A key pillar of the President’s five-point plan to help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom is to transition authority to a fully sovereign Iraqi government. On June 28, the Iraqi people assumed full sovereignty. Full sovereignty and the new interim Iraqi government bring 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. Only fifteen months after the Coalition liberated Iraq:

FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

Fifteen months ago Iraqis had no voice in their government or their nation’s future. Today, millions of Iraqis are shaping their own destinies by participating in Iraq’s political process. As Iraq moves towards free elections, the interim Iraqi government will govern Iraq through an unprecedented framework of freedom for Iraq that guarantees the basic rights of all Iraqis – including women – and includes freedom of religion and worship, the right to free expression, the right to peacefully assemble, the right to be treated equally under the law, the right to stand for election and cast a ballot secretly, the right to privacy, and the right to a fair, public, and speedy trial. Discrimination based on gender, nationality, religion, or origin is strictly prohibited.

SECURITY

The new Iraqi police and security forces are taking greater responsibility for protecting their nation and the Iraqi people.

However, as the recent communications of al Zarqawi (a senior al Qaeda associate) show, there are many terrorists who are working to return Iraq to its dark past. As democracy and freedom expand in Iraq, terrorists and their tactics will become more desperate. To combat these terrorist elements, America’s armed forces – with our Coalition allies – will continue to mount aggressive offensives against the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime and foreign terrorists. We will not allow the tyranny of the past to return to Iraq.

INFRASTRUCTURE & QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE

Saddam Hussein and his regime led a life of privilege and luxury, while leaving the Iraqi people with an essential services infrastructure shattered by decades of neglect and mismanagement. Those out of favor were denied the simplest public services, with hunger and denial of essential services used as weapons of tyranny. As a result, northern and southern Iraq suffered a severe lack of electricity, water, health care, education facilities, and other vital resources. While it will take years to fully modernize Iraq’s infrastructure in the wake of Saddam’s decades of neglect, much progress has been made as the Coalition and the Iraqi people have worked hand in hand to improve Iraq ’s essential services.

MANY CHALLENGES REMAIN

Many challenges remain. The recent violence – and attacks on Iraq’s critical infrastructure -- underscore that freedom in Iraq is opposed by violent men who seek the failure not only of the interim government, but of all progress toward liberty.

There will be more violence as the enemies of freedom become more desperate.

The new multi-national force led by American forces will remain in Iraq to help the Iraqi people defeat the former regime members and terrorists who oppose democracy in Iraq. The killers know that Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. The return of tyranny to Iraq would embolden the terrorists, leading to more bombings and more murders of the innocent around the world.

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 in the region at the heart of its power, and a victory for the civilized world and for the security of America. 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.

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