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Skriven 2006-03-29 23:33:22 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603295) for Wed, 2006 Mar 29
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Fact Sheet: Strategy for Victory: Freedom in Iraq
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 29, 2006

Fact Sheet: Strategy for Victory: Freedom in Iraq


ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

On March 29, 2006, President Bush Delivered Remarks At Freedom House And
Discussed Critical Aspects Of Our Mission In Iraq. The President discussed
the stakes in Iraq, our efforts to help the Iraqi people overcome past
divisions and form a lasting democracy - and why it is vital to the
security of the American people that we help them succeed. Free societies
are peaceful societies, and the only path to lasting peace is the expansion
of freedom and democracy.

  þ The Advance Of Freedom Is The Story Of Our Time. Just 25 years ago,
    there were only 45 democracies. Today, Freedom House reports there are
    122 democracies, and more people live in liberty than ever before.
    Since the beginning of 2005, remarkable democratic change has occurred
    across the globe in places like Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan,
    Liberia, and Iraq. Freedom House has declared 2005 "one of the most
    successful years for freedom since Freedom House began measuring world
    freedom" more than 30 years ago.

Iraqis Are Working To Overcome Past Divisions

Today, Iraqis Are Working To Resolve Tensions And Divisions That Saddam
Hussein Aggravated Through Ethnic Cleansing And Sectarian Violence. The
argument that Iraq was "stable" under Saddam - and stability is now in
danger because we removed him - is wrong. While liberation has brought its
own challenges, Saddam's removal from power was the necessary first step in
restoring stability and freedom to Iraqis.

To Prevent Iraq's Different Groups From Coming Together To Challenge His
Regime, Saddam Undertook A Deliberate Strategy Of Maintaining Power By
Dividing The Iraqi People. He brutally repressed different Iraqi
communities and pitted them against one another. By displacing communities
and dividing Iraqis, Saddam sought to establish himself as the only force
that could hold the country together.

  þ No Iraqi Community Was Spared From Saddam's Campaign Of Repression And
    Division. In the late 1980s, Saddam unleashed a brutal ethnic cleansing
    operation against Kurds in northern Iraq known as the Anfal campaign.
    Kurdish towns and villages were destroyed, and tens of thousands of
    Kurds disappeared or were killed. Chemical weapons were dropped on
    scores of Kurdish villages. In Halabja, thousands of innocent men,
    women, and children were killed using mustard gas and a nerve agent.
    Saddam also forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of Kurds from their
    homes - moving Arabs into the homes and properties of those forced to
    leave. As a result, Saddam magnified tensions that still persist.

  þ Saddam Waged A Brutal Campaign Of Suppression And Genocide Against Shia
    In Southern Iraq. He targeted prominent Shia clerics for assassination,
    destroyed Shia mosques and holy sites, and killed thousands of innocent
    men, women, and children - piling their bodies into mass graves.

  þ Saddam Oppressed His Fellow Sunnis. One of the great misperceptions is
    that every Sunni enjoyed a privileged status under Saddam's regime. In
    truth, Saddam trusted few outside his family and tribe - installing his
    sons, brothers, and cousins in key positions. Almost everyone was
    considered suspect - and often those suspicions led to brutal violence.
    In the mid-1990s, Saddam rounded up scores of prominent Sunnis, and
    many were never heard from again.

We Know Iraqis Can Live Together Peacefully. Iraq is a nation with many
ethnic, religious, sectarian, regional, and tribal divisions - and before
Saddam, Iraqis from different communities managed to live together. Even
today, many Iraqi tribes have both Sunni and Shia branches, and in many
small towns with mixed populations, there is often only one mosque, where
Sunnis and Shia worship together. Intermarriage is common, with mixed
families that include Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis, Shia, Turkmen, Assyrians, and
Caldeans.

The Obstacles To Democracy Are Being Overcome

To Foment Sectarian Division, The Enemy Is Employing Saddam's Tactics -
Killing And Terrorizing The Iraqi People.

  þ The Terrorists And Saddamists Are Failing To Stop Iraq's Democratic
    Progress. The enemy tried to stop the transfer of sovereignty. They
    tried to stop millions from voting in the January 2005 elections. They
    tried to stop Sunnis from participating in the October constitutional
    referendum. And they tried to stop millions from voting in the December
    elections to form a government under that constitution. In each case,
    they failed. Every successive election has seen larger and broader
    participation. The Iraqi people have made clear they want to live in
    liberty and unity - and they are determined to chart their own destiny.

      þ The Enemy Is Trying To Stop The Formation Of A Unity Government.
        The enemy has learned they cannot succeed by facing Coalition and
        Iraqi forces on the battlefield. So they have taken their violence
        to a new level by attacking one of Shia Islam's holiest sites. They
        blew up the Golden Mosque in Samarra hoping to provoke the Shia
        masses into widespread reprisals, which would provoke Sunnis to
        retaliate and drag the nation into civil war. Despite massive
        provocations, Iraq has not descended into civil war, most Iraqis
        have not turned to violence, and the Iraqi Security Forces have not
        broken up into sectarian groups waging war against each other. In
        recent weeks, these forces passed another important test,
        successfully protecting millions of Shia pilgrims who marched to
        the cities of Karbala and Najaf for an annual religious holiday. In
        the midst of today's sectarian tension, the ability of Iraqis to
        hold a peaceful gathering of millions of people is a hopeful sign
        for the future.

  þ There Is No Place In A Free And Democratic Iraq For Armed Groups
    Operating Outside Of The Law. It is vital to Iraq's security that the
    police are free of militia influence. The Coalition is working with
    Iraqi leaders to find and remove any National Police leaders showing
    evidence of militia loyalties. American battalions are partnering with
    the Iraqi national police to teach them about the role of a
    professional police force in a democratic system.

  þ Recent Violence Is Showing Iraqi Leaders The Danger Of Sectarian
    Division And Underscoring The Urgency Of Forming A National Unity
    Government. Today, Iraqi leaders from every major ethnic and religious
    community are working to construct a path forward. Ambassador Zalmay
    Khalilzad is helping Iraq's leaders reach across political, religious,
    and sectarian lines to form a government that will earn the trust and
    the confidence of all Iraqis.

  þ There Are Signs Of Progress. Earlier this month, Iraqi leaders
    announced an agreement on the need to address critical issues such as
    de-Ba'athification, the operation of security ministries, and the
    distribution of oil revenues in a spirit of national unity. They agreed
    to form a new national security council to improve government
    coordination on these and other difficult issues. This council will
    include representatives from all major political groups and leaders
    from Iraq's executive, judicial, and legislative branches. This
    council's advice will help make the Iraqi government that emerges more
    effective and unified.

The Free Citizens Of A Free Iraq Are Calling Saddam Hussein To Account. The
former dictator is answering to a judge instead of meting out arbitrary
justice - and Iraqis are replacing the rule of a tyrant with the rule of
law.

Victory In Iraq Is Critical To American Security

Our Work In Iraq Is Difficult But Vital To Our Security. The terrorists
know that when freedom sets root in Iraq, it will be a mortal blow to their
aspirations to dominate the region and advance their hateful vision. They
are determined to stop the advance of freedom in Iraq, and we must be
equally determined to stop them.

If We Leave Iraq Before The Iraqi People Are Capable Of Defending Their Own
Democracy, The Terrorists Will Win. The Iraqi government is still in
transition, and Iraqi Security Forces are still gathering capacity. If we
leave Iraq before they are capable of defending their own democracy, the
terrorists will achieve their stated goal: they will turn Iraq into a safe
haven, seek to arm themselves with weapons of mass murder, and use Iraq as
a base to overthrow moderate governments in the Middle East and launch more
attacks against America and other free nations.

  þ America Will Not Retreat From Iraq. We will complete the mission,
    because the security of the American people is linked to the success of
    a free Iraq. And when victory is achieved, our troops will come home.
    There will be more tough fighting ahead, with difficult days that test
    the patience and resolve of our country. Yet we can have faith in the
    final outcome because we have seen freedom overcome the darkness of
    tyranny and terror and secure the peace before. In this century,
    freedom will prevail once again.

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