[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 39 (Monday, September 29, 2003)]
[Pages 1254-1256]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Iraqi Ministers

September 22, 2003

    President Bush. We're going to have a couple of statements here. 
First, it's my honor to welcome two Ministers from Iraq--free Iraq--the 
Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Electricity, people charged 
with improving the lives of the Iraqi citizens, people who the Governing 
Council has picked to lead these ministries.

    And we've had a fascinating discussion. These two good souls have 
found that the

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system wasn't conducive for--the system they inherited was not conducive 
for taking care of the citizens. It was a--the infrastructure was old 
and tired; power was centralized. Really, they inherited a system of a 
corrupt tyrant.
    And their job now is to improve life. I love their spirit. I love 
the fact that they are dedicated to doing their jobs. And I also 
appreciate the appraisal of what's going on in Iraq, the assessment that 
we're making good progress toward achieving our objective.
    So thank you all for coming here to America. We're proud of you and 
proud of you being pioneers for a free people. And welcome.
    If you'd like to say a few words, Madam Minister, we'd like to hear 
them.
    Minister Nesreen Berwari. Well, on September 3d, the Governing 
Council formed an Iraqi Government. And this has been the most 
significant move after two steps before that. Forming the Government and 
Iraqis taking care of their own affairs has been received very well by 
the Iraqi people.
    A sense of progress is being sensed in the streets of Iraq. More 
work is being done. And the work on restoring services to pre-war level 
has been achieved. Now we're working on planning for the next year 
program. We have great plans to improve services. Our mission is to show 
a different governance. We want to tell the Iraqis that the change that 
has happened 4 months ago is for their own benefit, through improving 
the public service.
    But also investing on Iraq that can become an asset to itself and to 
the rest of the world, an Iraq that can add values of peace and 
prosperity to itself, to the region, and to the rest of the world. A 
working Iraq is in the best interests of everybody, and you don't have 
to do a lot of investment, because Iraq is rich, rich with people, rich 
with oil, rich with water. We only needed help in the beginning, and we 
will do it ourself and contribute to the rest of the world.
    Our visit this week is to seek support, continuous support from the 
U.S. Government who liberated us, and we're very thankful for that, and 
to pledge and show our commitment to the future partnership and 
cooperation.
    Thank you.
    President Bush. Mr. Minister, Minister of Electricity.
    Minister Aiham Alsammarae. Thank you, Mr. President, for the 
opportunity. We are, since of course the war until now, we are working 
very hard to rebuild the electricity, which is destroyed by almost 30 
years of system, that you know how was a system of doing things--almost 
no technical background for it.
    We lost a lot of power. We lost a lot of powerplants over the year. 
We don't have really, in the time when the war is over, more than 3,300 
megawatt out of actually, before the war, almost 4,400. We are right now 
reaching that number back again. We have a plan to, by next June, to 
build another 2,000 to 3,000 megawatt. This is all--will make Iraq again 
having a lot of opportunities for work, because the employment will be 
high. When you have electricity, you have oil to produce. When you have 
electricity, you have a treatment for the water.
    All that I like to talk about this more and more, but I like to tell 
you about what's happening in Iraq the last 5 months. The last 5 months, 
Iraqis, they have the freedom to talk. We have almost right now 86 
newspaper, while before the war we have only 3 or 4 newspapers, all 
controlled by the Government. All the 86 newspapers are not controlled 
by anyone right now except the individuals who own them.
    We have actually the people right now talking freely in the market. 
They go and get, for example, dishes. We know that every single Iraqis 
right now, he can go and buy anything he wants. This is the freedom 
which we missed before, and we got it over the last 5 months. If the 
Iraqi people and the American help us for the next year and a half, I 
almost guarantee--I guarantee it to the President but I almost guarantee 
it to the American people that we will have different Iraq, Iraq who is 
going to help the United States and the free world and also help the 
area around us, because we are going to build a democracy and Iraq will 
become example for all the Middle East areas and all the countries 
around us.

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    We need the help of the Americans right now to build Iraq so you 
have a secure country here, and you have a secure world, and we have a 
secure Iraq. And I appreciate it, and thank you very much.

    President Bush. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 4:26 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.