The White House, President George W. Bush Click to print this document

For Immediate Release
December 11, 2002

Global Message

KEY POINTS

  • Disarming the Iraqi regime is a central commitment of the war on terror. We must prevent terrorist groups and outlaw regimes from threatening the American people with catastrophic harm.

  • For more than a decade, Saddam Hussein has consistently and systematically violated his obligations to the world and undermined UN inspections. And he only admitted to a massive biological weapons program after being confronted with the evidence.

  • As the new inspections process proceeds, the United States will be making only one judgment: Has Saddam Hussein changed his behavior of the last 11 years and decided to cooperate willingly and comply completely, or has he not?

  • Thus far we are not seeing the fundamental shift in practice and attitude that the world is demanding. Iraq's letters to the UN regarding inspections show that their attitude is grudging and conditional. And in recent days, Iraq has fired on American and British pilots enforcing the UN's no-fly zone.

  • Iraq was required by the UN to provide a full and accurate declaration of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. We will judge the declaration's honesty and completeness only after we have thoroughly examined it.

  • The UN Security Council and the United States have told Saddam Hussein, the game is over. Saddam Hussein will fully disarm himself of weapons of mass destruction, and if he does not, America will lead a coalition to disarm him.

  • War is the last option for confronting threats. Yet the temporary peace of denial and looking away from danger would only be a prelude to a broader war and greater horror. By showing our resolve today, we are building a future of peace.
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