    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [June 16, 2005]
    [Pages 1006-1007]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Presidential Elections in Iran
    June 16, 2005

        In recent months, the cause of freedom has made enormous gains in
    the broader Middle East. Millions of people in Afghanistan and Iraq
    defied terrorists to cast their ballots in free elections. Palestinians
    voted for a new President who
    rejects violence and is working for democratic reform, and the people of
    Lebanon reclaimed their sovereignty and are now voting for new
    leadership. Across the Middle East, hopeful change is taking place.
    People are claiming their liberty. And as a tide of freedom sweeps this
    region, it will also come eventually to Iran.
        The Iranian people are heirs to a great civilization--and they
    deserve a Government that honors their ideals and unleashes their talent
    and creativity. Today, Iran is ruled by men who suppress liberty at home
    and spread terror across the world. Power is in the hands of an
    unelected few who have retained power through an electoral process that
    ignores the basic requirements of democracy.
        The June 17th Presidential elections are sadly consistent with this
    oppressive record. Iran's rulers denied more than a thousand people who
    put themselves forward as candidates, including popular reformers and
    women who have done so much for the cause of freedom and democracy in
    Iran.

        The Iranian people deserve a genuinely democratic system in which
    elections are honest--and in which their leaders answer to them instead
    of the other way around. The Iranian people deserve a truly free and
    democratic society with a vibrant free press that informs the public and
    ensures transparency. They deserve freedom of assembly, so Iranians can
    gather and press for reform and a peaceful, loyal opposition can keep
    the Government in check. They deserve a free economy that delivers
    opportunity and prosperity and economic independence from the state.
    They deserve an independent judiciary that will guarantee the rule of
    law and ensure equal justice for all Iranians. And they deserve a system

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    that guarantees religious freedom, so that they can build a society in
    which compassion and tolerance prevail.
        Today, the Iranian regime denies all these rights. It shuts down
    independent newspapers and web sites and jails those who dare to
    challenge the corrupt system. It brutalizes its people and denies them
    their liberty.
        America believes in the independence and territorial integrity of
    Iran. America believes in the right of the Iranian people to make their
    own decisions and determine their own future. America believes that
    freedom is the birthright and deep desire of every human soul. And to
    the Iranian people, I say: As you stand for your own liberty, the people
    of America stand with you.

    Note: The statement referred to President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of
    the Palestinian Authority.