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Skriven 2005-10-06 23:33:36 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0510062) for Thu, 2005 Oct 6
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Fact Sheet: President Bush Remarks on the War on Terror
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 6, 2005

Fact Sheet: President Bush Remarks on the War on Terror


ÿÿÿÿÿPresident Discusses War on Terror at National Endowment for Democracy

Today's Presidential Action:

Today, President Bush Addressed The National Endowment For Democracy On The
Nature Of The Enemy We Face And The Strategy For Victory. In this new
century, freedom is once again under assault. The President outlined the
ideology of the terrorists and the strategy needed to defeat this danger
and see freedom's victory.

  þ In The Four Years Since September 11th, The United States And The World
    Have Been Committed To Winning The War On Terror. The evil that came to
    our shores on September 11th has reappeared on other days and in other
    places. In cities across the world, we have seen images of destruction
    and suffering that can seem like random acts of madness but are part of
    a larger terrorist threat. To combat this evil, we must remember the
    calling of September 11th - we will confront this mortal danger to all
    humanity and not tire or rest until the war on terror is won.

  þ Muslims Are Playing A Vital Role In The War On Terror. Muslim leaders
    are denouncing terrorism, and the time has come for all responsible
    Islamic leaders to denounce an ideology that exploits Islam for
    political ends and defiles a noble faith. Many Muslims have joined the
    fight against extremism. The United States is proud to stand by those
    who stand up for the liberty, justice, and humanity of their own
    tradition.

The Militant Threat And The Importance Of Winning The War On Terror

The Terrorists Serve A Clear And Focused Ideology. The ideology known as
Islamic radicalism, militant Jihadism, or Islamo-fascism - different from
the religion of Islam - exploits Islam to serve a violent political vision
that calls for the murder of all those who do not share it. The followers
of Islamic radicalism are bound together by their shared ideology, not by
any centralized command structure. Although they fight on scattered
battlefields, these terrorists share a similar ideology and vision for the
world openly stated in videos, audiotapes, letters, declarations, and
websites.

  þ First, These Extremists Are Determined To End American And Western
    Influence In The Middle East. Because the United States is spreading
    democracy and peace, we stand in the way of their radical ambitions.
    Al-Qaida's leader Osama Bin Laden has called on Muslims to dedicate
    their "resources, sons and money to driving the infidels out of their
    lands." To meet this goal, they hit us and expect us to run in the hope
    that we will repeat the sad history of Beirut in 1983 and Mogadishu in
    1993 - only this time on a larger scale and with greater consequences.

  þ Second, The Militant Network Wants to Use The Vacuum Created By Retreat
    To Expand Its Power. As they once did in Afghanistan and are trying to
    do now in Iraq, they will seek to gain control of an entire country - a
    base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against
    non-radical Muslim governments.

  þ Third, From Their New Base, These Militants Will Seek To Establish A
    Radical Islamic Empire. The militants believe that controlling one
    country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow
    moderate governments in the Middle East and establish a radical Islamic
    empire that spreads from Spain to Indonesia.

  þ To Accomplish Their Extremist Agenda, The Militants Thrive On The
    Suffering And Frustrations Of Others. The radicals exploit local
    conflicts to build a culture of victimization, exploit resentful and
    disillusioned young men and women, and use modern technology to
    multiply their destructive power.

  þ In Pursuit Of Their Goals, Islamic Radicals Are Empowered By Helpers
    And Enablers. They are sheltered and supported by authoritarian regimes
    - allies of convenience like Syria and Iran - that share the goal of
    hurting America and moderate Muslim governments, and that use terrorist
    propaganda to blame their own failures on the West, America, and Jews.
    They are strengthened by front operations - such as corrupted charities
    - and those who aggressively fund the spread of radical, intolerant
    versions of Islam. The militants are aided by elements of the Arab news
    media that incite hatred and anti-Semitism, feed conspiracy theories,
    and speak of a so-called American "war on Islam" - with seldom a word
    about American action to protect Muslims in Afghanistan, Bosnia,
    Somalia, Kosovo, Kuwait, and Iraq.

  þ This Extremism Cannot Be Given Concessions, Bribed, Or Appeased. We
    Must Never Accept Anything Less Than Victory. To those who argue that
    extremism has been strengthened by the actions of our Coalition in
    Iraq, we must remember that we were not in Iraq on September 11, 2001.
    The radicals' hatred existed before Iraq was an issue, and it will
    exist after Iraq is an excuse. The government of Russia did not support
    Operation Iraqi Freedom, and yet the Islamic militants killed more than
    180 Russian schoolchildren in Beslan.

Islamic Radicalism Is Another In A Line Of Bankrupt Ideologies:

The Islamic Radical Threat Of This Century Greatly Resembles The Bankrupt
Ideology Of The Last. The murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals is the
great challenge of our century. Yet, in many ways, this fight resembles the
struggle against communism in the last century.

  þ Like Communism, Islamic Radicalism Is Led By An Elitist Self-Appointed
    Vanguard That Presumes To Speak For The Muslim Masses. Bin Laden says
    his role is to tell Muslims "what is good for them and what is not."
    What this man who grew up in wealth and privilege considers good for
    poor Muslims is that they become killers and suicide bombers. He
    assures them that this is the road to paradise - though he never offers
    to go along for the ride.

  þ Islamic Radicals Purposely Target Innocent Individuals For A Political
    Vision. This explains their cold-blooded contempt for human life seen
    in the murders of Daniel Pearl, Nicholas Berg, Margaret Hassan, and
    many others. These militants have shown themselves to be enemies of not
    only America and Iraq, but enemies of Islam and humanity. The world has
    witnessed this kind of cruelty before - the heartless zealotry that led
    to the gulags, the Cultural Revolution, and the killing fields.

  þ Islamic Radicals Pursue Totalitarian Aims. Islamic Radical leaders have
    endless ambitions of imperial domination, and they wish to make
    everyone powerless except themselves. While promising a future of
    justice and holiness, the terrorists are preparing a future of
    oppression and misery - banning dissent and books, brutalizing women,
    and controlling every aspect of life.

  þ Islamic Radicalism Is Dismissive Of Free Peoples. Zarqawi has said that
    Americans are "the most cowardly of God's creatures." However, it is
    cowardice that kills children and the elderly with car bombs, cuts the
    throat of a bound captive, or targets worshipers leaving a mosque. It
    is courage that liberated 50 million people from tyranny, keeps an
    untiring vigil against the enemies of a rising democracy, and will once
    again destroy the enemies of freedom.

  þ And Like Communism, Islamic Radicalism Contains Inherent Contradictions
    That Doom It To Failure. By fearing freedom, distrusting human
    creativity, punishing change, and limiting the contributions of half
    the population, this ideology declares war on the idea of progress
    itself. The only thing modern about the militants' vision is the
    weapons they seek to use. The outcome of this war is not in doubt -
    those who despise freedom and progress have condemned themselves to
    isolation, decline, and collapse. Because free people believe in the
    future, they will own the future.

The Strategy To Win

The President Outlined The Strategy To Win The War On Terror. Defeating a
broad and adaptive network requires patience, constant pressure, and strong
partners. Working with these partners, the U.S. is disrupting militant
conspiracies, destroying their ability to make war, and giving millions a
hopeful alternative to resentment and violence.

  þ First, We Are Preventing Terrorist Attacks Before They Occur. We are
    reorganizing government for a broad and coordinated homeland defense,
    reforming intelligence agencies for the difficult task of tracking
    enemy activity, and acting, along with governments from many countries,
    to destroy the terrorist networks and incapacitate their leaders. We
    have prevented terrorist plots and Al-Qaida efforts to case targets in
    the United States. Because of strikes against terrorist leaders and
    disruption of their plots, the enemy is wounded but still capable of
    deadly operations around the globe. Our commitment is clear: we will
    not relent until the organized international terror networks are
    exposed and broken and their leaders held to account for their acts of
    murder.

  þ Second, We Are Denying Weapons Of Mass Destruction To Outlaw Regimes
    And Their Terrorist Allies. Working with Great Britain, Pakistan, and
    other nations, we shut down A.Q. Khan's black-market operation in
    nuclear technology. Libya abandoned its chemical and nuclear weapons
    programs, as well as its long-range ballistic missiles. In the last
    year, America and our partners in the Proliferation Security Initiative
    have stopped more than a dozen shipments of suspect weapons technology
    - including equipment for Iran's ballistic missile programs. This
    progress has reduced the danger, but not removed it. Evil men still
    work to gain these weapons, and we are working urgently to keep them
    out of their hands.

  þ Third, We Are Determined To Deny Radical Groups The Support And
    Sanctuary Of Outlaw Regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a
    long history of collaboration with terrorists - and they deserve no
    patience from the victims of terror. The United States makes no
    distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who
    support and harbor terrorists, because they are equally guilty of
    murder.

  þ Fourth, We Are Fighting To Deny The Militants Control Of Any Nation.
    The United States is fighting beside our Afghan partners against the
    remnants of the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies. We are working with
    President Musharraf to isolate the militants in Pakistan. We are
    fighting the terrorists and regime remnants in Iraq who seek to
    overthrow a democracy, claim a strategic country as a haven of terror,
    destabilize the Middle East, and strike America and other free nations
    with ever increasing violence. Our goal is to defeat the terrorists and
    their allies at the heart of their power - and we are achieving this
    goal.

      þ With Iraqi Forces, The Coalition Is Fighting The Enemy With A
        Comprehensive And Specific Military Plan. We are improving the
        lives of Iraqi citizens by conducting offensive operations to clear
        out enemy forces and leave Iraqi units behind to prevent the enemy
        from returning. With our help, the Iraqi military is gaining new
        capabilities and new confidence with every passing month. At the
        time of our Fallujah operations 11 months ago, there were only a
        few Iraqi battalions in combat - today there are more than 80. The
        progress is not easy, but it is steady.

      þ Iraq Is Making Incredible Political Progress. The extremists in
        Iraq are not patriots or resistance fighters but murderers at war
        with the Iraqi people. In contrast, the elected leaders of Iraq are
        proving to be strong and steadfast. In the space of two and a half
        years, Iraq has made incredible progress on the path to becoming a
        democracy. It is true that the seeds of freedom have only recently
        been planted, but we are confident that if our Coalition and the
        Iraqi people each does their part, Iraqi democracy will succeed.

      þ We Must Reject The Dangerous Illusion Of Those Who Claim That
        America Would Be Better Off By Cutting Our Losses And Leaving Iraq
        Now. Having removed a dictator who hated free peoples, we will not
        stand by as a new set of killers seize control of Iraq. There is
        always a temptation, in the middle of a long struggle, to seek the
        quiet life, escape the duties and problems of the world, and hope
        the enemy grows weary. However, this enemy is never tired and
        considers every retreat an invitation to greater violence. In Iraq,
        there is no peace without victory. We will keep our nerve and win
        that victory.

  þ Fifth, We Are Denying The Militants Future Recruits By Advancing
    Democracy And Hope Across The Broader Middle East. If the region is
    left to grow in bitterness and misery, while radicals stir the
    resentments of millions, then that part of the world will be a source
    of endless conflict and mounting danger. However, the extremists will
    be marginalized and their violence ended if the peoples of that region
    are permitted to choose their own destiny and advance by their own
    energy and participation as free men and women. America is making this
    stand in practical ways. We are encouraging our friends in the Middle
    East, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to take the path of reform to
    strengthen their own societies in the fight against terror by
    respecting the rights of people. We are standing with dissidents and
    exiles against oppressive regimes, because we know that the dissidents
    of today will be the democratic leaders of tomorrow. We are making our
    case through public diplomacy - stating clearly and confidently our
    belief in self-determination, religious freedom, and equal rights for
    women. By standing for the hope and freedom of others, we will make our
    own freedom more secure.

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