[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[July 29, 2006]
[Pages 1472-1474]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
July 29, 2006

    Good morning. This week, the international community continued to 
build a political and security framework to confront the crisis in the 
Middle East, a crisis that began with Hizballah's unprovoked terrorist 
attacks on Israel. Secretary of State Rice 
traveled to Lebanon, Israel, and Europe, and met with key leaders to 
discuss a way forward. In Rome, she met with representatives of more 
than a dozen nations and international organizations. Our Governments 
agreed to provide relief to the people of Lebanon, using corridors for 
humanitarian aid that Israel is opening. We pledged to support Lebanon's 
revival and reconstruction. And we agreed to continue to work for a 
sustainable cease-fire that will stop the current violence, end the 
suffering of people in Lebanon and Israel, and move us toward a lasting 
peace.
    Yesterday I met with Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss our strategy to achieve these shared goals. 
We agreed that Lebanon's democratic Government must be empowered to 
exercise full authority over its territory. Militias in Lebanon must be 
disarmed; the flow of illegal arms must be halted; and the Lebanese 
security services should deploy throughout the country. We also agreed 
that a robust multinational force must be dispatched to Lebanon quickly. 
An effective multinational force will help speed delivery of 
humanitarian relief, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and 
support the Lebanese Government as it asserts full sovereignty over its 
territory and guards its borders. In addition, Iran must end its 
financial support and supply of weapons to terrorist groups such as 
Hizballah, and Syria must end its support for terrorism and respect 
Lebanon's sovereignty.
    Secretary Rice will return to the 
region this weekend, and she will work with the leaders of 
Israel and Lebanon to 
seize this opportunity to achieve lasting peace and stability for both 
countries. Next week, the United Nations Security Council will also

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meet. We will work with our allies to adopt a resolution that 
establishes a framework to end the violence quickly and mandates the 
multinational force. This approach will demonstrate the international 
community's determination to support the Government of Lebanon and 
defeat the threat from Hizballah and its foreign sponsors. And this 
approach will make possible what so many around the world want to see: 
the end of Hizballah's attacks on Israel; the return of Israeli soldiers taken hostage by terrorists; the suspension of Israel's 
operations in Lebanon; and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
    As we work to resolve this current crisis, we must recognize that 
Lebanon is the latest flashpoint in a broader struggle between freedom 
and terror that is unfolding across the region. For decades, American 
policy sought to achieve peace in the Middle East by promoting stability 
in the Middle East, yet these policies gave us neither. The lack of 
freedom in that region created conditions where anger and resentment 
grew, radicalism thrived, and terrorists found willing recruits. We saw 
the consequences on September the 11th, 2001, when terrorists brought 
death and destruction to our country, killing nearly 3,000 innocent 
Americans.
    The experience of September the 11th made it clear that we could no 
longer tolerate the status quo in the Middle East. We saw that when an 
entire region simmers in violence, that violence will eventually reach 
our shores and spread across the entire world. The only way to secure 
our Nation is to change the course of the Middle East by fighting the 
ideology of terror and spreading the hope of freedom.
    So we have launched a forward strategy for freedom in the broader 
Middle East, and that strategy has set in motion a transformation that 
is changing millions of lives for the better. From Kabul to Baghdad to 
Beirut and beyond, we've seen the birth of democratic governments that 
are striving to serve their people, reject terror, and work for peace. 
We're also seeing those who oppose democracy fighting its progress with 
all the destructive power they can muster. We see this in Hizballah's 
attacks on Israel, in the suicide bombings that kill innocent Iraqis, 
and in Al Qaida's campaign of terror across the world.
    The enemies of freedom have shown their ability to set back our 
efforts with deadly attacks, but ultimately, they will fail. They will 
fail because courageous leaders in the region have stepped forward to 
defend freedom and set the Middle East on a better course. And they will 
fail because millions of people who have suffered decades of oppression 
and violence will choose to live in peace with their neighbors.
    In Iraq, we will help Prime Minister Maliki's unity Government defeat the terrorists, insurgents, and 
illegal militias and establish a democracy in the heart of the Middle 
East. In Lebanon, we will stand with the democratic Government in its 
efforts to rid the country of terrorists and foreign influence and bring 
about a better life for the Lebanese people. In the Palestinian 
Territories, we will work with President Abbas to support the forces of moderation and achieve our 
shared vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living 
side by side in peace and security.
    This moment of conflict in the Middle East is painful and tragic, 
yet it is also a moment of opportunity for broader change in the region. 
Transforming countries that have suffered decades of tyranny and 
violence is difficult, and it will take time to achieve. But the 
consequences will be profound, for our country and the world. When the 
Middle East grows in liberty and democracy, it will also grow in peace, 
and that will make America and all free nations more secure.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 2 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the 
White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 29. The transcript was 
made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on July 28 but was

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embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his address, the President 
referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel; Prime Minister Fuad Siniora of Lebanon; 
Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured and held captive by militants 
in Gaza since June 25; Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, Israeli soldiers 
captured and held captive by militants in Lebanon since July 12; Prime 
Minister Nuri al-Maliki of Iraq; and President Mahmoud Abbas of the 
Palestinian Authority. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of this address.