Town hall meeting with Iraqi-American community

US Department of Defense Speeches, Feb 23, 2003

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Dearborn, MI, Sunday, February 23, 2003.

Thank you, Emad [Dhia, outgoing president of the Iraqi Forum for Democracy, host organization of event], and thanks, Maha [Hussein, incoming president of the Iraqi Forum for Democracy]. Thanks to all of you for joining us today. I've brought some people with me who will be available afterwards to help explain further what we can do together to face tasks ahead: Dr. David Chu, the Chief Personnel Officer for the Department of Defense; and Lieutenant General Michael DeLong, Deputy Combatant Commander of U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for operations around the Arabian Peninsula.

Critical decisions about the future of Iraq lie ahead. I've come here not just to speak to you but, just as important, to hear from you-Americans with roots in Iraq and more recent immigrants who are not yet citizens-you have a stake in Iraq's future. And because you know firsthand the truth of Saddam Hussein's regime, it's important that we and the rest of the world hear from you.

The President is clearly in the final stages of determining whether there can be a peaceful solution to the threat posed by Saddam Hussein or whether the use of force will be necessary.

The President confronts some very difficult decisions in the coming days and weeks, and I know you all join me in praying for him and for his continued courage in confronting the serious threat posed by a dictator who possesses weapons of mass terror and who supports terrorists.

But while there are decisions now that only President Bush can decide, it is not too early for the rest of us to be thinking about how to build a just, peaceful and democratic Iraq after Saddam Hussein is gone. In fact, we in the Administration have already begun doing so, and if you have not had a chance yet, I encourage you to read the speech that Stephen Hadley, the Deputy National Security Advisor, delivered last Wednesday in New York.

As I said, I've come here to listen to you, not just to speak to you. But let me start our discussion by briefly touching on five subjects:

* What are the principles that ought to shape the future of a post-Saddam Iraq, principles that can be broadly agreed upon by the Iraqi people themselves, the United States and the broader international community?

* What are some of the key issues that the Iraqi people will face in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's regime and how can the international community best assist Iraqis to answer those questions?

* What kinds of assistance should the international community be prepared to provide to meet the immediate needs of the Iraqi people?

* How will democracy take root in Iraq?

* How can Iraqi-American citizens or Iraqis who have recently immigrated to the United States assist the U.S. military in the aftermath of a forcible removal of the Saddam Hussein regime?

Principles to Shape Iraq After Saddam

In the speech I spoke of earlier, Steve Hadley, the President's Deputy National Security advisor said this: "The goal-which we are confident we share with Iraq's people-is an Iraq that is whole, free, and at peace with itself and its neighbors. An Iraq that is moving toward democracy, in which all religions and ethnic communities have a voice and in which individual rights are protected-regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity. An Iraq that adheres to the rule of law at home and lives up to its international obligations."

I'd like to summarize briefly, the principles of the U.S. government. They are:

* First-and this is really the overarching principle-the United States seeks to liberate Iraq, not occupy Iraq.

* Second-Iraq must be disarmed of all weapons of mass terror, weapons production capabilities, and the means to deliver such weapons. This is a complex and dangerous task for which detailed planning is underway.

* Third-we must eliminate Iraq's terrorist infrastructure.

* Fourth-Iraq must be preserved as a unified state, with its territorial integrity intact. The United States and coalition allies will provide for the safety of the Iraqi people from day one.

* Fifth-with coalition partners, we must help the Iraqi people begin process of economic and political reconstruction.

Key Issues Iraqis Must Confront

In moving toward that goal, there are many questions that Iraqis themselves must answer:

* Democratic institutions need to secure not only free elections but also individual freedom and equal justice under law. But, Iraqis need to answer the question: what institutions are best suited to secure freedom and democracy in Iraq?

* Recognizing that democratic institutions cannot come into being overnight, how quickly should the transition to democratic self-government take place and in what stages?

* How to ensure the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq while providing the appropriate level of local self-government? This is an issue the United States confronted in the framing of our Constitution. While our answers have worked well for us, Iraqis have to find their own answers suited to Iraq's unique circumstances.