For Immediate Release
August 28, 2003

Global Message

From President Bush's Remarks, 8/26/03

The work of our coalition in Iraq goes on because that country is now a point of testing in the war on terror. And the more progress we make in Iraq, the more desperate the terrorists will become. Freedom is a threat to their way of life.

The terrorists have killed innocent Iraqis and Americans and U.N. officials from many nations. They have declared war on the entire civilized world, and the civilized world will not be intimidated.

Ultimately, the security of Iraq will be won by the Iraqi people themselves. They must reject terror, and they must join in their own defense. And they're stepping forward. Iraqi police and border guards and security forces are increasingly taking on critical duties, including 38,000 police officers, 1,400 civil defense corps volunteers, and 12,000 Iraqis being trained for the country's new army.

Iraq's progress toward self-determination and democracy brings hope to other oppressed people in the region and throughout the world. It is the rise of democracy that tyrants fear and terrorists seek to undermine. The people who yearn for liberty and opportunity in countries like Iran and throughout the Middle East are watching and they are praying for success in Iraq.