Global Message, April 15, 2003

[David]

Coalition forces continue to make progress in the war in Iraq. We are rooting out remnants of the Iraqi regime, including Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

The regime is finished. Baghdad and most of the country is free of Saddam's control, and he and his top lieutenants are either dead or on the run.

With the end of the regime, terrorists have lost their chief sponsor and ally in Iraq.

We have begun the long process of finding weapons of mass destruction, which could be well hidden. We will find them as Iraqis come forward, and will destroy them to make sure they never threaten anyone again. With the liberation of Iraq, the United Nations sanctions imposed on Saddam Hussein are being lifted, so more aid can flow into Iraq. In addition, the World Food Program and UN are delivering over one million tons of food, enough to feed the entire population of Iraq for several months.

We have secured both northern and southern oil fields and natural resources for the Iraqi people.

Most Iraqis are staying in their homes and have enough food to survive for some time. Coalition forces are working with local authorities and police forces to patrol the streets, and looting is tapering off.

We are working with clerics, tribal leaders, and ordinary Iraqis toward our goal of helping the Iraqi people transition to a non-threatening, representative form of self-government that preserves the territorial integrity of Iraq. Coalition members and Iraqis will meet today in An Nasirah to discuss the future of Iraq and the Iraqi Interim Authority - the first of several meetings to talk about achieving a free and stable nation.