The war against global terrorism is the first war of the twenty-first century. More than ninety nations have joined in a U.S.-led coalition to defeat this threat. Intelligence information is being shared. The assets of terrorist groups like al-Qaida and its affiliates are being frozen. Terrorists are being pursued wherever they plot and train. Terrorists are being found and brought to justice.
Indonesian authorities are making good progress in identifying and apprehending those responsible for last month's nightclub bombing in Bali, which killed two-hundred people. Several people have already been arrested. In the United States, a suspect linked to a sleeper terrorist cell in Detroit, Michigan, with alleged ties to al-Qaida was recently arrested.
Countries are also uniting to answer the threat posed by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. He is a dictator who has used chemical weapons on his own people. Through resolution one-four-four-one, the United Nations Security Council has mandated inspectors to verify whether the Iraqi regime has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction and prohibited ballistic missile programs. As President George W. Bush said, “We will not permit Saddam Hussein to blackmail and/or terrorize nations which love freedom.”
Saddam Hussein has promised to cooperate with U-N weapons inspectors. But as President Bush said, “We’ve heard those pledges before and seen them violated time and time again. We now call an end to that game of deception and deceit and denial.”
Saddam Hussein, said Mr. Bush, “has been given a very short time to declare completely and truthfully his arsenal of terror. Should he again deny that this arsenal exists, he will have entered his final stage with a lie. And deception this time will not be tolerated. Delay and defiance will invite the severest of consequences.”
The goal, said President Bush, “is to secure the peace through the comprehensive and verified disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Voluntary, or by force, that goal will be achieved.”
