09 May 2003
Bush Calls for U.S.-Middle East Free Trade Area
(Powell, Zoellick to meet with regional leaders in Jordan in June) (3170)
President Bush has outlined a plan to create a U.S.-Middle East free
trade area within ten years, saying that in an age of global terror
and weapons of mass destruction, what happens in the Middle East
greatly matters to America.
The United States will use its "influence and idealism to replace old
hatreds with new hopes across the Middle East," Bush said in a May 9
commencement address at the University of South Carolina in Columbia,
where he was awarded an honorary degree.
"A time of historic opportunity has arrived," Bush said. "A dictator
in Iraq has been removed from power. The terrorists of that region are
now seeing their fate, the short, unhappy life of the fugitive.
Reformers in the Middle East are gaining influence, and the momentum
of freedom is growing."
The United States, Bush said, "will seize this moment for the sake of
peace."
"So I propose the establishment of a U.S.-Middle East free trade area
within a decade, to bring the Middle East into an expanding circle of
opportunity, to provide hope for the people who live in that region."
The United States, he said "is working with governments and reformers
throughout the Middle East. We are strengthening ties through our
Middle East partnership initiative." Secretary of State Colin Powell
and Trade Representative Bob Zoellick, he said, will meet with
regional leaders in Jordan in June to discuss an agenda of economic
and political and social progress.
"Progress will require increased trade, the engine of economic
development," Bush said.
"Making the most of economic opportunities will require broader and
better education, especially among women who have faced the greatest
disadvantages," he said. "We will work to improve literacy among girls
and women building on similar efforts in Afghanistan, and Morocco, and
Yemen," Bush said.
"And, ultimately, both economic success and human dignity depend on
the rule of law and honest administration of justice. So America will
sponsor, with the government of Bahrain, a regional forum to discuss
judicial reforms. And I'm pleased that Supreme Court Justice Sandra
Day O'Connor has agreed to lead this effort."
Discussing specifically the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Bush said
that "now, with a liberated Iraq, with new leadership for the
Palestinian people," and with efforts of leaders like Egypt's
President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdallah, "the
hope of peace in the Middle East is renewed."
He said "If the Palestinian people take concrete steps to crack down
on terror, continue on a path of peace, reform and democracy, they and
all the world will see the flag of Palestine raised over a free and
independent nation."
All sides of this conflict, Bush said, have duties.
"Israel must take tangible steps now to ease the suffering of
Palestinians and to show respect for their dignity. And as progress is
made toward peace, Israel must stop settlement activity in the
occupied territories. Arab nations must fight terror in all forms, and
recognize and state the obvious once and for all: Israel has a right
to exist as a Jewish state at peace with its neighbors."
Bush said he was sending Secretary Powell to the Middle East the
evening of May 9 "to call all the parties to their responsibilities."
Powell is expected to visit Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt and
Saudi Arabia.
"He carries with him my personal commitment: America will work without
tiring to achieve two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by
side in security and prosperity and in peace," the President said.
Following is a transcript of the President's speech:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary (Columbia, South Carolina)
May 9, 2003
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTH CAROLINA
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you, all. President
Sorensen and Governor Sanford; members of the South Carolina
congressional delegation and state officials; members of faculty,
trustees, the families, distinguished guests. And members of the Class
of 2003. (Applause.)
Thank you for the warm welcome to this great state and to this fine
university. I'm honored to be with you on graduation day as you all
become proud alumni of the University of South Carolina.
I work every day with a distinguished graduate of USC -- I brought him
along this afternoon: White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, of the
Class of 1971. (Applause.)
Andy is a superb public servant and an honorable man. His loyalty to
this university runs deep and sometimes he gets carried away.
(Laughter.) I don't mind the chicken finger Wednesdays at the White
House. (Laughter.) I don't even mind his shag-dancing in the West
Wing. (Laughter.) But it's a little much when Andy shows up on the day
of the Clemson game dressed as "Cocky." (Laughter and applause.)
I am so thankful for the invitation to be the speaker this afternoon.
When I arrived, I heard an old boy standing outside, he said, we're
honored to have the President speaking with us today, it's almost as
good as last year, when Lou Holtz was the speaker. (Laughter.)
Today marks a great achievement for this graduating class. You've put
your talents to good use, you're seeing the rewards of your hard work,
congratulations to each one of you. (Applause.)
I also congratulate the men and women who gave their best to this and
every class, the fine professors of the University of South Carolina.
(Applause.) And I join the graduates in thanking the people whose love
and sacrifice made this day possible, the parents of the graduates of
the Class of 2003. (Applause.)
Forty-six years ago, Senator John F. Kennedy came to this campus to
address the graduating class of 1957. He spoke of the great problems
of that time, including, he said, "untangling the strife-ridden,
hate-ridden Middle East." In the decades since, that strife and hate
sometimes seem like a distant tragedy, having little to do with
America.
After September the 11th, 2001, your generation and our whole country
knows better. In an age of global terror and weapons of mass
destruction what happens in the Middle East greatly matters to
America. The bitterness of that region can bring violence and
suffering to our own cities. The advance of freedom and peace in the
Middle East would drain this bitterness and increase our own security.
So today I want to discuss with you a great goal for this nation. We
will use our influence and idealism to replace old hatreds with new
hopes across the Middle East. (Applause.) A time of historic
opportunity has arrived. A dictator in Iraq has been removed from
power. (Applause.) The terrorists of that region are now seeing their
fate, the short, unhappy life of the fugitive. Reformers in the Middle
East are gaining influence, and the momentum of freedom is growing. We
have reached a moment of tremendous promise, and the United States
will seize this moment for the sake of peace. (Applause.)
The future of peace requires the defeat of terror. So America and a
large coalition of nations are waging a global and unrelenting war
against the terrorists. And we are winning. (Applause.)
In the battle of Afghanistan, we destroyed one of the most oppressive
regimes on earth, and we destroyed many of the terrorists it harbored.
Across six continents, American, and our friends and allies have been
hunting down the terrorists one by one and bringing them to justice.
And in the battle of Iraq, we faced a regime that aided terrorists,
armed itself with weapons of mass destruction to threaten the peace,
and persecuted its own people. And today, that regime is no more.
(Applause.)
During these 20 months, the world has seen the resolve of the American
people. And the world has seen the power and the skill and the bravery
of American armed forces. (Applause.) Our men and women in uniform
have acted with courage and decency, in the proudest traditions of
this nation. And our nation is grateful. And for those of you who are
going into the ROTC, you will be entering a military that will remain
second to none. (Applause.)
Our nation is strong. Our greatest strength is that we serve the cause
of liberty. We support the advance of freedom in the Middle East,
because it is our founding principle, and because it is in our
national interest. The hateful ideology of terrorism is shaped and
nurtured and protected by oppressive regimes. Free nations, in
contrast, encourage creativity and tolerance and enterprise. And in
those free nations, the appeal of extremism withers away.
Free governments do not build weapons of mass destruction for the
purpose of mass terror. Over time, the expansion of liberty throughout
the world is the best guarantee of security throughout the world.
Freedom is the way to peace. (Applause.)
Some believe that democracy in the Middle East is unlikely, if not
impossible. They argue that the people of the Middle East have little
desire for freedom or self-government. These same arguments have been
heard before in other times, about other people. After World War II,
many doubted that Germany and Japan, with their histories of
autocratic rule and aggressive armies, could ever function as free and
peaceful societies. In the Cold War we were told that imperial
communism was permanent and the Iron Curtain was there to stay.
In each of these cases -- in Germany, in Japan, in Eastern Europe and
in Russia -- the skeptics doubted, then history replied. Every
milestone of liberty over the last 60 years was declared impossible
until the very moment it happened. The history of the modern world
offers a lesson for the skeptics: do not bet against the success of
freedom. (Applause.)
Freedom has advanced because the desire for liberty and justice is
found in every human heart. And the men and women of the Muslim world,
one-fifth of all humanity, share this hope of liberty. Freedom has
advanced because it is a way to lift millions out of poverty and
improve their lives. Where freedom is denied, people live in isolation
and stagnation. Where freedom is welcome, people in every culture can
flourish. And freedom is advanced in our time because at crucial
moments brave men and women have worked and sacrificed for it. And the
United States has taken their side. This is how dissidents and
political prisoners became the leaders of newly free countries. And
this is how former enemies became loyal friends of the United States.
The Middle East presents many obstacles to the advance of freedom. And
I understand that this transformation will be difficult. Recently, a
group of 30 Arab scholars issued a report describing a freedom deficit
in Arab countries, citing in particular a lack of human rights and
poor education. They also identified the social oppression of women as
a major barrier to progress. And they are correct. No society can
succeed and prosper while denying basic rights and opportunities to
the women of their country. (Applause.)
For all the challenges, we also see hopeful signs of change. About
half of all the Muslim people live under democratic rule in nations
from Turkey to Indonesia. The governments of Bahrain and Morocco have
held recent and free elections. And Jordan will hold elections next
month. The people of Qatar have approved a new constitution
guaranteeing basic freedoms. Crown Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia has
proposed a new Arab charter calling for internal reform and enhanced
political participation in nations of that region.
And in Iran, the desire for freedom is stirring. In the face of harsh
repression, Iranians are courageously speaking out for democracy and
the rule of law and human rights. And the United States strongly
supports their aspirations for freedom. (Applause.)
Those who feed hatred want to create a fault line between the east and
west. Yet, in the growing desire for freedom throughout the Muslim
world, there is no clash of civilizations. When terrorists and tyrants
resist and attack freedom, they are resisting and attacking the hopes
of Muslims everywhere. When terrorists go on missions of suicide and
murder, they defile the high ethical teachings of Islam, itself. Their
true ambition is to dominate and control and remake whole societies in
their own cruel image. Repression of the kind practiced by Saddam
Hussein and the Taliban is not the wave of the future. Free people,
not tyrants or murderers, will set the course of history. (Applause.)
Freedom is taking hold in Afghanistan and Iraq -- countries of more
than 50 million newly liberated people, countries building for
themselves the institutions of self-government. And our nation has
special responsibilities to these countries, responsibilities we will
keep. In Afghanistan, America and our allies are helping to build
roads and train police and rebuild schools. This summer, at town hall
meetings across the country, Afghans will discuss the working draft of
a new constitution. And in the fall, a national assembly will convene
to ratify the constitution of a free and democratic Afghanistan.
(Applause.)
The Afghan people face continued struggles in rebuilding their
government and the nation. But the days when women were beaten in the
streets and executed on soccer fields are over. (Applause.)
In Iraq, we are restoring electricity and water and providing
medicines and supplies and removing the thugs who threaten the peace
and order of the country. Iraqi citizens have conducted two major
conferences to discuss their country's future and place themselves on
the path of self-government.
Soon, Iraqis from every ethnic group will choose members of an interim
authority. The people of Iraq are building a free society from the
ground up, and they are able to do so because the dictator and his
regime are no more. (Applause.)
America is working with governments and reformers throughout the
Middle East. We are strengthening ties through our Middle East
partnership initiative. As a further step, Secretary Powell and Trade
Representative Zoellick will meet with regional leaders in Jordan next
month to discuss an agenda of economic and political and social
progress. Progress will require increased trade, the engine of
economic development.
The combined GDP of all Arab countries is smaller than that of Spain.
Their peoples have less access to the Internet than the people of
Sub-Sahara Africa. The Arab world has a great cultural tradition, but
is largely missing out on the economic progress of our time. Across
the globe, free markets and trade have helped defeat poverty, and
taught men and women the habits of liberty. So I propose the
establishment of a U.S.-Middle East free trade area within a decade,
to bring the Middle East into an expanding circle of opportunity, to
provide hope for the people who live in that region.
We will work with our partners to ensure that small and mid-sized
businesses have access to capital, and support efforts in the region
to develop central laws on property rights and good business
practices. By replacing corruption and self-dealing, with free markets
and fair laws, the people of the Middle East will grow in prosperity
and freedom. (Applause.)
Making the most of economic opportunities will require broader and
better education, especially among women who have faced the greatest
disadvantages. We will work to improve literacy among girls and women
building on similar efforts in Afghanistan, and Morocco, and Yemen.
We'll provide resources for the translation of early reading books
into Arabic and donate those books to primary schools in the region.
And, ultimately, both economic success and human dignity depend on the
rule of law and honest administration of justice. So America will
sponsor, with the government of Bahrain, a regional forum to discuss
judicial reforms. And I'm pleased that Supreme Court Justice Sandra
Day O'Connor has agreed to lead this effort.
As trade expands and knowledge spreads to the Middle East, as women
gain a place of equality and respect, as the rule of law takes hold,
all peoples of that region will see a new day of justice and a new day
of prosperity.
For generations, one of the most tragic problems in the Middle East
has been the conflict in the Holy Land. Yet, now, with a liberated
Iraq, with new leadership for the Palestinian people, with efforts of
leaders like President Mubarak and Crown Prince Abdallah, the hope of
peace is renewed.
If the Palestinian people take concrete steps to crack down on terror,
continue on a path of peace, reform and democracy, they and all the
world will see the flag of Palestine raised over a free and
independent nation. (Applause.)
All sides of this conflict have duties. Israel must take tangible
steps now to ease the suffering of Palestinians and to show respect
for their dignity. And as progress is made toward peace, Israel must
stop settlement activity in the occupied territories. Arab nations
must fight terror in all forms, and recognize and state the obvious
once and for all: Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state at
peace with its neighbors. (Applause.)
The way forward in the Middle East is not a mystery, it is a matter of
will and vision and action. The way forward depends on serving the
interests of the living, instead of settling the accounts of the past.
To seize this moment, I am sending Secretary Powell to the Middle
East, to call all the parties to their responsibilities. Secretary
Powell leaves on this mission tonight. He carries with him my personal
commitment: America will work without tiring to achieve two states,
Israel and Palestine, living side by side in security and prosperity
and in peace. (Applause.)
You are living in an historic time for our country. When America was
attacked 20 months ago, many thought that an age of fear and terror
had arrived. Yet, the world has seen something very different. America
is fighting against grave threats wherever they may gather.
We're determined to help build a Middle East that grows in hope,
instead of resentment. Because of the ideals and resolve of this
nation, you and I will not live in an age of terror. We will live in
an age of liberty. (Applause.)
I wish each of you well in the careers and lives that await you. I
thank you for the invitation, for the honorary degree, and for the
privilege of sharing this proud day with the University of South
Carolina, Class of 2003. (Applause.)
May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America. Thank you
very much. (Applause.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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