[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 13 (Monday, March 31, 2003)]
[Pages 383-388]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom at Camp David, Maryland

March 27, 2003

    President Bush. Thank you all. It's my honor to welcome my friend 
and Prime Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair back to Camp David. 
America has learned a lot about Tony Blair over the last weeks. We've 
learned that he's a man of his word. We've learned that he's a man of 
courage, that he's a man of vision. And we're proud to have him as a 
friend.
    The United States and United Kingdom are acting together in a noble 
purpose. We're working together to make the world more peaceful. We're 
working together to make our respective nations and all the free nations 
of the world more secure, and we're working to free the Iraqi people.
    British, American, Australian, Polish, and other coalition troops 
are sharing the duties of this war, and we're sharing the sacrifices of 
this war. Together, coalition forces are advancing day by day, in steady 
progress, against the enemy. Slowly but surely, the grip of terror 
around the throats of the Iraqi people is being loosened.
    We appreciate the bravery, the professionalism of the British troops 
and all coalition troops. Together we have lost people, and the American 
people offer their prayers to the loved ones of the British fallen, just 
as we offer our prayers to the loved ones of our own troops who have 
fallen.
    We're now engaging the dictator's most hardened and most desperate 
units. The campaign ahead will demand further courage and require 
further sacrifice. Yet we know the outcome: Iraq will be disarmed; the 
Iraqi regime will be ended; and the long-suffering Iraqi people will be 
free.
    In decades of oppression, the Iraqi regime has sought to instill the 
habits of fear in the daily lives of millions. Yet, soon, the Iraqis 
will have the confidence of a free people. Our coalition will stand with 
the citizens of Iraq in the challenges ahead. We are prepared to deliver 
humanitarian aid on a large scale and, as a matter of fact, are 
beginning to do so as we speak.
    Today the Prime Minister and I also urge the United Nations to 
immediately resume the oil-for-food program. More than half the Iraqi 
people depend on this program as their sole source of food. This urgent 
humanitarian issue must not be politicized, and the Security Council 
should give Secretary-General Annan the authority to start getting food 
supplies to those most in need of assistance.
    As we address the immediate suffering of the Iraqi people, we're 
also committed to helping them over the long term. Iraq's greatest long-
term need is a representative government that protects the rights of all 
Iraqis. The form of this government will be chosen by the Iraqi people, 
not imposed by outsiders. And the Prime Minister and I are confident 
that a free Iraq will be a successful nation.
    History requires more of our coalition than the defeat of a terrible 
danger. I see an opportunity, as does Prime Minister Blair, to bring 
renewed hope and progress to the entire Middle East. Last June 24th, I 
outlined a vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by 
side in peace and security. Soon, we'll release the roadmap that is 
designed to help turn that vision into reality, and both America and 
Great Britain are strongly committed to implementing that roadmap.
    For nearly a century, the United States and Great Britain have been 
allies in the defense of liberty. We've opposed all the great threats to 
peace and security in the world. We shared in the costly and heroic 
struggle against Nazism. We shared the resolve and moral purpose of the 
cold war. In every challenge, we've applied the combined power of our 
nations to the cause of justice, and we're doing the same today. Our 
alliance is strong;

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our resolve is firm; and our mission will be achieved.
    Mr. Prime Minister.
    Prime Minister Blair. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for 
your welcome. Thank you for your strength and for your leadership at 
this time. And I believe the alliance between the United States and 
Great Britain has never been in better or stronger shape.
    Can I also offer the American people, on behalf of the British 
people, our condolences, our sympathy, our prayers for the lives of 
those who have fallen in this conflict, just as we have offered the 
condolence, the sympathy, and the prayers to the families of our own 
British servicemen.
    Just under a week into this conflict, let me restate our complete 
and total resolve. Saddam Hussein and his hateful regime will be removed 
from power. Iraq will be disarmed of weapons of mass destruction, and 
the Iraqi people will be free. That is our commitment; that is our 
determination; and we will see it done.
    We had this morning a presentation of the latest military situation, 
which shows already the progress that has been made. It's worth just 
recapping it, I think, for a moment. In less than a week, we have 
secured the southern oilfields and facilities and so protected that 
resource and wealth for the Iraqi people and avoided ecological 
disaster. We've disabled Iraq's ability to launch external aggression 
from the west. Our forces are now within 50 miles of Baghdad. They've 
surrounded Basra. They've secured the key port of Umm Qasr. They've 
paved the way for humanitarian aid to flow into the country. And they 
brought real damage on Iraq's command and control. So we can be 
confident that the goals that we have set ourselves will be met.
    I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and integrity of 
our forces and those of the United States of America, our other 
coalition allies, and to say how their professionalism, as well as their 
skill and their bravery, stands in sharp contrast to the brutality of 
Saddam's regime.
    Day by day, we have seen the reality of Saddam's regime: His thugs 
prepared to kill their own people; the parading of prisoners of war; and 
now, the release of those pictures of executed British soldiers. If 
anyone needed any further evidence of the depravity of Saddam's regime, 
this atrocity provides it. It is yet one more flagrant breach of all the 
proper conventions of war. More than that, to the families of the 
soldiers involved, it is an act of cruelty beyond comprehension. Indeed, 
it is beyond the comprehension of anyone with an ounce of humanity in 
their souls.
    On behalf of the British Government, I would like to offer my 
condolences particularly to the family and the friends of those two 
brave young men who died in the service of their country and to the 
ordinary Iraqi people, to whom we are determined to bring a better 
future.
    The future of the Iraqi people is one reason why much of our 
discussion has focused on humanitarian issues. Again, here we have the 
ship, the Sir Galahad, loaded with tons of supplies destined for the 
people of Iraq. The other immediate humanitarian priority is to restart 
the U.N. oil-for-food program, which the President and I discussed and 
which I will be discussing with Kofi Annan later this evening, and this 
is urgent.
    We also discussed the postconflict issues. Contrary to a lot of the 
comment on this, the position is exactly as the President and I set out 
in the Azores, namely, that we will work with the U.N., our allies and 
partners and bilateral donors. We will seek new U.N. Security Council 
resolutions to affirm Iraq's territorial integrity, to ensure rapid 
delivery of humanitarian relief, and endorse an appropriate postconflict 
administration for Iraq.
    But let me emphasize once again that our primary focus now is and 
must be the military victory, which we will prosecute with the utmost 
vigor. And the immediate priority for the United Nations is, as the 
President was indicating a moment or two ago, the oil-for-food program.
    In addition, as has just been said to you, we had an excellent 
discussion of the Middle East, and we both share a complete 
determination to move this forward. It is, indeed, often overlooked that 
President Bush is the first U.S. President publicly to commit himself to 
a two-state solution, an Israel confident of its security and a viable 
Palestinian state. And I welcome the decision announced recently to 
publish the roadmap as soon as

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the confirmation of the new Palestinian Prime Minister is properly 
administered.
    Finally, I would just like to say this: I think it is important that 
we recognize at this time that the goals that we are fighting for are 
just goals. Whatever the difficulty of war, let us just remember this is 
a regime that has brutalized its people for well over two decades. Of 
course, there will be people fiercely loyal to that regime who will 
fight all the way; they have no option. But I have no doubt at all that 
the vast majority of ordinary Iraqi people are desperate for a better 
and different future, for Iraq to be free, for its government to be 
representative of its people, for the human rights of the people to be 
cared for.
    And that is why, though of course our aim is to rid Iraq of weapons 
of mass destruction and make our world more secure, the justice of our 
cause lies in the liberation of the Iraqi people. And to them we say, we 
will liberate you. The day of your freedom draws near.
    President Bush. We'll take two questions a side. We would hope that 
you would respect asking one question per question.
    Fournier [Ron Fournier, Associated Press].

Resolution of Operation Iraqi Freedom/U.N. Role in Postwar Iraq

    Q. That, of course, means I can ask each leader one question.
    President Bush. No, it does not mean that. Of course, you will 
anyway, but----
    Q. Yes, sir.
    First you, Mr. Prime Minister. Briefly, Secretary Powell said 
yesterday that the U.N. should have a role in postwar Iraq but that the 
United States should have a significant, dominating control of post-
Saddam Iraq. How will that kind of talk play in Europe?
    And Mr. President, can you help me understand the timing of this 
war? You talked yesterday that it will be--we're far from over. Today 
you said it's going slowly but surely; we're working our way to our end 
goal. Given that the resistance is as strong as it's been in the south 
and that we have what you call the most hardened, most desperate forces 
still around Baghdad, are we to assume that this is going to last--could 
last months and not weeks--and not days?
    President Bush. I'll answer that question very quickly and then get 
to his. However long it takes to win. That's----
    Q. ----take months?
    President Bush. However long it takes to achieve our objective. And 
that's important for you to know, the American people to know, our 
allies to know, and the Iraqi people to know.
    Q. It could be months?
    President Bush. However long it takes. That's the answer to your 
question, and that's what you've got to know. It isn't a matter of 
timetable; it's a matter of victory. And the Iraqi people have got to 
know that, see. They've got to know that they will be liberated and 
Saddam Hussein will be removed, no matter how long it takes.
    Go ahead.
    Prime Minister Blair. In relation to the United Nations, there's no 
doubt at all that the United Nations has got to be closely involved in 
this process. That's not just right; it's in everyone's interest that it 
happens. All I'm saying to people is, the focus--the immediate focus has 
got to be on the oil-for-food program, because that is the thing we need 
to get sorted out with the United Nations literally in the next few 
days.
    Now, after that is the issue of the postconflict administration, 
where, as we said in our Azores statement, it's important there, again, 
that the U.N. is involved and that any postconflict administration in 
Iraq is endorsed by it.
    But there are huge numbers of details to be discussed with our 
allies as to exactly how that is going to work. And also, the conflict 
is not yet over; we are still in the conflict. So we will carry on 
discussing that with the U.N., with other allies. But I think that is 
best done in those discussions without trying to do it by discussion 
through the press conference or through megaphone diplomacy.
    But about the role of the U.N. and the basis of the principles we 
set out in the Azores Summit, there is simply no difference at all 
there. But there are a huge amount of details as to exactly how that is 
to be implemented that have to be a matter of discussion, and also, a 
matter of a reflection of the reality that we will face when we get to 
the point of postconflict.

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    Andy.

Speculation on Duration of the War

    Q. Andrew Marr from the BBC. For both leaders, if I may. We've, all 
of us, noted quite a shift in emphasis over the last few days from a 
hope that this could be over very, very quickly, to the military in both 
countries briefing about months. My question is really, why do you think 
that shift has taken place? Did we underestimate the scale of Iraqi 
resistance? Has it been the weather? Has it been poor advice at the 
beginning of the campaign, or is it a military question?
    Prime Minister Blair. Well, you know, in the previous two campaigns 
in which I've been involved, Kosovo and Afghanistan, you reach this 
particular point where people start asking--ask us to speculate on 
exactly how much time it takes to get the job done. The important thing 
is the job will be done. There is no point in entering into a 
speculation of how long it takes except to say we have been, I think, 
just under a week into this conflict. Now, because of the way it's 
reported--you've got this constant 24-hours-a-day media--it may seem to 
people that it's a lot longer than just under a week. But actually, it's 
just under a week. And in just under a week, there is a massive amount 
that has already been achieved. I mean, after all, coalition forces are 
within 50 miles of Baghdad; the southern oilfields are secured; the west 
is protected from external aggression; we've got forces going into the 
north.
    Now, we will carry on until the job is done. But there is absolutely 
no point, in my view, of trying to set a time limit or speculate on it, 
because it's not set by time; it's set by the nature of the job. All I 
would do, though, is point out to you that within those 6 or 7 days, 
actually an enormous amount has already been achieved.
    I think it's also important just to make one other point, which is 
we have very deliberately wanted to do this in a way that protects the 
future of the Iraqi people too. And that's one reason why we went 
immediately in to secure the oil installations in the south. If we 
weren't able to do that, then the prospects of the Iraqi people for the 
future would be blighted. That's why the air campaign has targeted very, 
very specifically, as specifically as we possibly can, military command 
and control, the aspects of Saddam's regime, not the civilian 
population.
    So we're doing this in the way that we set it out to achieve our 
objectives. We will achieve our objectives.
    President Bush. I have nothing more to add to that.
    Randy [Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters].

War Crimes/Weapons of Mass Destruction

    Q. Mr. President, you've raised the possibility of holding Iraqis 
accountable for war crimes. I'm wondering if now if you could describe 
what war crimes you think they've committed to date. And secondly, sir, 
should the Iraqis be prepared for U.S. retaliation with nuclear weapons 
if they were to attack coalition forces with weapons of mass 
destruction?
    President Bush. You heard the Prime Minister eloquently talk about 
the loss of British life. They were murdered, unarmed soldiers executed. 
I mean, that's a war crime. But you know, I'm not surprised. This man 
Saddam Hussein has tortured and brutalized his people for a long, long 
time.
    We had reports the other day of a dissident who had his tongue cut 
out and was tied to the stake in the town square, and he bled to death. 
That's how Saddam Hussein retains power.
    His sons are brutal, brutal people. They're barbaric in nature. So 
I'm not surprised he's committing crimes against our soldiers. I'm not 
surprised to hear stories about his thugs killing their own citizens and 
trying to blame it on coalition forces. I'm not surprised to know that 
regular army forces are trying to desert but get blown away by fellow 
Iraqi citizens. I'm not surprised, because the nature of the man who has 
run the country for a long period of time.
    If he uses weapons of mass destruction, that will just prove our 
case. And we will deal with it. We've got one objective in mind. That's 
victory, and we'll achieve victory.
    Q. [Inaudible].
    President Bush. Well, they've been sent a message in this war, too, 
in that if you launch a weapon of mass destruction, you'll be tried as a 
war criminal. And I urge those

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Iraqi generals who have any doubt of our word to be careful, because 
we'll keep our word. We're going to keep our word to the Iraqi people, 
and we'll keep our word to those war criminals in Iraq.
    Prime Minister Blair. Adam [Adam Boulton, Sky News].

Nature of the Coalition/Execution of British Soldiers

    Q. I'd like to break the rule, because I don't think we know the 
details of why you're using this word ``executed'' about the British 
servicemen. I would like if you could explain that.
    But could I ask you both--you both went into the history, the 
justness of the cause that you believe that this war is. Why is it then, 
that if you go back to that history, if you go back over the last 
century or, indeed, recent conflicts in your political careers, you have 
not got the support of people who have been firm allies, like the 
French, like the Germans, like the Turkish? Why haven't you got their 
support?
    President Bush. We've got a huge coalition. As a matter of fact, the 
coalition that we've assembled today is larger than one assembled in 
1991 in terms of the number of nations participating. I'm very pleased 
with the size of our coalition.
    I was down yesterday at CENTCOM and met with many of the generals 
from the countries represented in our coalition, and they're proud to be 
side by side with our allies. This is a vast coalition that believes in 
our cause, and I'm proud of their participation.
    Q. They're not Western allies. Why not?
    President Bush. We have plenty of Western allies. We've got--I mean, 
we can give you the list. Ally after ally after ally has stood with us 
and continues to stand with us, and we are extremely proud of their 
participation.
    Prime Minister Blair. Can I--in relation to our soldiers, the reason 
I used the language I did was because of the circumstances that we know.
    And the reason why I think it is important to recognize the strength 
of our alliance--yes, there are countries that disagree with what we are 
doing. I mean, there's no point in hiding it. There's been a division. 
And you obviously have to take and go and ask those other countries why 
they're not with us, and they will give you the reasons why they 
disagree. But I think what is important is to bear in mind two things. 
First of all, there are an immense number of countries that do agree 
with us. I mean, I hear people constantly say to me, ``Europe is against 
what you're doing.'' That is not true. There is a part of Europe that is 
against what we are doing. There are many existing members of the 
European Union and virtually all the new members of the European Union 
that strongly support what we are doing. So there is a division, but we 
have many allies.
    And the second point I'd make is this, that I understand why people 
hesitate before committing to conflict and to war. War is a brutal and a 
bloody business. But we are faced with the situation where Saddam 
Hussein has been given 12 years to disarm voluntarily of weapons of mass 
destruction that the whole of the international community accepts is a 
threat, and he has not done so. Instead, what we have had is 12 years in 
which he has remained in power with these weapons intact and brutalized 
his own people.
    Now, we felt we had come to the point where if we wanted to take a 
stand against what I believe to be the dominant security threat of our 
time, which is the combination of weapons of mass destruction in the 
hands of unstable, repressive states and terrorist groups, if we wanted 
to take a stand, then we had to act. And we went through the diplomatic 
process. We tried to make the diplomatic process work, but we weren't 
able to do so.
    And the other reason why I think it is important that we act and 
why, indeed, we have many, many allies, is because people do know that 
this is a brutal regime. That is not the reason for us initiating this 
action--that is in relation to weapons of mass destruction. But it is a 
reason why, if we do so, as we are doing, we do so in the full knowledge 
that we are, indeed, going to bring a better future for the Iraqi 
people.
    And if you just want one statistic--although statistics, I'm afraid, 
never have the same emotional appeal as pictures, but we

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don't see these pictures of what has happened in Iraq in the past--but 
just one statistic: Over the past 5 years, 400,000 Iraqi children under 
the age of 5 died of malnutrition and disease, preventively, but died 
because of the nature of the regime under which they are living. Now, 
that is why we're acting.

    And yes, there are divisions in the international community. There 
are many people on our side; there are those that oppose us. But that is 
for us, I'm afraid----
    Q. ----why do they----

    Prime Minister Blair. Well, I'm afraid, Adam, that is a question to 
ask to other people as well as to us. All I can tell you is why we are 
acting and why we believe our cause to be just. And yes, at the end of 
this whole process, we need to go back over it and ask why this has 
happened. But I simply say to you that if the world walks away from the 
security threat facing us and if we back down and take no action against 
Saddam, think of the signal that would have sent right across the world 
to every brutal dictator, to every terrorist group.

    Now, we believe that we had to act. Others have disagreed. As I say, 
at some point, we will have to come back, and we'll have to discuss how 
the disagreement arose. But I have no doubt that we're doing the right 
thing. I have no doubt that our cause is just, and I have no doubt that 
were we to walk away from this conflict at this time, we would be doing 
a huge disservice to future generations.

    President Bush. Thank you all.
      
      
      

Note: The President's news conference began at 11 a.m. in the hangar. In 
his remarks, he referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq and 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations.