Grinder
12 August 2003, 14:57
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2003 - President Bush praised the
progress coalition military and civilian personnel have
been able to make in Iraq, but said that 100 days is not
enough time to undo the legacy of Saddam Hussein.
In his weekly radio address Aug. 9, Bush noted that it is
but 100 days since the end of major combat operations in
Iraq. He said the time has been marked by steady progress.
"Every day we are working to make Iraq more secure," Bush
said. "Coalition forces remain on the offensive against the
Baath Party loyalists and foreign terrorists who are trying
to prevent order and stability." He said the progress is
evident to the Iraqi people as more and more are
cooperating with coalition forces and tipping them to the
regime remnants still threatening peace.
Iraqis themselves are helping with security. Coalition
officials said there are about 30,000 Iraqi police back on
the beat, and coalition officials have begun to recruit a
new army and a civil defense force.
"Every day, Iraq is making progress in rebuilding its
economy," he said. "In Baghdad, the banks have opened, and
other banks will open across the country in the coming
months. This fall, new bank notes will be issued, replacing
the old ones bearing the former dictator's image. And
Iraq's energy industry is once again serving the interests
of the Iraqi people. More than a million barrels of crude
oil and over 2 million gallons of gasoline are being
produced daily."
The coalition is paying civil servants with funds recovered
from the former regime, and life is returning to normal for
the Iraqi people. Bush said hospitals and universities have
opened, and in many places, water and other utility
services are reaching pre-war levels.
"Across Iraq, nearly all schoolchildren have completed
their exams," he said. "And for the first time in many
years, a free press is at work in Iraq. Across that country
today, more than 150 newspapers are publishing regularly."
But most important, the Iraqi people are taking daily steps
toward democratic government, the president noted. "The
Iraqi Governing Council, whose 25 members represent all of
that diverse country, is meeting regularly, naming
ministers and drawing up a budget for the country," he
said. These men and women will soon set the conditions to
allow a representative group to begin drafting a new
constitution and free elections will follow.
Bush pointed out that all major cities and most towns now
have representative councils. "Freedom is taking hold in
that country, as people gain confidence that the former
regime is never coming back," he said.
But much remains to be done, Bush emphasized. "There is
difficult and dangerous work ahead that requires time and
patience," he said. "Our country and the nations of the
Middle East are now safer. We're keeping our word to the
Iraqi people by helping them to make their country an
example of democracy and prosperity throughout the region.
This long-term undertaking is vital to peace in that region
and to the security of the United States. Our coalition and
the people of Iraq have made remarkable progress in a short
time, and we will complete the great work we have begun."
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2003 - President Bush praised the
progress coalition military and civilian personnel have
been able to make in Iraq, but said that 100 days is not
enough time to undo the legacy of Saddam Hussein.
In his weekly radio address Aug. 9, Bush noted that it is
but 100 days since the end of major combat operations in
Iraq. He said the time has been marked by steady progress.
"Every day we are working to make Iraq more secure," Bush
said. "Coalition forces remain on the offensive against the
Baath Party loyalists and foreign terrorists who are trying
to prevent order and stability." He said the progress is
evident to the Iraqi people as more and more are
cooperating with coalition forces and tipping them to the
regime remnants still threatening peace.
Iraqis themselves are helping with security. Coalition
officials said there are about 30,000 Iraqi police back on
the beat, and coalition officials have begun to recruit a
new army and a civil defense force.
"Every day, Iraq is making progress in rebuilding its
economy," he said. "In Baghdad, the banks have opened, and
other banks will open across the country in the coming
months. This fall, new bank notes will be issued, replacing
the old ones bearing the former dictator's image. And
Iraq's energy industry is once again serving the interests
of the Iraqi people. More than a million barrels of crude
oil and over 2 million gallons of gasoline are being
produced daily."
The coalition is paying civil servants with funds recovered
from the former regime, and life is returning to normal for
the Iraqi people. Bush said hospitals and universities have
opened, and in many places, water and other utility
services are reaching pre-war levels.
"Across Iraq, nearly all schoolchildren have completed
their exams," he said. "And for the first time in many
years, a free press is at work in Iraq. Across that country
today, more than 150 newspapers are publishing regularly."
But most important, the Iraqi people are taking daily steps
toward democratic government, the president noted. "The
Iraqi Governing Council, whose 25 members represent all of
that diverse country, is meeting regularly, naming
ministers and drawing up a budget for the country," he
said. These men and women will soon set the conditions to
allow a representative group to begin drafting a new
constitution and free elections will follow.
Bush pointed out that all major cities and most towns now
have representative councils. "Freedom is taking hold in
that country, as people gain confidence that the former
regime is never coming back," he said.
But much remains to be done, Bush emphasized. "There is
difficult and dangerous work ahead that requires time and
patience," he said. "Our country and the nations of the
Middle East are now safer. We're keeping our word to the
Iraqi people by helping them to make their country an
example of democracy and prosperity throughout the region.
This long-term undertaking is vital to peace in that region
and to the security of the United States. Our coalition and
the people of Iraq have made remarkable progress in a short
time, and we will complete the great work we have begun."