Online NewsHour: President Bush on Iraq Resolution



	PRESIDENT BUSH ON IRAQ
November 8, 2002

The following is the text of President Bush's reaction to the U.N. resolution on Iraq, during which the president warns of dire consequences should Iraq refuse to comply with the U.N.'s instructions.

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The chief UN weapons inspector discusses the possibility of resuming inspections in Iraq.

Oct. 8, 2002:
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Oct. 3, 2002:
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Sept. 25, 2002:
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice discusses Iraq, the United Nations and the U.S. security strategy

Sept. 24, 2002:
Intelligence experts discuss the dossier outlining Iraq's weapons program, released by the British government

Sept. 13, 2002:
Britain's Ambassador to the US discusses the debate over Iraq.

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10 Downing Street

United Nations

PRESIDENT BUSH: Good morning. With the resolution just passed, the United Nations Security Council has
met important responsibilities, upheld its principles, and given clear and fair notice that Saddam Hussein must fully
disclose and destroy his weapons of mass destruction. He must submit to any and all methods to verify his
compliance. His cooperation must be prompt and unconditional, or he will face the severest consequences.
The world has now come together to say that the outlaw regime in Iraq will not be permitted to build or possess
chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. That is the judgment of the United States Congress, that is the judgment of
the United Nations Security Council. Now the world must insist that that judgment be enforced.

Iraq's obligation to disarm is not new or even recent. To end the Persian Gulf War and ensure its own survival,
Iraq's regime agreed to disarm in April of 1991. For over a decade, the Iraqi regime has treated its own pledge with
contempt. As today's resolution states, Iraq is already in material breach of past UN demands. Iraq has aggressively
pursued weapons of mass destruction, even while inspectors were inside the country. Iraq has undermined the
effectiveness of weapons inspectors with ploys, delays, and threats, making their work impossible and leading to four
years of no inspections at all.

The world has learned from this experience an essential lesson: Inspections will not result in a disarmed Iraq
unless the Iraqi regime fully cooperates. Inspectors do not have the power to disarm an unwilling regime; they can only
confirm that a government has decided to disarm itself. History has shown that when Iraq's leaders stall inspections
and impede the progress, it means they have something to hide.

The resolution approved today presents the Iraqi regime with a test, a final test. Iraq must now, without delay or
negotiations, fully disarm, welcome full inspections, and fundamentally change the approach it has taken for more
than a decade. The regime must allow immediate and unrestricted access to every site, every document, and every
person identified by inspectors.

Iraq can be certain that the old game of cheat and retreat, tolerated at other times, will no longer be tolerated.
Any act of delay or defiance will be an additional breach of Iraq's international obligations and a clear signal that the
Iraqi regime has once again abandoned the path of voluntary compliance.

With the passage of this resolution, the world must not lapse into unproductive debates over whether specific
instances of Iraqi non-compliance are serious. Any Iraqi noncompliance is serious because such bad faith will show
that Iraq has no intention of disarming. If we are to avert war, all nations must continue to pressure Saddam Hussein
to accept this resolution and to comply with its obligations, and his obligations.

America will be making only one determination: Is Iraq meeting the terms of the Security Council resolution or
not.

The United States has agreed to discuss any material breach with the Security Council, but without jeopardizing
our freedom of action to defend our country. If Iraq fails to fully comply, the United States and other nations will disarm
Saddam Hussein.

I've already met with the head of the UN inspections program and the head of the International Automatic Energy
Agency, which has responsibility for nuclear matters. I've assured them that the United States will fully support their
efforts, including request for information that can help identify illegal activities and materials in Iraq. I encourage every
member of the United Nations to strongly support the inspection teams.

And now the inspectors have an important responsibility to make full use of the tools we have given them in this
resolution. All patriotic Iraqis should embrace this resolution as an opportunity for Iraq to avoid war and end its
isolation.

Saddam Hussein cannot hide his weapons of mass destruction from international inspectors without the
cooperation of hundreds and thousands of Iraqis, those who work in the weapons program and those who are
responsible for concealing the weapons. We call on those Iraqis to convey whatever information they have to
inspectors, the United States or other countries in whatever manner they can. By helping the process of disarmament,
they help their country.

Americans recognize what is at stake. In fighting a war on terror, we are determined to oppose every source of
catastrophic harm that threatens our country, our friends and our allies. We are actively pursuing dangerous terror
networks across the world, and we oppose a uniquely dangerous regime: a regime that has harbored terrorists and
could supply terrorists with weapons of mass destruction, a regime that has built such terrible weapons and has used
them to kill thousands, a brutal regime with a history of both reckless ambition and reckless miscalculation.

The United States of America will not live at the mercy of any group or regime that has the motive and seeks the
power to murder Americans on a massive scale.

The threat to America also threatens peace and security in the Middle East and far beyond. If Iraq's dictator is
permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, he could resume his pattern of intimidation and conquest, and dictate the future
of a vital region.

In confronting this threat, America seeks the support of the world. If action becomes necessary, we will act in the
interests of the world. And America expects Iraqi compliance with all UN resolutions.

The time has come for the Iraqi people to escape oppression, find freedom, and live in hope.

I want to thank the secretary of State, Colin Powell, for his leadership, his good work, and his determination over
the past two months. He's worked tirelessly and successfully for a resolution that recognizes important concerns of
our Security Council partners and makes Iraq's responsibilities clear.

I also thank our ambassador to the United Nations, John Negroponte, and his team and our UN mission in New
York for their hard work and outstanding service to our country. Secretary of State Powell's team has done a fine job.

The American people are grateful to the Security Council for passing this historic resolution. Members of the
council acted with courage and took a principled stand.

The United Nations has shown the kind of international leadership promised by its charter and required by our
times.

Now comes the hard part. The Security Council must maintain its unity and sense of purpose so that the Iraqi
regime cannot revert to the strategies of obstruction and deception it used so successfully in the past.

The outcome of the current crisis is already determined. The full disarmament of weapons of mass destruction by
Iraq will occur. The only question for the Iraqi regime is to decide how. The United States prefers that Iraq meet its
obligations voluntarily, yet we are prepared for the alternative. In either case, the just demands of the world will be met.

Thank you all.

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