"Will of our coalition is strong... what we have begun we will finish"

The policies toward Iraq and Afghanistan of the United States and its coalition partners have freed both countries from regimes of terror and improved life for millions, but building lasting democracy and uprooting terrorism will require a long term commitment, President Bush said February 17 in a speech to U.S. forces at Fort Polk Army Airfield in Louisiana.

"(B)uilding democracies in nations that have endured decades of tyranny will require the kind of sustained commitment that won the Cold War," he said, and added, "We accept that duty. We accept that duty in our time because our cause is right."

By liberating Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush said, the United States and its coalition partners "have delivered more than 50 million people from cruel oppression. We've removed sources of violence and instability from the greater Middle East," he said.

But now, there is a clear choice ahead, he said: "(E)ither freedom will advance, or that region will continue to export violence to the world. The work of building democracies in nations that have endured decades of tyranny is hard. It's hard work."

Bush noted that even governments that did not join in the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime now understand that democracy in Iraq must succeed.

"And that work will succeed, because the appeal of freedom is universal," he said.

"The will of this country is strong. The will of our coalition is strong. And what we have begun, we will finish, the president declared.

Following is an excerpt from President Bush's remarks:

(begin excerpt)

In the past 29 months, many terrorists have learned the meaning of justice. Nearly two-thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders have been captured or otherwise dealt with. (Applause.) The terrorists are on the run, with good reason to fear what the night might bring. Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on an international manhunt, going after remaining killers who hide in caves and in cities. When they attacked our country, the terrorists chose their own fate, and they are meeting that fate, one by one. (Applause.)

Success in the war on terror also requires that we confront regimes that might arm terrorists with the ultimate weapon. There's no greater danger before this nation and humanity than the possibility of secret and sudden attack with a nuclear or chemical or biological weapon. We must confront this danger with open eyes and unbending purpose. I made clear the policy of this country: America will not permit terrorists and dangerous regimes who threaten us with the world's most deadly weapons. (Applause.)

So to get allies on our side, we have shown this resolve in decisive action to liberate two nations once ruled by terror regimes. The first to see our determination was the Taliban, who made Afghanistan the primary base of al Qaeda. That was where the training camps operated. That is where the attacks of September the 11th were conceived. And that's where we first took the fight to the enemy.

Two years after we liberated Afghanistan, our troops continue to face danger. Our coalition is leading aggressive raids to rout out surviving members of the Taliban and al Qaeda. The new Afghan army is adding to the stability of that country. Afghanistan still has challenge, but that nation is a world away from the nightmare of the Taliban. (Applause.)

As of last month, Afghanistan has a new constitution, guaranteed free elections and full participation by women. (Applause.) Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and the children of Afghanistan are back in school -- boys and girls. (Applause.) The people of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free, that is proud, and that is fighting terror. And America is honored to be their friend. (Applause.)

The former regime in Iraq also witnessed America's resolve to confront dangers before they fully materialize. My administration looked at the intelligence information and we saw danger. Members of Congress looked at the same intelligence, and they saw danger. The United Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a danger. We reached a reasonable conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a danger. We remembered his history: He waged aggressive wars against neighboring countries and aspired to dominate the Middle East. He cultivated ties to terrorists. He built weapons of mass destruction. He used weapons of mass destruction against his own people. He hid those weapons.

In 1998, the President and the Congress made it the policy of the United States to change the regime in Iraq. In September of 2001, America made a decision: We will not live in the shadow of gathering threats. In 2003, after 12 years of deception by Saddam Hussein, he was given one final chance. The U.N. Security Council demanded a full accounting of his weapons programs, or face serious consequences. Saddam Hussein chose defiance. And we had a choice of our own: Either take the word of a madman, or take action to defend America and the world. Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.)

Having broken the Baathist regime in Iraq, we face a remnant of violent Saddam supporters. Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now dispersed and attack from the shadows. These killers are joined by foreign terrorists. Recently in Iraq, we intercepted a letter sent by a terrorist named Zarqawi, a man well-known to our intelligence services. Zarqawi operated in and out of Saddam Hussein's Iraq. He ordered the murder of an American diplomat in Jordan. He fought against our troops in Afghanistan. And now, in a letter we intercepted, Zarqawi is urging al Qaeda members to wage terrorist war on our coalition in Iraq.

In the document, Zarqawi describes the terrorist strategy, lays it all out: Tear the country apart with ethnic violence; to undermine Iraqi security forces; to demoralize our coalition; to prevent the rise of a sovereign democratic government. This terrorist outlined his efforts to recruit and train suicide bombers. He boasts of 25 attacks on innocent Iraqis and coalition personnel.

Zarqawi, and men like him, have made Iraq the central front in our war on terror. The terrorists know that the emergence of a free Iraq will be a major blow against the worldwide terrorist movement. And in this, they are correct. But we've seen this enemy before, and we know how to deal with them. Fighting alongside the people of Afghanistan, we are defeating the terrorists in that country. And fighting alongside the people of Iraq, we will defeat the terrorists there, as well. Iraq, like Afghanistan, will be free. (Applause.)

We're making good progress against these enemies, by staying on the defensive, with hundreds of patrols and swift and precision raids every single day. Thanks to our military, thanks to our brave soldiers, Iraq citizens do not have to fear the dictator's secret police, or ending up in a mass grave. The torture chambers are closed. Of the top 55 officials of the former regime, we have captured or killed 46. (Applause.) And as for the once all-powerful ruler of Iraq, we found him hiding in a hole. (Applause.)

At the same time, we're helping Iraqis make daily progress toward democracy. A year ago, Iraq's only law was the whim of one brutal man. Today our coalition is working with the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic law with a bill of rights. But we're now working with Iraqis in the United Nations to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty. As democracy takes hold in Iraq, the enemies of freedom will do all in their power to spread violence and fear. They're trying to shake the will of our country and our friends. But they don't understand America. They don't understand the nature of our troops. This country and our military will never be intimidated by a bunch of thugs and assassins. (Applause.)

It is the nature of terrorism that a few evil people can bring grief to many. Here in the Fort Polk community, you have sent brave men and women to confront this evil, and you have said farewell to some of your best. One of them was Private First Class Rey David Cuervo, who was killed in Baghdad. Private Cuervo was born in Mexico and is one of several non-citizens in the military who have given their lives in the defense of America. At my direction, each of them has been posthumously granted a title to which they have brought great honor: Citizen of the United States. (Applause.)

Last month, PFC Cuervo was laid to rest under a marker with these words: "All gave some, and some gave all." We do not take freedom for granted in America, and we do not take for granted the courage of those who face the danger and do the fighting. May God comfort the families of the lost. May He keep this nation always grateful for their sacrifice.

All the men and women we have sent to Iraq and Afghanistan have given vital service in the war on terror. By liberating these countries, we and our coalition have delivered more than 50 million people from cruel oppression. We've removed sources of violence and instability from the greater Middle East. We've removed from power enemies of this country. We have made America more secure. (Applause.)

We face a clear choice in the greater Middle East, either freedom will advance, or that region will continue to export violence to the world. The work of building democracies in nations that have endured decades of tyranny is hard. It's hard work. It will require the kind of sustained commitment that won the Cold War. We accept that duty. We accept that duty in our time because our cause is right.

Even governments that did not join in the removal of Saddam's regime now understand that democracy in Iraq must succeed. And that work will succeed, because the appeal of freedom is universal. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and women in this world. (Applause.)

The will of this country is strong. The will of our coalition is strong. And what we have begun, we will finish. (Applause.)

(end excerpt)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)