'Iraqis Are Plenty Capable Of Running Iraq'

Tony Blair: Good morning, everyone. First of all, I would like to extend a very warm welcome toPresident Bush to Northern Ireland.

America has long been a friend of Northern Ireland and a friend to us in this important period for thepeace process. So it's both significant and welcome that the President is here in person to give, once more,his support, and to join with me and, later today, with the Irish Taoiseach in urging the parties to take thefinal steps towards a lasting peace here in Northern Ireland.

It's also perhaps fitting that here in Northern Ireland a good part of our discussion focused on the MiddleEast. It's not so many years ago that it would have been said that the peace process here was in far worseshape than the process out in the Middle East. Yet, here we are, for all the difficulties in Northern Ireland,able to point back to real improvements in the security and the standard of living of people here, and topoint forward to turning progress into lasting change, lasting security and lasting peace, which is whatpeople want to see here. And we've made that progress because of patience and perseverance, and becausefriends like those in the United States of America have helped us get there.

So, to those who can sometimes say that the process in the Middle East is hopeless, I say we can look atNorthern Ireland and take some hope from that.

I want to thank the President also for the impetus he has given to the two-state solution in the MiddleEast that he outlined last June, a secure Israel and a viable Palestinian state; and for his decision that theroad map be published -- which, as you know, depends upon the foundation of Abu Mazen's cabinet.

Of course, our discussions have naturally continued to focus upon Iraq, upon the continuing militarycampaign, where, once again, our forces have performed superbly. And I want to pay tribute to the U.S., UK,and other coalition forces. In all parts of the country, our power is strengthening, the regime is weakening,the Iraqi people are turning towards us.

 I'd like to pay tribute to the professionalism and the compassion that they continue to show, and toexpress my condolences to the families of those that have lost their lives in this conflict -- most recently,the three brave soldiers who lost their lives fighting to liberate Basra. I think anyone who has seen the joyon the faces of people in Basra as they realize that the regime that they detest is finally collapsing knowsvery well that this was, indeed, a war of liberation and not of conquest.

On weapons of mass destruction, we know that the regime has them. We know that as the regime collapses, wewill be led to them. We pledged to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, and we will keep thatcommitment.

On Saddam, his grip on power has been prized away. He has ruled by fear, but as the knowledge sinks in thatwe will get the job done, the people realize there's not going to be a repeat of 1991, there's not going to bea repeat of the past. The power of Saddam is ending.

And our enemy in this conflict has always been Saddam and his regime, not the Iraqi people. We are thefriends of the Iraq people. So much of our discussion today has focused on how we continue to get vitalsupplies of food, water and medicines to them, and how we help the process of transition to the day when Iraqis governed by the Iraqi people for the Iraqi people.

As we said, our forces will not stay in Iraq a day longer than is necessary. We will take on the legal andmoral obligations that will fall to us as the forces on the ground to stabilize the country, to keep basicservices going, to protect civilian life. Then we will help Iraq move as swiftly as possible to an interimauthority run by Iraqis. And that, in turn, is designed to pave the way for a truly representative governmentwhich respects human rights and the rule of law; which spends Iraq's wealth not on palaces and weapons of massdestruction, but on the well-being, prosperity of the people of Iraq.

 And this new Iraq that will emerge is not to be run either by us or, indeed, by the U.N. That is afalse choice. It will be run by the Iraqi people. All of us will do what we can to help in that process oftransition. We are, of course, agreed, as we say in our joint statement, that there will be a vital role forthe United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq. But the key is that Iraq, in the end, should be governed bythe Iraqi people.

Once again, let me thank President Bush for coming here. Let me say, as well as our own pride in our ownforces during the course of this conflict, we have watched with immense admiration the skill and tenacity andprofessionalism of the American forces. This is a strong alliance. We're strong allies. And I think, day byday, the proof of the wisdom of that alliance grows.

Thank you.

George Bush: Thank you very much, Tony. It's an honor to be with you again. It's -- I'm really pleasedto be here in Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister is a man of his word. He is a man of great ability, deep conviction, and steady courage.He has my admiration, and he has the admiration of the American people.

Our two countries are joined in large tasks because we share fundamental convictions. We believe thatfree nations have the responsibility to confront terrorism. We believe free nations must oppose the spread ofweapons of mass destruction. And we believe that free nations must advance human rights and dignity across theworld. We believe that the just demands of the international community must be enforced, not ignored. Webelieve this so strongly that we are acting on our convictions.

America and Britain have been partners in Afghanistan, where a terrorist regime has bee replaced by agovernment committed to justice and to peace. At this moment, our military forces are fighting side-by-side inIraq to defend our security and to free that nation from oppression. Our governments are working to help bringabout a settlement in the Middle East that protects the rights of Israelis and Palestinians, that promotes thepeace, that promotes security, that promotes human dignity.

In Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister and I are committed the helping the parties take the final stepstoward a lasting peace. Later this week, Prime Minister Blair and the Taoiseach will release a plan settingout the remaining actions that must be taken to realize the promise of the Good Friday Agreement. I support,and my government strongly supports their efforts. At the meeting this afternoon I will urge NorthernIreland's political leaders to adopt this plan as their own.

This is an historic moment, and I ask all the communities of Northern Ireland to seize this opportunity forpeace.

 Prime Minister Blair and I are also reviewing the course of the battle in Iraq. We're spending a lotof time talking about that country's future beyond war and beyond tyranny. As the Prime Minister mentioned,our armed services are conducting themselves with great courage and, at the same time, great humanity. I'mproud of our forces. I'm proud of the British forces. We're both proud of the Australian forces.

We share sacrifices; we share grief. We pray for those families who mourn the loss of life -- Americanfamilies, British families. And as this war has progressed, the world has witnessed the brutal desperation,the true character of the Iraqi regime. The world is also witnessing the liberation and humanitarian aid ourcoalition is bringing to that country as a new day begins in Iraq.

In fighting this war, we're taking every precaution to protect innocent life. We're showing respect for theIraqi people, respect for their culture. There will be difficult fighting ahead, yet the outcome is not indoubt: Iraq will be free.

After the current regime is removed, our coalition will work to restore electricity and water supplies,medical care, and other essential services in Iraq. We'll move as quickly as possible to place governmentalresponsibilities under the control of an interim authority composed of Iraqis from both inside and outside thecountry. The interim authority will serve until a permanent government can be chosen by the Iraqi people. Therebuilding of Iraq will require the support and expertise of the international community. We're committed toworking with international institutions, including the United Nations, which will have a vital role to play inthis task.

 This work when the war is finished will not be easy, by we're going to see it through. A free Iraqwill be ruled by laws, not by a dictator. A free Iraq will be peaceful, and not a friend to terrorists or amenace to its neighbors. A free Iraq will give up all its weapons of mass destruction. A free Iraq will setitself on the path to democracy. The end of Saddam's regime will also remove a source of violence andinstability in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Blair and I are determined to move toward our vision of broader peace in that region. We'recommitted to implementing the road map toward peace, to bring closer the day when two states, Israel andPalestine, live side-by-side in peace and stability.

Peace in the Middle East will require overcoming deep divisions of history and religion. Yet we know thisis possible; it is happening in Northern Ireland. We are proving that old patterns of bitterness and violence,the habits of hatred and retribution, can be broken when one generation makes the choice to break thosehabits. And now this process of healing must be carried forward.

The United States and the United Kingdom accept our responsibilities -- accept our responsibilities forpeace; we accept our responsibilities for security. Across the world, we are meeting these responsibilitiestogether. America has no finer ally than the United Kingdom, and no finer friend than the Prime Minister. AndI'm grateful for his leadership in these crucial days.

Tony Blair: Right. Adam.

Mr. President, welcome to Northern Ireland. I wonder if I could ask you how you feel about meeting theleaders of the Republican movement, bearing in mind that unlike Saddam Hussein, they have directly targetedBritish civilians, British politicians, members of the British military and the police -- and also, of course,they oppose the war. So you're welcoming Gerry Adams, apparently, and, yet, you're not going to see someonelike the Democratic Unionists who are a constitutional party opposed to terrorism.

George Bush: Right. This isn't my first time I've met Mr. Adams or any of the other parties who havecommitted to the Good Friday Agreement -- as a matter of fact, I welcomed to the Oval Office, around St.Patrick's Day of this year, and last year, and the year before.

I am honored to have been asked to be here to help move the process along. These are men who have committedto an agreement that the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach worked a long time to achieve. They've signed on toa process that will yield peace. They have agreed to put hatreds in the past. They have agreed to say thehistory is just that -- history. And they look forward to a future in which young generations of NorthernIrelanders can grow up in peace. That's what they've committed themselves to. And as a result of making thatcommitment, I am perfectly comfortable about urging them to see the process through.

There is such hope here in Northern Ireland that the past can be broken. And the Prime Minister is rightwhen he says that when the peace process is successful here, it will send a really important signal to otherparts of the world. It will confirm the fact that people who have a vision for peace can see that visionbecome a reality.

It's the same vision we need to have in the Middle East. It's a hopeful time in the Middle East, as far asI'm concerned. I believe we can make substantial progress. I'm pleased with the new leader of the PalestinianAuthority. I look forward to him finally putting his cabinet in place so we can release the road map.

I believe peace is possible. Being here in Northern Ireland even makes me even more firm in my belief thatpeace is possible. I've talked at length with the Prime Minister about how hard he had to work to bring theprocess this far. I'm willing to expend the same amount of energy in the Middle East. And so I hope theseleaders hear me when I say that -- achieve the agreement, because it will have an effect beyond NorthernIreland. And I think it will.

Yes, Ron.

Mr. President, how reliable was the intelligence that put Saddam Hussein at the site of last night'sattack? Did he survive? And given the incursions in Baghdad recently, is the war nearly over?

George Bush: You know, I don't know whether he survived. The only thing I know is he's losing power. Iknow that because the Royal Marines in Basra worked so hard that the people of Basra are beginning tounderstand that -- a couple of things -- one, when we said we would come and stay to achieve their liberty, wemeant it. That in Basra, for example, the Royal Marine -- the presence of the Royal Marines is providingenough comfort for people to begin to express their own opinions, they're beginning to realize freedom isreal.

These are people in the south of Iraq that had been betrayed, tortured; had been told they were going to befree, took a risk in the past and then were absolutely hammered by the Iraqi regime. They were skeptical, theywere cynical, they were doubtful. Now they believe, they're beginning to understand we're real and true. Andit's happening elsewhere. Freedom is spreading south to north.

So the only thing I can tell you is that, that grip I used to describe that Saddam had around the throatsof the Iraqi people are loosening. I can't tell you if all ten fingers are off the throat, but finger byfinger, it's coming off. And the people are beginning to realize that. It's important for the Iraqi people tocontinue to hear this message: We will not stop until they are free. Saddam Hussein will be gone. It mighthave been yesterday, I don't know. But he'll be gone and they just need to know that, because we're notleaving. And not only that, they need to hear the message that we're not leaving after he's gone, until theyare ready to run their own government.

I hear a lot of talk here about how we're going to impose this leader or that leader. Forget it. From dayone, we have said the Iraqi people are capable of running their own country. That's what we believe. Theposition of the United States of America is, the Iraqis are plenty capable of running Iraq. And that'sprecisely what is going to happen.

Picking up if I could, just on that last point for both of you, have you agreed whether the UnitedNations will have any role in selecting the interim Iraqi authority? Or will that be entirely for thecoalition?

George Bush: Yes, I mean, when we say vital role for the United Nations, we mean vital role for theUnited Nations in all aspects of the issue -- whether it be humanitarian aid, or whether it be helping tostand up an interim authority. The Iraqi people will decide who's on the Iraqi -- the interim authority. Theinterim authority is a transition quasi-government until the real government shows up; until the conditionsare right for the people to elect their own leadership. And the United Nations will have a vital role.

When we say vital role, that's precisely what we mean -- that they will be involved, along with thecoalition, in helping to stand up an interim authority. But the Iraqi people are responsible for who's on thatauthority. And Tony can describe what's happening in Basra. He might describe some of the meetings that aretaking place as leadership begins to emerge.

It is a -- it is a cynical world that says it's impossible for the Iraqis to run themselves. It is acynical world which condemns Iraq to failure. We refuse to accept that. We believe that the Iraqi people arecapable, talented, and will be successful in running their own government.

Tony Blair: I agree with all that, as you would expect. (Laughter.) And can I just make thisfurther point to you, the one thing that is interesting is that as people in Iraq realize that Saddam and hisregime are going, as they realize that, they are coming out. And it's not that they're welcoming us becausethey're welcoming foreign troops. They're welcoming the fact of their liberation, from a regime the more weknow about it, the more brutal, repressive, tyrannical we see its character. And therefore, these people,given a chance, already now they're in discussion with our people inside Basra -- people coming forward,people talking about those who have got support within the local community.

Iraq -- it's not just that it's right that Iraq is run by Iraqi people; they want the chance to run theirown country. They haven't wanted to be under the yoke of tyranny for all these decades. The reason you havethis incredibly tyrannical, repressive security apparatus was in order to suppress the proper feelings of thepeople there.

Now, of course, we're going to work with everyone -- we'll work with the U.N., we'll work with everyone inorder to bring this about. But if I can just make this point to your point -- the important thing is not toget into some battle about words of the precise role here or there; but let's all work togetherinternationally -- the coalition forces, the international community together -- to do what we really shouldbe doing, which is making sure that that will of the Iraqi people is properly expressed in institutions thatin the end they own, not any outside power or authority.

And I think if we keep that vision in our minds, then we'll get this right. And rather than having a sortof, you know, endless diplomatic wrangles over it, let's all just agree that the basic things that the Iraqipeople want is they want to have a country where they are able to exploit their own wealth for their ownprosperity, where they have basic protection of human rights, and where they have a government genuinelyrepresentative of Iraqi people -- of the full diversity of Iraqi people.