By George W. Bush
We are representing 84 countries united against acommon danger, and joined in a common purpose. We are the nationsthat have recognized the threat of terrorism, and we are the nationsthat will defeat that threat. Each of us has pledged before theworld: We will never bow to the violence of a few. We will face thismortal danger, and we will overcome it together.
As we meet, violence and death at the hands ofterrorists are still fresh in our memory. The people of Spain areburying their innocent dead. These men and women and children begantheir day in a great and peaceful city, yet lost their lives on abattlefield, murdered at random and without remorse. Americans sawthe chaos and the grief, and the vigils and the funerals, and we haveshared in the sorrow of the Spanish people. Ambassador Ruperez,please accept our deepest sympathy for the great loss that yourcountry has suffered.
The murders in Madrid are a reminder that thecivilized world is at war. And in this new kind of war, civiliansfind themselves suddenly on the front lines. In recent years,terrorists have struck from Spain to Russia, to Israel, to EastAfrica, to Morocco, to the Philippines, and to America. They'vetargeted Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Yemen. Theyhave attacked Muslims in Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq andAfghanistan. No nation or region is exempt from the terrorists'campaign of violence.
Each of these attacks on the innocent is a shock,and a tragedy, and a test of our will. Each attack is designed todemoralize our people and divide us from one another. And each attackmust be answered, not only with sorrow, but with greaterdetermination,deeper resolve and bolder action against the killers.It is the interest of every country, and the duty of everygovernment, to fight and destroy this threat to ourpeople.
There is no dividing line--there is a dividingline in our world, not between nations, and not between religions orcultures, but a dividing line separating two visions of justice andthe value of life. On a tape claiming responsibility for theatrocities in Madrid, a man is heard to say, "We choose death, whileyou choose life." We don't know if this is the voice of the actualkillers, but we do know it expresses the creed of the enemy. It is amindset that rejoices in suicide, incites murder and celebrates everydeath we mourn. And we who stand on the other side of the line mustbe equally clear and certain of our convictions. We do love live, thelife given to us and to all. We believe in the values that uphold thedignity of life, tolerance and freedom, and the right of conscience.And we know that this way of life is worth defending. There is noneutral ground--no neutral ground--in the fight between civilizationand terror, because there is no neutral ground between good and evil,freedom and slavery, and life and death.
The war on terror is not a figure of speech. It isan inescapable calling of our generation. The terrorists are offendednot merely by our policies--they are offended by our existence asfree nations. No concession will appease their hatred. Noaccommodation will satisfy their endless demands. Their ultimateambitions are to control the peoples of the Middle East, and toblackmail the rest of the world with weapons of mass terror. Therecan be no separate peace with the terrorist enemy. Any sign ofweakness or retreat simply validates terrorist violence, and invitesmore violence for all nations. The only certain way to protect ourpeople is by early, united and decisive action.
In this contest of will and purpose, not everynation joins every mission, or participates in the same way. Yet,every nation makes a vital contribution, and America is proud tostand with all of you as we pursue a broad strategy in the waragainst terror.
We are using every tool of finance, intelligence,law enforcement and military power to break terror networks, to denythem refuge, and to find their leaders. Over the past 30 months, wehave frozen or seized nearly $200 million in assets of terrornetworks. We have captured or killed some two-thirds of al Qaeda'sknown leaders, as well as many of al Qaeda's associates countrieslike the United States, or Germany, or Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia, orThailand. We are taking the fight to al Qaeda allies, such asAnsar-al-Islam in Iraq, Jemaah Islamiya in Indonesia, and SoutheastAsia. Our coalition is sending an unmistakable message to theterrorists, including those who struck in Madrid: These killers willbe tracked down and found, they will face their day ofjustice.
Our coalition is taking urgent action to stop thetransfer of deadly weapon and materials. America and the nations ofAustralia, and France, and Germany, and Italy, and Japan, and theNetherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom,Canada,Singapore and Norway have joined in the Proliferation SecurityInitiative all aimed to bind together, to interdict lethal materialstransported by air or sea or land. Many governments have cooperatedto expose and dismantle the network of A.Q. Khan, which sold nuclearsecrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. By all these efforts, we aredetermined to prevent catastrophic technologies from falling into thehands of an embittered few.
Our coalition is also confronting the dangerouscombination of outlaw states, terrorist groups and weapons of massdestruction. For years, the Taliban made Afghanistan the home base ofal Qaeda. And so we gave the Taliban a choice: to abandon forevertheir support for terror, or face the destruction of their regime.Because the Taliban chose defiance, our coalition acted to removethis threat. And now the terror camps are closed, and the governmentof a free Afghanistan is represented here today as an active partnerin the war on terror.
The people of Afghanistan are a world away fromthe nightmare of the Taliban. Citizens of Afghanistan have adopted anew constitution, guaranteeing free elections and full participationby women. The new Afghan army is becoming a vital force of stabilityin that country. Businesses are opening, health care centers arebeing established, and the children of Afghanistan are back inschool, boys and girls.
This progress is a tribute to the brave Afghanpeople, and to the efforts of many nations. NATO--including forcesfrom Canada, France, Germany and other nations--is leading the effortto provide security. Japan and Saudi Arabia have helped to completethe highway from Kabul to Kandahar, which is furthering commerce andunifying the country. Italy is working with Afghans to reform theirlegal system, and strengthening an independent judiciary. Three yearsago, the people of Afghanistan were oppressed and isolated from theworld by a terrorist regime. Today, that nation has a democraticgovernment and many allies--and all of us are proud to be friends ofthe Afghan people.
Many countries represented here today also actedto liberate the people of Iraq. One year ago, military forces of astrong coalition entered Iraq to enforce United Nations demands, todefend our security, and to liberate that country from the rule of atyrant. For Iraq, it was a day of deliverance. For the nations of ourcoalition, it was the moment when years of demands and pledges turnedto decisive action. Today, as Iraqis join the free peoples of theworld, we mark a turning point for the Middle East, and a crucialadvance for human liberty.
There have been disagreements in this matter,among old and valued friends. Those differences belong to the past.All of us can now agree that the fall of the Iraqi dictator hasremoved a source of violence, aggression and instability in theMiddle East. It's a good thing that the demands of the United Nationswere enforced, not ignored with impunity. It is a good thing thatyears of illicit weapons development by the dictator have come to theend. It is a good thing that the Iraqi people are now receiving aid,instead of suffering under sanctions. And it is a good thing that themen and women across the Middle East, looking to Iraq, are getting aglimpse of what life in a free country can be like.
There are still violent thugs and murderers inIraq, and we're dealing with them. But no one can argue that theIraqi people would be better off with the thugs and murderers back inthe palaces. Who would prefer that Saddam's torture chambers still beopen? Who would wish that more mass graves were still being filled?Who would begrudge the Iraqi people their long-awaited liberation?One year after the armies of liberation arrived, every soldier whohas fought, every aid worker who has served, every Iraqi who hasjoined in their country's defense can look with pride on a brave andhistoric achievement. They've served freedom's cause, and that is aprivilege.
Today in Iraq, a British-led division is securingthe southern city of Basra. Poland continues to lead a multinationaldivision in south-central Iraq. Japan and the Republic ofKorea--South Korea--have made historic commitments of troops to helpbring peace to Iraq. Special forces from El Salvador, Macedonia andother nations are helping to find and defeat Baathist and terroristkillers. Military engineers from Kazakhstan have cleared more than ahalf a million explosive devices from Iraq. Turkey is helping toresupply coalition forces. All of these nations, and many others, aremeeting their responsibilities to the people of Iraq.
Whatever their past views, every nation now has aninterest in a free, successful, stable Iraq. And the terroristsunderstand their own interest in the fate of that country. For them,the connection between Iraq's future and the course of the war onterror is very clear. They understand that a free Iraq will be adevastating setback to their ambitions of tyranny over the MiddleEast. And they have made the failure of democracy in Iraq one oftheir primary objectives.
By attacking coalition forces--by targetinginnocent Iraqis and foreign civilians for murder--the terrorists aretrying to weaken our will. Instead of weakness, they're findingresolve. Not long ago, we intercepted a planning document being sentto leaders of al Qaeda by one of their associates, a man namedZarqawi. Along with the usual threats, he had a complaint: "Ourenemy," said Zarqawi, "is growing stronger and his intelligence dataare increasing day by day--this is suffocation." Zarqawi is gettingthe idea. We will never turn over Iraq to terrorists who intend ourown destruction. We will not fail the Iraqi people, who have placedtheir trust in us. Whatever it takes, we will fight and work toassure the success of freedom in Iraq.
Many coalition countries have sacrificed in bothIraq and Afghanistan. Among the fallen soldiers and civilians aresons and daughters of Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia,France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, theNetherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey,Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Wehonor their courage, we pray for the comfort of their families. Wewill uphold the cause they served.
The rise of democratic institutions in Afghanistanand Iraq is a great step toward a goal of lasting importance to theworld. We have set out to encourage reform and democracy in thegreater Middle East as the alternatives to fanaticism, resentment andterror. We've set out to break the cycle of bitterness and radicalismthat has brought stagnation to a vital region, and destruction tocities in America and Europe and around the world. This task ishistoric, and difficult; this task is necessary and worthy of ourefforts.
In the 1970s, the advance of democracy in Lisbonand Madrid inspired democratic change in Latin America. In the 1980s,the example of Poland ignited a fire of freedom in all of EasternEurope. With Afghanistan and Iraq showing the way, we are confidentthat freedom will lift the sights and hopes of millions in thegreater Middle East.
One man who believed in our cause was a Japanesediplomat named Katsuhiko Oku. He worked for the Coalition ProvisionAuthority in Iraq. Mr. Oku was killed when his car was ambushed. Inhis diary he described his pride in the cause he had joined. "Thefree people of Iraq," he wrote, "are now making steady progress inreconstructing their country--while also fighting against the threatof terrorism. We must join hands with the Iraqi people in theireffort to prevent Iraq from falling into the hands of terrorists."This good, decent man concluded, "This is also our fight to defendfreedom."
Ladies and gentlemen, this good man from Japan wasright. The establishment of a free Iraq is our fight. The success ofa free Afghanistan is our fight. The war on terror is our fight. Allof us are called to share the blessings of liberty, and to be strongand steady in freedom's defense. It will surely be said of our timesthat we lived with great challenges. Let it also be said of our timesthat we understood our great duties, and met them in full.
May God bless our efforts.
The White House, March 19, 2004
Copyright 2004 West-Art, Prometheus 91/2004