WASHINGTON, 17 March 2005 — President Bush said yesterday that Iraq’s opening session of its first freely elected Parliament in half a century was a “bright moment” in history.
The US and coalition forces would not pull out of the country until Iraqis could defend themselves, he said, and declined to set a timetable for bringing American forces home, saying he hoped others would also “stay the course.”
During his 48-minute news conference in the White House press briefing room, Bush called the courage of Iraqi citizens “overwhelming,” while admitting a “lot” of work still must be done, including writing a constitution and forming a government.
Iraq’s formation of a new government in a “transparent way, he said was “important for people in that region to see what is possible in a free society.”
Asked if this will help lead to “America’s reputation being restored in the region, and what it will entail, Bush spoke about the need to correct people’s understanding of “why we do the things we do.
“We have an image that the US wants to fight Muslims, and is opposed to Islam. That is not true. We are fighting a handful of people who want to hijack that religion.”
Bush said it was “very important” for the US to “counteract some of the messages coming out of the Arab media,” adding much of the criticism was “because of our strong relationship with Israel, and since we’re not going to abandon our alliance with Israel, it makes an easy target.”
He then turned to the Palestinians, saying: “We also believe the Palestinians have the capability of self-governance in a truly democratic state that will live side by side with the Israelis in peace.”
Bush shrugged off a question about detainees being sent by the United States back to their home countries, where they could be tortured.
“The United States must make sure we protect our people and our friends from attack. One way to do so is arrest people and send them back” to their home countries, he said. “We seek assurances that no one will be tortured.”
On another topic, Bush said Iran must permanently ban uranium reprocessing to reassure the world that its government is not concealing a nuclear weapons program. Otherwise, Bush said, he and leaders of European nations that are negotiating directly with Tehran have agreed to take the issue to the United Nations.
Bush also tackled domestic issues: He pledged to continue to press his case for a Social Security overhaul, expressed confidence in embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and said he was concerned about surging energy costs.
The president caused a stir yesterday by announcing he has picked the Deputy Defense Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, 61 — one of America’s leading neo-conservatives — to head the World Bank. Wolfowitz has been Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s top deputy and a lightning rod for criticism over the US invasion of Iraq, as he is considered one of the leading hawks and architects of the war.
Wolfowitz is a very unlikely choice to lead the World Bank and would be the first Pentagon figure since Robert McNamara, who was US Secretary of Defense during America’s unpopular Vietnam war, was named president of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981.
If elected, Wolfowitz will succeed James Wolfensohn, who is stepping down as head of the 184-country development bank on June 1 at the end of his second five-year term.
The Bush administration has been pushing for major reforms in how the World Bank operates, especially interested in having the development bank dole out aid in the forms of grants, which don’t have to be repaid, rather than loans.
This is the second time in as many weeks that Bush has surprised the international community with an unlikely personnel choice for a top international institution. Last week, the president picked John Bolton, another administration hawk, to be the US ambassador to the UN.
