. And to prevent
the buildup of future debt, my country and other nations have agreed
that international financial institutions should increasingly provide
new aid in the forms of grants rather than loans.
Because we believe in human dignity, the world must have more
effective means to stabilize regions in turmoil and to halt religious
violence and ethnic cleansing. We must create permanent capabilities to
respond to future crises. The United States and Italy have proposed a
Global Peace Operations Initiative. G-8 countries will train 75,000
peacekeepers, initially from Africa, so they can conduct operations on
that continent and elsewhere. The countries of the G-8 will help this
peacekeeping force with deployment and logistical needs.
At this hour, the world is witnessing terrible suffering and
horrible crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan, crimes my Government has
concluded are genocide. The United States played a key role in efforts
to broker a ceasefire, and we're providing humanitarian assistance to
the Sudanese people. Rwanda and Nigeria have deployed forces in Sudan to
help improve security so aid can be delivered. The Security Council
adopted a new resolution that supports an expanded African Union force
to help prevent further bloodshed and urges the Government of Sudan to
stop flights by military aircraft in Darfur. We congratulate the members
of the Council on this timely and necessary action. I call on the
Government of Sudan to honor the cease-
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fire it signed and to stop the killing in Darfur.
Because we believe in human dignity, peaceful nations must stand for
the advance of democracy. No other system of government has done more to
protect minorities, to secure the rights of labor, to raise the status
of women, or to channel human energy to the pursuits of peace. We've
witnessed the rise of democratic governments in predominantly Hindu and
Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian cultures. Democratic
institutions have taken root in modern societies and in traditional
societies. When it comes to the desire for liberty and justice, there is
no clash of civilizations. People everywhere are capable of freedom and
worthy of freedom.
Finding the full promise of representative government takes time, as
America has found in two centuries of debate and struggle. Nor is there
any--only one form of representative government because democracies, by
definition, take on the unique character of the peoples that create
them. Yet this much we know with certainty: The desire for freedom
resides in every human heart. And that desire cannot be contained
forever by prison walls or martial laws or secret police. Over time and
across the Earth, freedom will find a way.
Freedom is finding a way in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we must
continue to show our commitment to democracies in those nations. The
liberty that many have won at a cost must be secured. As members of the
United Nations, we all have a stake in the success of the world's newest
democracies.
Not long ago, outlaw regimes in Baghdad and Kabul threatened the
peace and sponsored terrorists. These regimes destabilized one of the
world's most vital and most volatile regions. They brutalized their
peoples in defiance of all civilized norms. Today, the Iraqi and Afghan
people are on the path to democracy and freedom. The Governments that
are rising will pose no threat to others. Instead of harboring
terrorists, they're fighting terrorist groups, and this progress is good
for the long-term security of all of us.
The Afghan people are showing extraordinary courage under difficult
conditions. They're fighting to defend their nation from Taliban
holdouts and helping to strike against the terrorist killers. They're
reviving their economy. They've adopted a constitution that protects the
rights of all while honoring their nation's most cherished traditions.
More than 10 million Afghan citizens, over 4 million of them women, are
now registered to vote in next month's Presidential election. To any who
still would question whether Muslim societies can be democratic
societies, the Afghan people are giving their answer.
Since the last meeting of this General Assembly, the people of Iraq
have regained sovereignty. Today, in this hall, the Prime Minister of
Iraq and his delegation represent a country that
has rejoined the community of nations. The Government of Prime Minister
Allawi has earned the support of every nation that believes in self-
determination and desires peace. And under Security Council Resolutions
1511 and 1546, the world is providing that support. The U.N. and its
member nations must respond to Prime Minister Allawi's request and do
more to help build an Iraq that is secure, democratic, federal, and
free.
A democratic Iraq has ruthless enemies, because terrorists know the
stakes in that country. They know that a free Iraq in the heart of the
Middle East will be a decisive blow against their ambitions for that
region. So a terrorist group associated with Al Qaida is now one of the
main groups killing the innocent in Iraq today, conducting a campaign of
bombings against civilians and the beheadings of bound men. Coalition
forces now serving in Iraq are confronting the terrorists and foreign
fighters, so peaceful nations around the world will never have to face
them within our own borders.
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Our coalition is standing beside a growing Iraqi security force. The
NATO Alliance is providing vital training to that force. More than 35
nations have contributed money and expertise to help rebuild Iraq's
infrastructure. And as the Iraqi Interim Government moves toward
national elections, officials from the United Nations are helping Iraqis
build the infrastructure of democracy. These selfless people are doing
heroic work and are carrying on the great legacy of Sergio de Mello.
As we have seen in other countries, one of the main terrorist goals
is to undermine, disrupt, and influence election outcomes. We can expect
terrorist attacks to escalate as Afghanistan and Iraq approach national
elections. The work ahead is demanding, but these difficulties will not
shake our conviction that the future of Afghanistan and Iraq is a future
of liberty. The proper response to difficulty is not to retreat; it is
to prevail.
The advance of freedom always carries a cost, paid by the bravest
among us. America mourns the losses to our Nation and to many others.
And today I assure every friend of Afghanistan and Iraq and every enemy
of liberty: We will stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq until
their hopes of freedom and security are fulfilled.
These two nations will be a model for the broader Middle East, a
region where millions have been denied basic human rights and simple
justice. For too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated, even
excused, oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability.
Oppression became common, but stability never arrived. We must take a
different approach. We must help the reformers of the Middle East as
they work for freedom and strive to build a community of peaceful,
democratic nations.
This commitment to democratic reform is essential to resolving the
Arab-Israeli conflict. Peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers
who intimidate opposition, tolerate corruption, and maintain ties to
terrorist groups. The long-suffering Palestinian people deserve better.
They deserve true leaders capable of creating and governing a free and
peaceful Palestinian state.
Even after the setbacks and frustrations of recent months, good will
and hard effort can achieve the promise of the roadmap to peace. Those
who would lead a new Palestinian state should adopt peaceful means to
achieve the rights of their people and create the reformed institutions
of a stable democracy. Arab states should end incitement in their own
media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, and establish
normal relations with Israel. Israel should impose a settlement freeze,
dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the
Palestinian people, and avoid any actions that prejudice final
negotiations. And world leaders should withdraw all favor and support
from any Palestinian ruler who fails his people and betrays their cause.
The democratic hopes we see growing in the Middle East are growing
everywhere. In the words of the Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu
Kyi, ``We do not accept the notion that
democracy is a Western value. To the contrary, democracy simply means
good government rooted in responsibility, transparency, and
accountability.'' Here at the United Nations, you know this to be true.
In recent years, this organization has helped create a new democracy in
East Timor, and the U.N. has aided other nations in making the
transition to self-rule.
Because I believe the advance of liberty is the path to both a safer
and better world, today I propose establishing a Democracy Fund within
the United Nations. This is a great calling for this great organization.
The fund would help countries lay the foundations of democracy by
instituting the rule of law and independent courts, a free press,
political parties, and trade unions. Money from the fund would also help
set up voter precincts and polling places and support the work of
election monitors. To
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show our commitment to the new Democracy Fund, the United States will
make an initial contribution. I urge other nations to contribute as
well.
Today I've outlined a broad agenda to advance human dignity and
enhance the security of all of us. The defeat of terror, the protection
of human rights, the spread of prosperity, the advance of democracy,
these causes, these ideals, call us to great work in the world. Each of
us alone can only do so much. Together, we can accomplish so much more.
History will honor the high ideals of this organization. The charter
states them with clarity: ``to save succeeding generations from the
scourge of war,'' ``to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights,''
``to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger
freedom.''
Let history also record that our generation of leaders followed
through on these ideals, even in adversity. Let history show that in a
decisive decade, members of the United Nations did not grow weary in our
duties or waver in meeting them. I'm confident that this young century
will be liberty's century. I believe we will rise to this moment,
because I know the character of so many nations and leaders represented
here today, and I have faith in the transforming power of freedom.
May God bless you.
Note: The President spoke at 11 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall. In
his remarks, he referred to Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United
Nations; Foreign Minister Jean Ping of Gabon, President, 59th Session of
the U.N. General Assembly; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government. The Office
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
these remarks.