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II. SADDAM SPEECH TO ARMY
Saddam Urges Reserve of 'Prepared Men'
Baghdad Iraq Television Network in Arabic 1700 GMT 12 Jun 99
[Announcer-read report over video]
[FBIS Translated Text] God-supported Field Marshal President Saddam
Husayn has said that the army is useful to civic life as it qualifies
and trains people and provides a reserve of prepared men whenever the
homeland needs them and who need only a short period of training to
retrieve their knowledge and become good fighters. During a meeting with
a number of Armed Forces commanders and officers, his excellency, may
God watch over him, added that training people the way it used to be and
as it is now is a process of providing a reserve so that, if, God
forbid, a general call to arms is required, the army will save time due
to the existence of people who previously received military training and
all they need is to revive their knowledge. All we have to do therefore
is to train the men and continue this training. The aim is not only to
prepare people who are ready to fight in defense of their country when
necessary, but also to give them through training high morale and extra
strength to deal with civic life. Those trained by you do useful
exercises although they are tiresome and require accuracy in carrying
out the work, using weapons, adapting to all circumstances of every day
life, and providing the Armed Forces with the weapons and equipment they
need.
He went on to say: The men of al-Qadisiyah who fought with you are
still playing an important role in life. This has created a common
language of understanding and channels of communication between you and
them.
The coordination between the civic and military life has become
direct. This means that the army is useful to civic life in qualifying
and training people as much as it is instrumental in ensuring a reserve
of prepared men when the homeland needs them. Commenting on one of the
commanders' remarks on the importance of training, and of enjoying
patience and steadfastness, his excellency said: We are on our land and
the enemy has come to us from a distance. Therefore, we believe that
despite all that Iraq was exposed to, the enemy will eventually depart.
There are three heights surrounding Iraq. The largest area of Iraq is
level land. This is in addition to the fertile land of Mesopotamia and
the reputation of stability and civilization. It has even become an
international tradition that he who has the title of the king of the
four directions must occupy Babylon. Therefore, those who seek to impose
hegemony on the four directions must eventually wage battle against the
people of Babylon. This is an old event. It has never happened in the
modern age. In fact, this is an inherited issue, which is one of the
Iraqis' destinies. What used to take place is that he who wins the
battle will immediately be crowned king of the four directions. However,
if the entire universe submits to him, with the exception of Babylon,
then he will not be king of the four directions. This is a very old
issue. The invaders used to flood to Mesopotamia and stay one or two
years. However, they eventually left, and those who remained were the
people of the land. In the past, the enemies of Iraq were primitive who
endured hardships, but our new enemies have a special status. They rely
on technological supremacy, which Almighty God wanted to be a major
lesson to us.
In order to wake up, the nation must have faith in the leadership
characteristics and standards enshrined in the great history of our
nation. The leaders' standards are understood by our nation, whether
before or after Islam. Regarding Iraq, the Nile Valley, and the sites of
civilization, influence, and knowledge in the Arab homeland, the
leaders' standards are known, however, they have become very old. This
means that they have become a thing of the past because they existed
2,000 years ago. The most recent of these standards date back to some
1,000 years. These generations began to think that there might be
something wrong or a forgery of history, especially since the anti-Arabs
and the enemies of the nation used to say in 1967 about the Arabs'
struggle against Zionism: The time of the sword is over. You used to
rely on your muscles, but now it is the time of the brain and your
brains are backward. They also used to say: You are not capable of
drawing up contingency plans, you just confine yourselves to one
scenario. This is why you will lose and your time is over.
This is what Zionism used to say. They saw that Iraq began to
calculate the probabilities, considering all the possibilities and that
Iraq began to deal with science in a highly innovative and creative
manner, while keeping its mind alert, a mind which digs deep roots into
the historical civilization of this ancient country -- a country that is
part of a glorious nation.
When they saw that this was the situation, they said: It seems that
the situation has become dangerous. It is too dangerous now. The threat
lies in the fact that the [Iraqi] civilization is based on principles,
deep faith, and heritage. In addition to this, [Iraq] is sharing our
technological and scientific progress. Therefore, our illegitimate
interests in the Arab world are threatened. Historically speaking, when
the Arab world is liberated and when the Arab man's mind, conscience,
and ability are liberated, liberty becomes widespread among mankind.
Because an Arab man does not deal with mankind the way an occupier has
dealt with mankind over the course of history. An Arab man presents the
model that would help humanity improve to a better state.
The enemies decided that Iraq must be suppressed. This is what they
said. However, we have said over and over again: States that are across
the Atlantic -- like the United States and other countries, as well as
those in remote areas -- have all forgotten that the longer the arm
stretches, the weaker it becomes day after day in any point it is
stretched to. Here they are today. They have stepped out of the ordinary
standards of a stretched arm that is in a well-balanced state with the
mind and body it is attached to. Therefore, they will grow weary and
eventually they will say: Let us return to our country.
We will remain in our countries. However, the difference is in the
time they choose to return to their countries. There is a difference
between them returning at a certain time and thus teaching humanity
a positive lesson to be learned at the expense of the aggressors and
their return at another time, thus teaching humanity a lesson in terror.
In the final analysis, they will get out of Iraq and Iraq will teach
mankind a great lesson. The lesson will be recorded in history and
everyone will be unanimous on the fact that evil has been defeated.
Many people are now speaking about the defeat of evil. For example,
you have the steadfastness of Yugoslavia, although the so-called
logistical considerations in connection with the aggression against
Yugoslavia are different from the logistical considerations with regard
to the aggression against Iraq, its buildup, and resources.
If it were not for the bases of aggression granted by people who
carry Arab nationality to America and those who participated with it in
the 30-state aggression and are still taking part in this continuing
aggression, America could not have done anything and it could not have
come for more than a few hours to bomb and then depart. Therefore,
their objective has always been to deny you access to knowledge and
resources that nourish and deepen one's faith. They discovered that they
had committed a dual mistake. They could not weaken your relationship
with knowledge and technology and your mobilization of resources, based
on your deep heritage, history, and cultural-human role as part of the
Arabs and as Iraqis. You also did not stay dormant so that their evil
ambitions can achieve their objectives. In fact, the opposite took
place. In the past, you probably did not pay enough attention to the
things they now seek to deny you, while preserving your history and
heritage.
Now, the situation is different. That is why there is greater
attention. When resistance continues and the enemy cannot defeat Iraq
and prevent it from paying attention to these concepts, the enemy will
be defeated. The enemy knows that it has already been defeated, but it
does not announce this for well-known reasons. Others know this. We are
close to the day when the enemy itself will declare that it has no
other choice but to leave.
His excellency added: My brothers, this is why when the Arabs talked
about the traits of the commander, based on what we have inherited from
our great forefathers in the Islamic era, some of them said that
this issue is more than 1,000 years old. We do not know how many false
stories were attributed to history throughout this long period. And when
history speaks about heroic strugglers in the decisive and great shining
episodes, such as the liberation of Jerusalem at the hands of hero
Salah-al-Din, perhaps some people will say the same thing, and perhaps
others will say that the world has changed and that we had been in a
position in which we were able to do such and such a thing, but now we
are in position that we are unable to do something similar.
If the Arabs are in need of evidence that comes from them and not from
the French, US, or Russian peoples -- because they may say that these
are different nations. The evidence has come from their ranks now. You
have furnished the evidence to your Arab nation that you are people like
these peoples. The situation in Mauritania, Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
and Jordan is the same. Any Arab people can become like you if they seek
support from God, strive for sublime objectives, and do not accept to
bow to the invaders or the tyrants. They should brandish the sword in
face of any invader as their forefathers used to do.
Praise be to God, these great people did not bow and did not lose
patience. It is patience which Almighty God emphasized and the results
of which he described. Patience weakens the enemy's hold everywhere This
will force the enemies to stay away and leave for their country.
You are welcome. Convey my wishes to all formations and commanders of
the Army, the Air Force, Army Helicopter Gunships Force, the Navy, and
your colleagues in the Ground Force. We hope to see you always in good
shape, and I am pleased with you.
[video of Saddam meeting officers]
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