Facing the press: British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and American President George Bush, face reporters after a diplomatic conference on how to disarm Iraq. Photo: AP
March 16 2003 at 11:37PM
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Lajes Airbase, Azores - Here is a selection of quotes from the Bush-Blair-Aznar Iraqi crisis summit in the Azores on Sunday.
United States President George Bush
"We concluded that tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world. Many nations have voiced a commitment to peace and security, and now they must demonstrate that commitment to peace and security in the only effective way: by supporting the immediate and unconditional disarmament of Saddam Hussein."
"The Iraqi regime will disarm itself, or the Iraqi regime will be disarmed by force. And the regime has not disarmed itself."
"We'll push as quickly as possible for an Iraqi interim authority to draw upon the talents of Iraq's people to rebuild their nation."
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"We're committed to the goal of a unified Iraq, with democratic institutions in which members of all ethnic and religious groups are treated with dignity and respect. To achieve this vision, we will work closely with the international community, including the United Nations and our coalition partners. If military force is required, we'll quickly seek new Security Council resolutions to encourage broad participation in the process of helping the Iraqi people to build a free Iraq."
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar
"I would like to remind you that we all said before we came here that we were not coming to the Azores to make a declaration of war. That we were coming after having made every possible effort, after having made this effort, continuing to make this effort, to working to achieve the greatest possible agreement and for international law to be respected and for UN resolutions to be respected."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair
"We will do all we can in the short time that remains to make a final round of contacts, to see whether there is a way through this impasse."
"But we are in the final stages. Because after 12 years of failing to disarm him, now is the time when we have to decide."
"And finally, on the Middle East peace process. I welcome very much the statement that President Bush made the other day. I think it's important now. He said he wanted a partner on the Palestinian side..."
"And all of us will work to make sure that vision of a Middle East, two states - Israel confident of its security, a Palestinian state that is viable - comes about and is made a reality."
Questions and answers with President Bush
Question: "When you say tomorrow is the moment of truth, does that mean tomorrow is the last day that the resolution can be voted up or down and, at the end of the day tomorrow, one way or another, the diplomatic window has closed?
Bush: "That's what I'm saying."
Bush: "Tomorrow is the day that we will determine whether or not diplomacy can work."
"And we sat and visited about this issue, about how best to spend our time between now and tomorrow. And as Prime Minister Blair said, we'll be working the phones, talking to our partners, talking to those who may not clearly understand the objective. And we'll see how it goes tomorrow."
"Saddam Hussein can leave the country, if he's interested in peace. You see, the decision is his to make. It's been his to make all along, as to whether or not there's the use of military. He has got to decide whether he's going to disarm, and he didn't. He can decide whether he wants to leave the country. These are his decisions to make. And thus far he has made bad decisions."
Question: "Vote or not?"
Bush: "I was the guy that said they ought to vote. And one country voted. They showed their cards, I believe. It's an old Texas expression, show your cards, when you're playing poker. France showed their cards."
"After I said what I said, they said they were going to veto anything that held Saddam to account. So cards have been played. And we just have to take an assessment after tomorrow to determine what that card meant."
"And let me say something about the UN It's a very important organisation..."
"And the UN must mean something. Remember Rwanda or Kosovo. The UN didn't do its job. And we hope tomorrow the UN will do its job. If not, all of us need to step back and try to figure out how to make the UN work better, as we head into the 21st century.
"Perhaps one way will be, if we use military force in a post-Saddam Iraq, the UN will definitely need to have a role. And that way it can begin to get its legs, legs of responsibility, back.
"But it's important for the UN to be able to function well if we're going to keep the peace, and I will work hard to see to it that, at least from our perspective, that the UN is able to be a responsible body, and when it says something, it means it, for the sake of peace and for the sake of the security and for the capacity to win the first war of the 21st century, which is the war against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of dictators."
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