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Iraq war an example - Bush
20/03/2004 10:42 - (SA)
Washington - President George W Bush renewed his defence of the Iraq war for Saturday's anniversary of the US-led invasion, insisting it had removed a major cause of instability in the Middle East.
He also said Iraq was now an example to the region after the ouster of former leader Saddam Hussein.
Bush ordered the air strikes on one of Saddam's Baghdad palaces early March 20 that unleashed the invasion. Saddam was ousted April 9 and detained in December.
But the war remains a source of international controversy because of the opposition from some US allies and the failure to find evidence of the nuclear, biological or chemical weapons used by the US administration to justify the invasion.
Bush declared the war a success in his weekly radio address.
"Men and women across the Middle East, looking to Iraq, are getting a glimpse of what life in a free country can be like," Bush said.
"One year ago this week, ground forces of a strong coalition entered Iraq to liberate that country from the rule of a tyrant. For the Iraqi people, it was the beginning of their deliverance.
"The liberation of Iraq was good for the Iraqi people, good for America, and good for the world. The fall of the Iraqi dictator has removed a source of violence, aggression, and instability from the Middle East.
"The worst regime in the region was given way to what will soon be among the best."
The US leader did not mention the controversy over Iraq's weapons, but said: "Years of illicit weapons development by the dictator have come to an end."
- AFP
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