Posted on 06/02/2004 8:00:08 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
Bush Buoyed By Naming of New Iraqi Government
By Jeff Gannon
Talon News
June 2, 2004
WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- President Bush held an impromptu press conference in the Rose Garden Tuesday to discuss the new interim government in Iraq. Earlier in the day U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi announced who would lead the nation when sovereignty is returned to Iraq on June 30.
The deadline had been rapidly approaching with little apparent progress in deciding who would take over from Ambassador L. Paul Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority. However, the vetting process had been quietly taking place behind the scenes among the many constituencies of the newly liberated country.
Immediately following Brahimi's introduction of those selected to serve, the Iraqi Governing Council dissolved itself, leaving a clear path for the new Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi. Trained as a physician, Dr. Allawi spent decades in exile and survived several assassination attempts by the former Iraqi dictator.
The new interim President, Ghazi Al-Yawar, is an engineer from northern Iraq. Also named were two deputy presidents, Dr. Ibrahim Jaafari, a physician born in Karbala, and Dr. Rowsch Shaways, a prominent political and military leader and a long-time opponent of Saddam Hussein's regime.
President Bush pointed out that a new 33-member cabinet announced Tuesday was drawn from a broad cross section of Iraqis, and six of them are women. He said foremost tasks of the new interim government would be to prepare Iraq for a national election no later than January of next year, and to work with the coalition to provide the security that will make that election possible.
That election will choose a transitional national assembly, the first freely elected, truly representative national governing body in Iraq's history.
The president placed a call to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to congratulate him on the U.N.'s role in forming Iraq's new government. He said that they also discussed the preparation for national elections and a new Security Council resolution to express international support for Iraq's interim government.
Bush believes that the resolution will reaffirm the world's security commitment to the Iraqi people and encourage other U.N. members to join in the effort of building a free Iraq.
Bush reiterated his five-step plan for helping Iraq achieve democracy and freedom that includes the handover of sovereignty on June 30 and helping to establish security.
He said, "The naming of the new interim government brings us one step closer to realizing the dream of millions of Iraqis -- a fully sovereign nation with a representative government that protects their rights and serves their needs."
The president was in obvious good spirits with the political progress in Iraq, but cautioned, "Many challenges remain. Today's violence underscores that freedom in Iraq is opposed by violent men who seek the failure not only of this interim government, but of all progress toward liberty."
He declared, "We will stand with the Iraqi people in defeating the enemies of freedom and those who oppose democracy in Iraq. The killers know that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. The return of tyranny to Iraq would embolden the terrorists, leading to more bombings, more beheadings and more murders of the innocent around the world."
Bush stressed the importance of success in Iraq in terms of the war on terror.
He said, "The rise of a free and self-governing Iraq will deny terrorists a base of operation, discredit their narrow ideology, and give momentum to reformers across the region. A free Iraq will be a decisive blow to terrorism at the heart of its power, and a victory for the civilized world and for the security of America."
The president concluded his prepared remarks, saying, "The will of Iraqis and our coalition is firm. We will not be deterred by violence and terror. We will stand together and ensure that the future of Iraq is a future of freedom."
The relaxed and confident Bush took questions from White House reporters who some have said were disrespectful to the president at the last East Room press conference.
He said that he was pleased to hear the new Prime Minister thank the American people for the liberation of Iraq. Bush pointed out that Allawi spoke directly to "the mothers and dads and wives and husbands of our brave troops who have helped them become a free country."
He fended off criticism of the administration for a lack of proper planning for a post-war Iraq.
Bush dismissed the premise saying, "We had a plan in place ... we were very successful in certain things."
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
Yes - and I bet, that unlike Kerry, if pressed to explain the successes, he could.
Is this the lead story in the NY Times, Washington Compost, etc. Should be.
Lead story in tomorrow's NY Slimes
Entire Iraq Coalition Authority Resigns
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