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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

02 December 2002

Bush Tells Saddam Hussein to Disarm or Be Disarmed by Coalition

(President also addresses terrorism in signing defense bill) (2240)
President Bush warned Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in no uncertain
terms December 2 that he must fully disarm himself or a coalition will
do it.
Speaking at the Pentagon where he signed the fiscal year 2003 defense
bill, Bush said "the world has told him the game is over." Together,
he said, the United Nations Security Council, NATO and the United
States "are united -- Saddam Hussein will fully disarm himself of
weapons of mass destruction (WMD)" for "if he does not, the United
States will lead a coalition to disarm him."
Flanked by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the Joint Chiefs of
Staff and senior congressional leaders, Bush recounted the
transgressions of Saddam Hussein's regime: "a long history" of
aggression against its neighbors, hostility towards America, and ties
to terrorists as well as a pattern "of seeking biological and chemical
and nuclear weapons -- even while U.N. inspectors were present in his
country."
At issue is whether Saddam Hussein will comply fully and willingly,
according to the president, and he indicated that the signs have not
been encouraging so far. A regime that fires on U.S. and British
pilots and sends letters filled with protests and falsehoods to the
U.N. "is not taking the path of compliance," Bush said.
Under the Security Council's November 8 resolution, Iraq has until
December 8 to provide a complete accounting of its WMD and ballistic
missile programs. "That declaration must be credible and complete,"
Bush said, "or the Iraqi dictator will have demonstrated to the world
once again that he has chosen not to change his behavior."
It's not up to the U.N. inspectors to find hidden weapons in the
vastness that is Iraq, instead, it's the Iraqis responsibility "to
confirm the evidence of voluntary and total disarmament," according to
the president. Any delay, deception, or defiance by Saddam Hussein
will show that he "has not adopted the path of compliance and has
rejected the path of peace," he added.
Bush also addressed the ongoing global war on terrorism, describing it
as the first war of the 21st century and one that will be won. Bush
said "we're hunting down the terrorists" worldwide and added that they
are being captured one at a time as their plots are disrupted and
their finances frozen.
Following is the text of Bush's remarks:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
December 2, 2002
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT SIGNING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
ACT
The Pentagon
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. (Applause.) Thank you, all. Please be
seated. (Applause.) Please be seated.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And thank you for your leadership. Thank you
for your candor. Thank you -- you're doing a fabulous job on behalf of
the American people. It's an honor for me to be here today with the
leaders of our military, the good folks who are serving our country,
to sign the 2003 Defense Authorization bill.
We're a nation at war. America must understand we're at war. But those
who wear the uniform must understand how proud all of America is for
your service to our great country. On behalf of a grateful nation, I'm
here to thank you.
Our military is making good progress in this war. We've liberated an
oppressed and friendless people. We're hunting down the terrorists all
across the globe. We're performing our missions with speed and skill.
You have the strong, united support of this great land. And this bill
should reflect the strong and united support of the United States
Congress.
And I want to thank the members of the Congress who are here on stage,
Senator [John] Warner and Congressman Duncan Hunter. And members of
the Senate and the Congress who are with us, I want to thank you for
your good work on this important legislation.
I appreciate so very much all those who work in the Secretary's office
who worked hard on this bill. I want to thank the Chairmen of the
Joint Chiefs who are here, and the Vice Chairmen are with us, and
those who represent the enlisted personnel of our military.
Most of all, I want to say a word about Bob Stump. Chairman Stump, who
couldn't be with us today, distinguished Chairman of the Armed
Services Committee, who has served our nation well. He's a dedicated
public servant who has decided to retire. And as the Secretary said,
this bill is appropriately named for this fine American. We will miss
him, and we wish Bob and his family all the very best.
I want to thank the service secretaries who are here with us. And I
want to thank you all for coming.
The legislation I sign this afternoon was passed by Congress in a
remarkable spirit of unity. It sets priorities of our Defense
Department in a critical, critical period for our country. Our country
has unprecedented challenges, and we're facing them with unmatched
technology, careful planning and the finest traditions of valor.
We're rewarding the service and sacrifice of our military families
with higher pay, improved facilities and better housing. We're
procuring the best weapons we possibly can and the best equipment,
while adding funds for operations and maintenance, as well. We're
investing in missile defenses and all new technologies we need to gain
every advantage -- every advantage -- in the battlefields of the
future.
And since intelligence is playing a critical role in our ability to
achieve military victory, this new law creates a new high-level
position within the Department of Defense called the Under Secretary
for Intelligence.
This generation of Armed Forces has been given two difficult tasks,
fighting and winning a war; and at the same time, transforming our
military to win the new kind of war. In the first stages of our fight
against terror, we've already seen the future face of warfare, forces
that are more agile and mobile and lethal -- along with weapons that
are smarter and tactics that are more inventive. These priorities are
reflected in this year's budget. You'll see them reflected in every
military budget I submit and sign as your President.
America's military is strong. And that's the way it should be. Our
nation and the world are safer that way. Now and in the future, we
will maintain a military that is second to none. And the greatest
strength of America's military is the cause we all serve. That cause
is freedom in a world at peace. Today that cause is being challenged
by determined enemies. And we will not rest and we will not relent
until our freedom is secure.
Our troops in Afghanistan remain engaged in a difficult and dangerous
mission. We're hunting down trained killers. And that's all they are
-- nothing but a bunch of cold-blooded killers. We're destroying their
weapons. The Secretary reports to me in the White House that day after
day, we're finding giant caches of weapons which we're destroying. And
while we hunt them down -- hunt the killers down, we'll continue to
help the Afghan people, as they work to build lives of dignity and
lives of security. Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for hijackers
and bomb-makers and assassins. Thanks to the United States military,
the terrorist training camps are closed. Many terrorists have met
their fate in the caves and mountains of Afghanistan. Others are now
in custody.
Yet we know that many terrorists are still at large. They hide and
they plot in over 60 different countries. We face an enemy that's
attacked cities in America, embassies and airplanes in Africa, ships
in the Gulf, tourists in Bali. This enemy lives like a parasite. They
plot in shadows. They prey on failed states. And they ally themselves
with outlawed regimes.
Defeating this enemy requires fighting a different kind of war, what
we call the first war of the 21st century. We're pursuing the
terrorists wherever they dwell. It doesn't matter where they -- where
they hide, we're after them, one by one. We follow them wherever they
run. They think they can run; they can't run far enough from the long
arm of justice of the United States. We're freezing their finances.
We're disrupting their plots. We're killing them or capturing them,
one person at a time. That's how you win the first war of the 21st
century -- a war we are going to win. (Applause.)
Some of the successes in this war will make headlines, and sometimes
you won't even know about it. But all the terrorists can be certain of
this: Their hour of justice will come. And that hour has already
arrived for an increasing number of field generals of the terrorist
army. Recently, we took a guy named al-Nashiri into custody. Until
last month he was the top al-Qaeda operative, the top al-Qaeda leader
in the Gulf region. He was plotting and planning. But today this much
is certain -- he won't be executing any more attacks against the
United States and our friends like the attack he masterminded against
the USS Cole.
Success in the war on terror will only come by taking every measure to
protect innocent people from sudden and catastrophic violence. And we
must oppose the threat of such violence from any source. We oppose the
terror network and all who harbor and support the terrorists. And we
oppose a uniquely dangerous regime that possesses the weapons of mass
murder, has used those weapons, and could supply those weapons to
terrorist networks.
Saddam Hussein's regime has a long history of aggression against his
neighbors and hostility towards America. It has a long history of ties
to terrorists. The dictator has a long history of seeking biological
and chemical and nuclear weapons -- even while U.N. inspectors were
present in his country. Now the world has told him the game is over.
The U.N. Security Council, the NATO Alliance and the United States are
united -- Saddam Hussein will fully disarm himself of weapons of mass
destruction. And if he does not, the United States will lead a
coalition to disarm him.
As the U.N. weapons inspections process gets underway, we must
remember that inspections will not -- will only work -- will only work
if Iraq fully complies. You see, the inspectors are not in Iraq to
play hide and seek with Mr. Saddam Hussein. Inspectors do not have the
duty or the ability to uncover terrible weapons hidden in a vast
country. The responsibility of inspectors is simply to confirm the
evidence of voluntary and total disarmament. It is Saddam Hussein who
has the responsibility to provide that evidence as directed, and in
full. Any act of delay, deception, or defiance will prove that Saddam
Hussein has not adopted the path of compliance and has rejected the
path of peace.
In the inspections process, the United States will be making one
judgment: Has Saddam Hussein changed his behavior of the last 11
years? Has he decided to cooperate willingly and comply completely, or
has he not? So far the signs are not encouraging. A regime that fires
upon American and British pilots is not taking the path of compliance.
A regime that sends letters filled with protests and falsehoods is not
taking the path of compliance.
On or before the 8th of December, Iraq must provide a full and
accurate declaration of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic
missile programs. That declaration must be credible and complete, or
the Iraqi dictator will have demonstrated to the world once again that
he has chosen not to change his behavior.
Americans seek peace in this world. We're a peaceful nation. War is
the last option for confronting threats. Yet the temporary peace of
denial and looking away from danger would only be a prelude to broader
war and greater horror. America will confront gathering dangers early,
before our options become limited and desperate. By showing our
resolve today, we are building a future of peace.
In the decisions and missions to come, our military will carry the
values of America and the hopes of the world. The people of Iraq, like
all human beings, deserve their freedom. And the people of Afghanistan
-- with the help of the United States Armed Forces -- have gained
their freedom.
One guardsman from Florida tells of meeting a member of the new Afghan
national army. This Afghan soldier said he enlisted to honor the
memory of this brother who was killed by the Taliban, and to ensure
that his own son would live in freedom. The Florida guardsman wrote
home that "being here makes me realize that people are giving up their
lives to have a fraction of the freedoms we take for granted." He said
taking -- "talking to one soldier made me realize how lucky I am to
have been born in the United States of America."
"I'm honored to have met an Afghan patriot," he wrote. Every time I
visit this building or any American base around the world, I'm honored
to meet American patriots. The men and women of our military bring
credit to our flag and security to our country. On behalf of the
American people I thank you for all you've done, for all you will do
in the cause of freedom and the cause of peace.
And now I'm pleased to sign the Bob Stump National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003. (Applause.)
(The bill is signed.)  (Applause.)
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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