30 January 2003
Cheney Calls Confronting Iraq "Crucial" To War Against Terror
(Vice president says U.S. is defending "the survival of civilization itself") (1370) Vice President Dick Cheney praised the ongoing war against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups and said the Bush Administration's confrontation of Iraq was "crucial" to winning the wider war against terrorism. Speaking January 30 to the 30th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia, Cheney recalled the list of chemical and biological weapons-related material the United Nations believes is in Iraq, and warned that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us." "[A]s the President said on Tuesday night, it would take just one vial, one canister, one crate to bring a day of horror to our nation unlike any we have ever known. That is why confronting the threat posed by Iraq is not a distraction from the war on terror, it is absolutely crucial to winning the war on terror," said Cheney. In apparent reference to the Bush Administration's new security strategy, Cheney said that "America seeks a world of peace, but we will not accept a serious threat to our country, to our friends, and to our allies." The vice president said that in the U.S. struggle against terrorism, "we are defending both ourselves and the safety and survival of civilization itself." "Against such enemies, America and the civilized world have only one option: Wherever terrorists operate, we will find them; wherever they dwell, we will hunt them down," he said. Cheney outlined a long list of successes around the world in the war on terror, saying that although many victories "must go unheralded," "numerous terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies have been thwarted since 9/11." He also mentioned steps the United States had taken since the September 11 terrorist attacks to protect the country from what he termed "unprecedented" threats. Following is an excerpt from Vice President Cheney's remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference: (begin excerpt) THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Vice President January 30, 2003 REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT AT THE 30TH ANNUAL CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ACTION CONFERENCE The Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington BallroomArlington, Virginia (Excerpt) .......... Since the attacks of 9/11, every level of our government has taken important steps to protect America against terrorism. We created the Department of Homeland Security to mobilize against a wide range of possible threats. More than 50,000 federal screeners are deployed at our airports. We've put more marshals on airplanes and stepped up security at power plants, ports and border crossings. We've begun inoculating troops and first responders against smallpox and are stockpiling enough smallpox vaccine for every American. We are using new technologies to detect weapons of mass destruction. We're developing a Terrorist Threat Integration Center to merge and analyze all threat information in a single location. We're beginning to field a defense against ballistic missiles. And we are launching Project Bioshield, a comprehensive effort to develop and make available modern effective drugs and vaccines to protect against attack by biological and chemical weapons or other dangerous agents. With these measures, we seek to guard our nation against new and fearsome dangers. But while the threats we face are unprecedented, our responsibilities are familiar. Once again, we are defending both ourselves and the safety and survival of civilization itself. And as President Bush said, we accept this responsibility. Today America leads a worldwide coalition that is sharing intelligence, hunting down terrorists, freezing the assets of terrorist groups and front organizations. We've deprived al Qaeda of its stronghold in Afghanistan. And as we've seen just this week, we continue to disrupt their efforts to regroup. We've captured or killed leading al Qaeda terrorists and have disrupted their chain of command. Our law enforcement and intelligence officials are working long and hard to thwart terrorist plots, both here and abroad. And while many of their successes must go unheralded, I can tell you that numerous terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies have been thwarted since 9/11. The United States and our partners have also dismantled terror cells in Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Singapore, Malaysia, and frozen many millions of dollars in terrorist assets. We've arrested more then 3,000 suspected terrorists worldwide and taken out of business many of the top al Qaeda leaders responsible for murdering Americans and other innocent citizens. And we will continue to hunt for those remaining at large. Where al Qaeda and its allies are concerned, we're dealing with a network that operates in 50 or more countries around the globe, that has murdered Americans in Bali, in Kuwait, in Yemen, and in Jordan, and that is determined to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction against us and our allies. Against such enemies, America and the civilized world have only one option: Wherever terrorists operate, we will find them; wherever they dwell, we will hunt them down. We will also continue our efforts to address the grave danger posed by the outlaw regime in Iraq. We will not permit a brutal dictator with ties to terror and a record of reckless aggression to dominate the Middle East and to threaten the United States of America. (Applause.) Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein agreed to disarm Iraq of all of its weapons of mass destruction. For 12 years he has violated that agreement, pursuing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons even while U.N. inspectors were in Iraq. Last fall, thanks to the leadership of President Bush, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution giving Iraq one final chance to disarm. Inspectors were sent to Iraq not to determine whether Saddam has weapons of mass destruction, but simply to confirm that Iraq truly was disarming itself -- as required by U.N. Security Council resolutions. Unfortunately, the declaration that Iraq provided to the United Nations last month about its weapons and missiles program clearly demonstrated that Saddam has absolutely no intention of complying with the world's demands. Some time ago, the U.N. confirmed that Iraq has sufficient material to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax, more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, and as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard gas, and VX nerve agents. We know he had about 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical weapons and several mobile biological weapons laboratories designed to produce germ warfare agents on the move. Yet Saddam Hussein has never accounted for, nor destroyed these instruments of terror. And his desire for nuclear weapons remains undiminished. Saddam Hussein is continuing his decade-old game of defiance, delay and deception. He's blocking unrestricted aerial reconnaissance. His security agents are hiding documents and materials from the U.N. inspectors. His intelligence agents are posing as scientists. And Saddam Hussein has decreed that real scientists who cooperate with U.N. inspectors will be killed, along with their families. Saddam Hussein's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction poses a grave danger -- not only to his neighbors, but also to the United States. His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us. And as the President said on Tuesday night, it would take just one vial, one canister, one crate to bring a day of horror to our nation unlike any we have ever known. That is why confronting the threat posed by Iraq is not a distraction from the war on terror, it is absolutely crucial to winning the war on terror. (Applause.) America seeks a world of peace, but we will not accept a serious threat to our country, to our friends, and to our allies. Next Wednesday, Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence to the U.N. Security Council about Iraq's ongoing defiance. Our purpose is not simply to follow a process, it is to end the terrible threats to the civilized world. And as the President said the other night, the course of this nation does not depend upon the decisions of others. (Applause.) (end excerpt) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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