| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
| User: |
"Jean Guernon" |
| Date: |
21 Sep 2004 12:40:01 PM |
| Object: |
Transcript of Bush's U.N. address (BTW: Up yours, weasels! J.) |
Transcript of Bush's U.N. address
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 Posted: 12:45 PM EDT (1645 GMT)
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Following is a transcript of President Bush's
address Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly:
Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, ladies
and gentlemen:
Thank you for the honor of addressing this General Assembly. The
American people respect the idealism that gave life to this
organization. And we respect the men and women of the U.N., who stand
for peace and human rights in every part of the world.
Welcome to New York City. And welcome to the United States of America.
During the past three years, I've addressed this General Assembly in a
time of tragedy for our country, and in times of decision for all of us.
Now we gather at a time of tremendous opportunity for the U.N., and for
all peaceful nations.
For decades the circle of liberty and security and development has been
expanding in our world. This progress has brought unity to Europe,
self-government to Latin America and Asia and new hope to Africa.
Now we have the historic chance to widen the circle even further, to
fight radicalism and terror with justice and dignity, to achieve a true
peace, founded on human freedom.
The United Nations and my country share the deepest commitments. Both
the American Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights proclaim the equal value and dignity of every human life.
That dignity is honored by the rule of law, limits on the power of the
state, respect for women, protection of private property, free speech,
equal justice and religious tolerance.
That dignity is dishonored by oppression, corruption, tyranny, bigotry,
terrorism and all violence against the innocent.
And both of our founding documents affirm that this bright line between
justice and injustice, between right and wrong, is the same in every age
and every culture and every nation.
Wise governments also stand for these principles for very practical and
realistic reasons.
We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free
nations strive to resolve differences in peace.
We know that oppressive governments support terror, while free
governments fight the terrorists in their midst.
We know that free peoples embrace progress and life instead of becoming
the recruits for murderous ideologies.
Every nation that wants peace will share the benefits of a freer world.
And every nation that seeks peace has an obligation to help build that
world.
Eventually there is no safe isolation from terror networks or failed
states that shelter them or outlaw regimes or weapons of mass destruction.
Eventually there is no safety in looking away, seeking the quiet life by
ignoring the struggles and oppression of others.
In this young century, our world needs a new definition of security. Our
security is not merely found in spheres of influence or some balance of
power, the security of our world is found in the advancing rights of
mankind.
These rights are advancing across the world. And across the world, the
enemies of human rights are responding with violence.
Terrorists and their allies believe the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the American Bill of Rights and every charter of liberty ever
written are lies to be burned and destroyed and forgotten.
They believe the dictators should control every mind and tongue in the
Middle East and beyond.
They believe that suicide and torture and murder are fully justified to
serve any goal they declare. And they act on their beliefs.
In the last year alone, terrorists have attacked police stations and
banks and commuter trains and synagogues and a school filled with children.
This month in Beslan, we saw once again how the terrorists measure their
success: in the death of the innocent and in the pain of grieving families.
Svetlana Deibesov (ph) was held hostage, along with her son and her
nephew. Her nephew did not survive. She recently visited the cemetery
and saw what she called the little graves. She said, "I understand that
there is evil in the world, but what have these little creatures done?"
Members of the United Nations, the Russian children did nothing to
deserve such awful suffering and fright and death. The people of Madrid
and Jerusalem and Istanbul and Baghdad have done nothing to deserve
sudden and random murder.
These acts violate the standards of justice in all cultures and the
principles of all religions. All civilized nations are in this struggle
together, and all must fight the murderers.
We're determined to destroy terror networks wherever they operate, and
the United States is grateful to every nation that is helping to seize
terrorist assets, track down their operatives and disrupt their plans.
We're determined to end the state sponsorship of terror, and my nation
is grateful to all that participated in the liberation of Afghanistan.
We're determined to prevent proliferation and to enforce the demands of
the world, and my nation is grateful to the soldiers of many nations who
have helped to deliver the Iraqi people from an outlaw dictator.
The dictator agreed in 1991 as a condition of a cease-fire to fully
comply with all Security Council resolutions, then ignored more than a
decade of those resolutions.
Finally, the Security Council promised serious consequences for his
defiance. And the commitments we make must have meaning. When we say
serious consequences, for the sake of peace there must be serious
consequences. And so a coalition of nations enforced the just demands of
the world.
Defending our ideals is vital, but it is not enough. Our broader mission
as U.N. members is to apply these ideals to the great issues of our time.
Our wider goal is to promote hope and progress as the alternatives to
hatred and violence. Our great purpose is to build a better world beyond
the war on terror.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
established a global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
In three years, the contributing countries have funded projects in more
than 90 countries and pledged a total of $5.6 billion to these efforts.
America has undertaken a $15 billion effort to provide prevention and
treatment and humane care in nations afflicted by AIDS, placing a
special focus on 15 countries where the need is most urgent.
AIDS is the greatest health crisis of our time and our unprecedented
commitment will bring new hope to those who have walked too long in the
shadow of death.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
joined together to confront the evil of trafficking in human beings.
We're supporting organizations that rescue the victims, passing stronger
anti-trafficking laws and warning travelers that they will be held to
account for supporting this modern form of slavery. Women and children
should never be exploited for pleasure or greed anywhere on Earth.
Because we believe in human dignity, we should take seriously the
protection life from exploitation under any pretext.
In this session, the U.N. will consider a resolution sponsored by Costa
Rica calling for a comprehensive ban on human cloning.
I support that resolution, and urge all governments to affirm a basic
ethical principle: No human life should ever be produced or destroyed
for the benefit of another.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have
changed the way we fight poverty, curb corruption and provide aid.
In 2002, we created the Monterrey Consensus, a bold approach that links
new aid from developed nations to real reform in developing ones.
And through the Millennium Challenge Account, my nation is increasing
our aid to developing nations that expand economic freedom and invest in
the education and health of their own people.
Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have acted
to lift the crushing burden of debt that limits the growth of developing
economies and holds millions of people in poverty.
Since these efforts began in 1996, poor countries with the heaviest debt
burdens have received more than $30 billion of relief. And to prevent
the build-up of future debt, my country and other nations have agreed
that international financial institutions should increasingly provide
new aid in the forms of grants rather than loans.
Because we believe in human dignity, the world must have more effective
means to stabilize regions in turmoil and to halt religious violence and
ethnic cleansing.
We must create permanent capabilities to respond to future crises.
The United States and Italy have proposed a global peace operations
initiative. G-8 countries will train 75,000 peacekeepers, initially from
Africa, so they can conduct operations on that continent and elsewhere.
The countries of the G-8 will help this peacekeeping force with
deployment and logistical needs.
At this hour, the world is witnessing terrible suffering and horrible
crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan, crimes my government has concluded
are genocide.
The United States played a key role in efforts to broker a cease- fire,
and we're providing humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people.
Rwanda and Nigeria have deployed forces in Sudan to help improve
security so aid can be delivered. The Security Council adopted a
resolution that supports an expanded African Union force to help prevent
further bloodshed and urges the government of Sudan to stop flights by
military aircraft in Darfur.
We congratulate the members of the council on this timely and necessary
action. I call on the government of Sudan to honor the cease-fire it
signed and to stop the killing in Darfur.
Because we believe in human dignity, peaceful nations must stand for the
advance of democracy. No other system of government has done more to
protect minorities, to secure the rights of labor, to raise the status
of women or to channel human energy to the pursuits of peace.
We've witnessed the rise of democratic governments in predominantly
Hindu and Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian cultures.
Democratic institutions have taken root in modern societies and in
traditional societies.
When it comes to the desire for liberty and justice, there is no clash
of civilizations. People everywhere are capable of freedom and worthy of
freedom.
Finding the full promise of representative government takes time, as
America has found in two centuries of debate and struggle. Nor is there
only one form of representative government because democracies, by
definition, take on the unique character of the peoples that create them.
Yet this much we know with certainty: The desire for freedom resides in
every human heart. And that desire cannot be contained forever by prison
walls or martial laws or secret police; over time and across the Earth,
freedom will find a way.
Freedom is finding a way in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we must continue
show our commitment to democracies in those nations. The liberty that
many have won at a cost must be secured.
As members of the United Nations, we all have a stake in the success of
the world's newest democracies. Not long ago, outlaw regimes in Baghdad
and Kabul threatened the peace and sponsored terrorists. These regimes
destabilized one of the world's most vital and most volatile regions.
They brutalized their peoples in defiance of all civilized norms.
Today the Iraqi and Afghan people are on the path to democracy and
freedom. The governments that are rising will pose no threat to others.
Instead of harboring terrorists, they're fighting terrorist groups. And
this progress is good for the long-term security of all of us.
The Afghan people are showing extraordinary courage under difficult
conditions. They're fighting to defend their nation from Taliban
holdouts and helping to strike against the terrorist killers. They're
reviving they're economy. They've adopted a constitution that protects
the rights of all, while honoring their nation's most cherished traditions.
More than 10 million Afghan citizens, over 4 million of them women, are
now registered to vote in next month's presidential election. To any who
still would question whether Muslim societies can be democratic
societies, the Afghan people are giving their answer.
Since the last meeting of this General Assembly, the people of Iraq have
regained sovereignty. Today in this hall, the prime minister of Iraq and
his delegation represent a country that has rejoined the community of
nations.
The government of Prime Minister Allawi has earned the support of every
nation that believes in self-determination and desires peace. And under
Security Council Resolutions 1511 and 1546, the world is providing that
support.
The U.N. and its member nations must respond to Prime Minister Allawi's
request and do more to help build an Iraq that is secure, democratic,
federal and free.
A democratic Iraq has ruthless enemies because terrorists know the
stakes in that country. They know that a free Iraq in the heart of the
Middle East will be a decisive blow against their ambitions for that region.
So a terrorist group associated with Al Qaida is now one of the main
groups killing the innocent in Iraq today, conducting a campaign of
bombings against civilians and the beheadings of bound men.
Coalition forces now serving in Iraq are confronting the terrorists and
foreign fighters so peaceful nations around the world will never have to
face them within our own borders.
Our coalition is standing beside a growing Iraqi security force. The
NATO alliance is providing vital training to that force. More than 35
nations have contributed money and expertise to help rebuild Iraq's
infrastructure.
And as the Iraqi interim government moves toward national elections,
officials from the United Nations are helping Iraqis build the
infrastructure of democracy. These selfless people are doing heroic work
and are carrying on the great legacy of Sergio de Mello.
As we've seen in other countries, one of the main terrorist goals is to
undermine, disrupt and influence election outcomes. We can expect
terrorist attacks to escalate as Afghanistan and Iraq approach national
elections.
The work ahead is demanding, but these difficulties will not shake our
conviction that the future of Afghanistan and Iraq is a future of
liberty. The proper response to difficulty is not to retreat; it is to
prevail.
The advance of freedom always carries a cost paid by the bravest among
us. America mourns the losses to our nation and to many others. And
today I assure every friend of Afghanistan and Iraq and every enemy of
liberty, we will stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq until
their hopes of freedom and security are fulfilled.
These two nations will be a model for the broader Middle East, a region
where millions have been denied basic human rights and simple justice.
For too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated, even excused
oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability. The oppression
became common, but stability never arrived.
We must take a different approach. We must help the reformers of the
Middle East as they work for freedom and strive to build a community of
peaceful, democratic nations.
This commitment to democratic reform is essential to resolving the
Arab-Israeli conflict. Peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers
who intimidate opposition, tolerate corruption and maintain ties to
terrorist groups.
The long-suffering Palestinian people deserve better. They deserve true
leaders capable of creating and governing a free and peaceful
Palestinian state.
Goodwill and hard effort can achieve the promise of the road map to
peace. Those who would lead a new Palestinian state should adopt
peaceful means to achieve the rights of their people and create the
reformed institutions of a stable democracy.
Arab states should end incitement in their own media, cut off public and
private funding for terrorism, and establish normal relations with Israel.
Israel should impose a settlement freeze, dismantle unauthorized
outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people and avoid
any actions that prejudice final negotiations.
And world leaders should withdraw all favor and support from any
Palestinian ruler who fails his people and betrays their cause.
The democratic hopes we see growing in the Middle East are growing
everywhere. In the words of the Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu
Kyi, "We do not accept the notion that democracy is a Western value. To
the contrary, democracy simply means good government rooted in
responsibility, transparency and accountability."
Here at the United Nations, you know this to be true.
In recent years, this organization has helped to create a new democracy
in East Timor and the U.N. has aided other nations in making the
transition to self-rule.
Because I believe the advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and
better world, today I propose establishing a democracy fund within the
United Nations. This is a great calling for this great organization.
The fund would help countries lay the foundations of democracy by
instituting the rule of law and independent courts, a free press,
political parties and trade unions.
Money from the fund would also help set up voter precincts in polling
places and support the work of election monitors.
To show our commitment to the new democracy fund, the United States will
make an initial contribution. I urge all other nations to contribute as
well.
I have outlined a broad agenda to advance human dignity and enhance the
security of all of us. The defeat of terror, the protection of human
rights, the spread of prosperity, the advance of democracy: These
causes, these ideals call us to great work in the world. Each of us
alone can only do so much. Together we can accomplish so much more.
History will honor the high ideals of this organization. The Charter
states them with clarity: to save succeeding generations from the
scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.
Let history also record that our generation of leaders followed through
on these ideals, even in adversity. Let history show that in a decisive
decade, members of the United Nations did not grow weary in our duties
or waver in meeting them.
I'm confident that this young century will be liberty's century. I
believe we will rise to this moment because I know the character of so
many nations and leaders represented here today, and I have faith in the
transforming power of freedom.
May God bless you.
.
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