09 November 2003
Iraq's Dignity is Being Restored, Bremer Says in Ramadan Address
Iraqi people, Coalition are returning freedom and dignity to nation
After years of oppression under the regime of Saddam Hussein, "the dignity of speech, of worship, of learning and of much more" are being restored to the Iraqi people, L. Paul Bremer, administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, said in a Ramadan message broadcast on November 7.
In his remarks, Bremer acknowledged that, while Iraqis enjoy many new freedoms, "the full promise of your future of hope and dignity has yet to be fulfilled. There are still fears which can undermine dignity."
"The evil-doers, those who bring suicide bombs to your cities and threats to your schools, will be captured or killed," Bremer promised. "They will not succeed in imposing their bloody vision on Iraq's future. You, the Iraqi people, with the help of the Coalition, will stop them."
In his remarks, Bremer looked to a future in which the dignity of the Iraqi people would be embodied in many ways, including faith, freedom, rule of law, democratic elections, the opportunity to provide for and educate one's children, and the effort "to restore the peace and wisdom and beauty which have marked the Land Between two Rivers, the cradle of civilization."
Following is a transcript of Bremer's Ramadan message:
(begin transcript)
L. Paul Bremer
Coalition Provisional Authority Administrator
Address to the Iraqi People
Broadcast November 7, 2003
Ramadan Mabruk
I am Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Ramadan is a time of reflection, a time to review the past year and consider the possibilities of the coming months. It is a time to reflect on your future, a future of hope and dignity.
Dignity is to be found in many things.
-- There is dignity in following the faith of your ancestors.
-- There is dignity in standing before any person proudly, with your head held high.
-- There is dignity in providing for your family and bringing your children up so that they may follow the right path.
-- There is dignity in offering respect and help to the less fortunate and in the toleration of others.
-- There is dignity in selecting your own leaders, with every man and every woman offered an honest choice in elections.
-- There is dignity in striving to restore the peace and wisdom and beauty which have marked the Land Between two Rivers, the cradle of civilization.
-- There is dignity in serving your country under arms to ward off evil, to protect your family, and to serve your fellow citizens.
In all of these things and hundreds more there is dignity.
Every person is born with dignity and keeps it until he forfeits it by evil acts or until it is taken from him by malice or bad fortune.
Sadly, not all of you have been able to live with dignity in recent years.
For years the evil one and his henchmen stole your dignity in ways large and small.
-- He stole the dignity of life by murdering his fellow citizens.
-- He stole the dignity of justice by making puppets of your judges.
-- He stole the dignity of choice by imposing a cult of personality.
-- He stole the dignity of free speech by demanding praise for himself.
-- He stole the dignity of peace by waging unjustified wars.
But your stolen dignity is being returned.
Today you have the dignity of speech, of worship, of learning and of much more. But the full promise of your future of hope and dignity has yet to be fulfilled. There are still fears which can undermine dignity:
-- The fear that an evil-doer will destroy your family with a car bomb,
-- The fear that some evil-doer will govern through greed, ignorance and cruelty, and
-- The fear that your land will fall into chaos.
And there is also the indignity of occupation.
But you need not fear the future, for your future is full of hope and dignity.
The evil-doers, those who bring suicide bombs to your cities and threats to your schools, will be captured or killed. They will not succeed in imposing their bloody vision on Iraq's future. You, the Iraqi people, with the help of the Coalition, will stop them.
Together we shall defeat the evil-doers.
And you shall enjoy the dignity of defending yourselves. Iraqis are now replacing the foreign troops who patrol your streets and borders. That program will accelerate until your internal and external security are your responsibility alone.
And you shall enjoy the dignity of a renewed justice system where honest judges decide on the law and on the facts, not on commands from the Palace.
And, as your economy grows, you shall enjoy the dignity of honest wages for honest work honestly performed.
And, as you write your constitution, you shall enjoy the dignity of deciding for yourself what kind of government you want.
And then you shall enjoy the dignity of electing your own government.
And after you have elected that government, the indignity of occupation will end.
All these things shall come to pass.
And you shall enjoy your future of hope and dignity.
Mabruk al Iraq al Jadeed
Ramadan Kareem
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=November&x=20031109144348attocnich0.5253565&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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