[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 23 (Monday, June 9, 2003)]
[Pages 729-731]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Troops at
Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar

June 5, 2003

    Thanks for coming out to say hello. Thanks for your introduction, 
Tommy. I appreciate this warm welcome. I have a question for you: Can 
you hear me now? [Applause]
    I've been on the road for a while, and I hope you didn't mind us 
stopping by. We've seen a lot of fine sights, but there's no finer sight 
than to see the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States 
of America.
    I am happy to see you, and so are the long-suffering people of Iraq. 
America sent you on a mission to remove a grave threat and to liberate 
an oppressed people, and that mission has been accomplished.
    Each one of you is a credit to the uniform you wear, and I bring a 
message from home: Your families are proud of you, and so is America.
    I want to thank Tommy for his leadership. I don't know if you know 
this, but First Lady Laura Bush and Tommy Franks went to high school 
together, Midland Lee High School. She didn't think he'd amount to much. 
[Laughter] He has done a fantastic job.
    I'm also honored to be traveling with a fantastic Secretary of 
State.
    I want to thank the allied forces. I want to thank the Brits, the 
Australians, and I want to thank our friends from Poland for your 
service to your countries and to the cause of freedom and for your 
courage.
    I want to thank the members of the Armed Forces of Qatar, and I want 
to thank the Amir of Qatar, with whom I just met, for his hospitality 
and for his friendship to the United States of America.
    But most of all, I'm here to thank you. We are in a war on global 
terror, and because

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of you, we're winning the war on global terror. When we've sent you into 
combat, you've performed brilliantly. In Afghanistan, forces directed 
from here--from Qatar--and headquartered in Tampa, you delivered 
decisive blows against the Taliban and against Al Qaida. And now the 
people of Afghanistan are free.
    We have made it clear that we'll hunt the terrorists down. There's 
no place they can hide from the justice of the United States of America 
and our friends. And right now we've got--we're on the hunt in the Horn 
of Africa. And of course, in the battle of Iraq, you set an example of 
skill and daring that will stand for all time. The very first strike in 
the liberation of Iraq started from right here, and many others 
followed. Missions of mercy are directed from here.
    Our actions sent along clear message that our Nation is strong and 
our Nation is compassionate. And we also sent another clear message: 
Dictators can no longer shield themselves behind innocent people. Those 
who threaten the security of others now need to worry about their own.
    As you know, in the battle of Iraq, we had some fine, fine soldiers 
at our side. Great Britain, Poland, and Australia sent some of their 
finest to work with ours. America will always remember their service and 
their important role in our victory, and we're grateful.
    Neighbors in this neighborhood--nations in this neighborhood also 
gave critical assistance to this coalition, for which we're grateful: Of 
course, Qatar, the host to CENTCOM, a great friend to the United States, 
and Kuwait always said yes when we asked. They also kept their oil 
flowing when it looked like there wasn't going to be enough. Our friends 
in Bahrain and the UAE and the rest of the Gulf contributed valuable 
assistance to our cause, for which we're thankful.
    It was from this place that our commanders executed one of the most 
innovative war plans in the history of armed conflict. And the man who 
designed those plans was Tommy Franks. I want to thank Tommy and his 
staff. I also want to thank Command Sergeant Major Dwight Brown. I was 
going to say, ``and his staff,'' but you're his staff.
    Under Tommy's leadership, CENTCOM forces have shown the true might 
of America, the strength of our country. You've also shown the humanity 
and decency of your country as well. You see, this country, our country, 
does not seek the expansion of territory. We're not interested in more 
territory. Our goal is to enlarge the realm of liberty. We believe that 
liberty is God's gift to every individual on the face of the Earth. We 
believe people have the right to think and speak and worship in freedom. 
That's what we believe in America, and that's what you showed the world.
    No, our military fights for the security, American people. And we 
fight for freedom. And we sacrifice for freedom, and we have lost some 
of our finest. And this Nation will never forget and will always honor 
their memories for the sacrifices they made. And it's not only serving 
our Nation but serving a cause greater than themselves. May God rest 
their souls.
    Not only does the war on terror go on, but we've got a lot of work 
to do in Iraq. And we're going to stay the course until the job gets 
done. We will stand with them as they build a stable democracy and a 
peaceful future.
    Our forces are taking aggressive steps to increase order throughout 
the country. We are moving those Ba'athist officials that are trying to 
hang onto power. There are still pockets of criminality. Remember, the 
former leader of Iraq emptied the jail cells of common criminals right 
before the action took place, and they haven't changed their habits and 
their ways. They like to rob, like to loot. We'll find them. Criminal 
courts are now reopening. Day by day, the United States and our 
coalition partners are making the streets safer for the Iraqi citizens.
    We also understand that a more just political system will develop 
when people have food in their stomachs and their lights work and they 
can turn on a faucet and they can find some clean water, things that 
Saddam Hussein did not do for them. See, he spent more time building 
luxurious palaces than he did in building an infrastructure to take care 
of the Iraqi citizens. And the United States and our friends and allies 
will first take care of the Iraqi citizens. And they'll have some

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money to help themselves. After all, oil is now flowing, but this time 
the revenues are not going to be used and skimmed off by greedy 
gangsters. It's going to be used in a special account on behalf of the 
people who own the oil, the citizens of Iraq.
    One thing else we've done is we made sure that Iraq's not going to 
serve as an arsenal for terrorist--for terrorist groups. We recently 
found two mobile biological weapons facilities which were capable of 
producing biological agents. This is a man who spent decades hiding 
tools of mass murder. He knew the inspectors were looking for them. You 
know better than me; he's got a big country in which to hide them. We're 
on the look. We'll reveal the truth.
    But one thing is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of 
mass destruction from the Iraqi regime, because the Iraqi regime is no 
more.
    As people who liberated Iraq, I know you're proud of what you have 
done. You see, the world is now learning what many of you have seen. 
They're learning about the mass graves, thousands of people just 
summarily executed. They're learning about the torture chambers. Because 
of you, a great evil has been ended. Because of you, the dignity of a 
great nation is being restored. Because of you, America and our friends 
and allies, those of us who love freedom are now more secure. You have 
justified the confidence that your country has placed in you. You've 
served your country well. Your Commander in Chief is grateful. And as 
importantly, more importantly, millions of American citizens are 
grateful for what you have done. You believe in America, and America 
believes in you.
    It is our tremendous honor to be here today with you. Keep doing 
what you're doing. You're making a huge difference in the peace and 
security and freedom in this world. May God bless you. May God bless 
your families, and may God continue to bless America. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA, combatant commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. 
Dwight Brown, USA, U.S. Central Command; Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani 
of Qatar; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.