For Immediate Release
August 22, 2003

Global Message

There are terrorists, criminals and others who are determined to stop the coalition from helping the Iraqi people. They will not succeed.

The United Nations remains committed, the Coalition remains committed, and the United States remains committed to stay in Iraq. Together, we will make sure that the promise that has been brought to Iraq by the elimination of the Hussein regime will be made available to every Iraqi citizen.

Humanitarian workers, reconstruction workers and others must have a safe environment. It's a challenging environment, but we will work closely with the United Nations to make sure that they can perform their work in as safe an environment as is possible, considering the circumstances.

The UN has a vital role to play in Iraq. The Coalition is pleased that the United Nations remains committed to its important job there.

We now have 30 nations that have contributed 22,000 troops under coalition control, five other nations are in the process of making their final decisions to send troops, and we're talking to 14 others. So that is close to 50 countries participating in an international coalition for Iraq.

As President Bush said of those responsible for the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad: "They are the enemies of the Iraqi people. They are the enemies of every nation that seeks to help the Iraqi people. By their tactics and their targets, these murderers reveal themselves once more as enemies of the civilized world."