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American Morning
Coverage of the President's Speech in Cairo
Aired June 04, 2009 - 05:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. Thanks very much for being with us on the most news in the morning. A special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. It's Thursday, it's the 4th of June. I'm John Roberts.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kiran Chetry this morning. And we're expecting President Obama to speak at 6:10 Eastern Time right on the money.
ROBERTS: And we have got a lot of news to tell you about this morning. Actually just going through an embargoed copy of the script that looks like it's a very, very interesting script. We'll be bringing it to you just under 15 minutes from now.
Right now President Obama is on the ground in Cairo. In just 15 minutes, as I said, he's going to deliver a very important, highly anticipated speech designed, he hopes, to repair relations with the Muslim world.
The president has apparently been working right up until the wire, actually re-writing parts of the speech on the flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Cairo. It's his big moment. Very big moment for his presidency.
We've got a big team with us this morning to break it all down. CNN senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, is here with us. Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour as well.
We're also joined by a panel of foreign policy experts. Republican strategist Ed Rollins is with us, Democratic strategists Lisa Caputo, Fawaz Gerges, Middle East scholar at Sarah Lawrence College, and Robin Wright, author of "Dreams and Shadows: The future of the Middle East."
Robin, of course, has traveled extensively in the region and spent a lot of time there, knows all the ins and outs of the region.
And we'll have some great analysis and perspective on what will happen today. First, we want to take you live to Cairo there where in just a few minutes time, the president will begin to speak. That's where CNN's Ed Henry is live this morning.
And Ed, the president has said he can't do this all in one speech, but what does he hope to do in the 50 minutes or so that he'll be speaking? ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: More than anything, John, he wants to start a conversation, open up a dialogue. He realizes that there's tension between the U.S. and the Muslim world. In part, there'll be some political talk in the sense that the suggestion from this White House is that the previous administration really exacerbated those tensions.
That's some of the rhetoric from the previous administration, specifically, obviously, the war in Iraq, created a lot of tension here in the Muslim world and he wants to try to repair that. He wants to try to turn the page on some of that rhetoric and reiterate what he said to the Turkish parliament a couple of months back where he plainly said the U.S. has never been and never will be at war with Islam.
So that's the broad message we're going to hear, John.
ROBERTS: Ed, many presidential speeches are either written within the confines of the White House or, as Michael Gerson famously did during the Bush administration, took his computer down the street to Starbucks and sat there and typed it up.
But this speech is crafted far differently than most typical presidential speeches.
HENRY: That's right. He's got a very young staff, Ben Rhodes, on the National Security Council staff who writes his kind of national security speeches, you know, that have that kind of subject matter. But the president himself was heavily involved. We are told that on the way from Washington to Riyadh and then Riyadh to Cairo, a long flight. At least the first one.
He was rewriting this, the president himself, large chunks of it, going over it in long hand trying to figure out how to get the right pitch, the right tone. This is sort of a classic Obama speech, broad brush when you talk about how he's panning to go 40, 45 minutes.
He prefers the depth over the sound bites. We saw that when he talked about the economy at Georgetown University several weeks back. Then when he talked about terror issues, Guantanamo, et cetera, at the National Archives just a couple of weeks back, very long. Trying to go in to a lot of depth.
And one other important point is they're going to try to use some new tools. Some of the things they use on the campaign they're going to take to the international stage like text messaging.
The U.S. State Department is facilitating sending out text messages in four different languages including Arabic during the speech about the speech and people -- users who sign up for it are going to be -- get a chance to react in real time. Get that conversation going.
They're also going to try to have live chats on Facebook. The White House has researched this. I believe there are about 20 million users of Facebook in the Arab world. So they want to use that to get this dialogue going, John. ROBERTS: All right. Yes, on that point, the research, too, Ed, I guess they brought in a lot of Muslim scholars, business people, others to say what themes do we need to hit, you know, looking at polling as well. They really sort of did a whole lot of homework on this one.
Ed Henry for us this morning in Cairo. Ed, it's great to see you. Thanks so much.
COSTELLO: And we're just about to cross the top of the hour right now. We're on a few minutes early this morning for a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We're just minutes away from President Obama's big speech in Cairo University in Egypt.
And throughout the Arab-Islamic world, expectations are high. It's the president's most important step so far toward repairing America's image in the Muslim world. Can he win over hearts and minds in the Middle East, though?
CNN's Candy Crowley is looking at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CINDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Listen on the streets of the Palestinian city of Ramallah and you will understand the enormity of the expectations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything in life needs to change between Americans, the United States and the Middle East, especially between Arab and Muslims.
CROWLEY: President Obama's Cairo speech is another in a series of efforts.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will listen carefully.
CROWLEY: From a speech in Turkey to a holiday greeting to Iran, designed to reset the U.S. relationship with Arabs and Muslims.
HISHAM MELHEM, AL ARABIYA: He's creating a more conducive environment in the Arab and the Muslim world for a different beginning, for a different page. And I think that's why millions of Arab and Muslims are going to watch every word he utters in Cairo on Thursday.
CROWLEY: The president's biggest advantage in this diplomatic courtship is who he is not. George Bush. A president who went to war in two predominantly Muslim countries and a stalwart defender of Israel. But on BBC, this president was quick to say what his speech is not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the speech in any way an apology?
OBAMA: No. I think what we want to do is open a dialogue.
CROWLEY: On streets across the Muslim world, the dialogue they want to hear revolves around two issues. U.S. troops on Muslim soil --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I request Mr. Obama to continue his efforts in order to put an end to war in all Muslim countries.
CROWLEY: And the Middle East's most intractable but critical issue, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): His speech is for bringing the Palestinians and the Israelis together. We wish that he will be fair with the Palestinian people.
CROWLEY: Recently, the president told Israel it had to stop all construction in West Bank settlements. His speech may reiterate that call, but he's not likely to ignore the Arab side of the equation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president as is his will, is likely to hold the mirror up to the Arab and Muslim world as well, and suggest to them that incitement, the kinds of things, not recognizing Israel's legitimate right to exist in the Middle East.
CROWLEY: Great expectations don't end there. Pro-democracy groups in the region want to hear the president's speak out strongly about human rights and the rule of law.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And Candy Crowley joins us now along with CNN senior international correspondent Christian Amanpour.
Welcome to you both. And thanks for being with us so early this morning.
I want to start with you, though, Candy, and talk more about the expectations in the Muslim world. To the speech, I mean, I was just talking to John before about the incredible pressure the president must feel to say everything just right.
CROWLEY: Well, to say everything just right and also they've been pushing back a little because you can't just get appearance, well, here's my Middle East plan. The specifics and time after time and these people we've talked to in the streets, it was -- it's not about words, it's about what are you going to do and that particularly holds true.
As Christiane well knows, in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stop telling us that you're the honest broker. Stop saying that we need to get together and do something. So the expectations for specifics is what is so high and what the White House has tried to push back against by saying we can't do this all in one speech.
COSTELLO: He has a couple of things going for him, though. I mean, he's going to close Guantanamo Bay and there are steps he's taken to demonstrate that. And he's going to get troops out of Iraq. There are steps he's taken to demonstrate that. And that certainly helps --
CROWLEY: And he's sending troops into Afghanistan, which was, you know --
COSTELLO: Well, yes.
CROWLEY: I mean, because we heard a lot of, what are these troops doing over there? So that's why he's trying to again say, well, there's Al Qaeda and we are at war with Al Qaeda. And then there's the world of Islam and we are not. You know, they're common interests.
ROBERTS: So, Christiane, people are looking for different things depending on which country you ask that question. But the one thing that seems to be a common sense purpose among everyone is that they don't want to hear just words, they want to see action.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. Look, Obama will get a big welcome. He might even get a standing ovation, which is one analyst has said, if he gets a standing ovation, that in itself will be something different than the shoe that was thrown at the last American president on his big speech in Iraq.
But beyond that, while people will welcome him, they are deeply skeptical still about U.S. foreign policy. They do want to see action. They don't want to just see words. But they do want this page turned in terms of the antagonism that's existed over the last eight years.
But as we all know, the critical issue in the Islamic world and not just the Arab world is the Palestinian issue, and this is what people are going to be looking for. I've been listening to reports, reading newspapers, talking to people in the Middle East ahead of this, and they all want to know what's going to happen about the Palestinian issue.
They also want -- it's very clear that people in the Arab and Islamic world want to be treated with dignity and respect. Its gone the time in the era of America dictating its policy and just reacting as the power and the superpower.
ROBERTS: Right.
AMANPOUR: So what Obama says always is mutual interest, mutual respect, mutual dignity. I think that's something very clear.
ROBERTS: You know, there's something of a marketing strategy going on here as well. And any advertiser will tell you, if you want to get people for life, you get them when they're young.
AMANPOUR: That's right.
ROBERTS: If you want to get them involved in the policy (ph), you get them when they're young. So he is speaking at Cairo University.
He's going to be speaking to an audience, predominantly young people. Sixty-five percent of people in the Muslim world are under the age of 25, but those people are becoming more conservative. Their views towards the United States are harsher. Can he turn them --
AMANPOUR: Not all of them. Actually --
ROBERTS: Well, just -- you know, I've seen polls that suggests that, by and large, they're becoming more so than they were in the past. But can he turn those sentiments?
AMANPOUR: Well, I'm not sure to dispute that because in some areas, that is true. There are spikes of extremism. If you look in the Swat Valley, if you look in those very visible (ph) things.
ROBERTS: But extremism is much more. It's just they're more conservative in their views.
AMANPOUR: But this is -- this is also very interesting because, for instance, the foreign minister of Britain, David Miliband, just gave a big speech on this issue saying that we in the west mustn't be confused by religious devotion and political Islam. We musn't -- we musn't compare just political Islam to extremism. So that also is something that in the West people have to understand. It's not just extremists to be conservative.
And the hopeful polls are, actually, that even in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, extremism is actually decreasing in the general populations. Obviously, there are those areas where it spikes as we just talked about in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But yes, he wants to talk to the youngsters out there, those who will be on the next generation. And he said very clearly in his first interview with Al Arabiya television that the United States cannot afford to have the next generation of Muslims to view us as the enemy.
What is that going to take? Not just resolving, helping in the process to resolve some of the very legitimate and endless issues there, but also, being on the side of the people. And I think that's going to be very interesting. How does this administration balance strategic relationships with some authority and authoritarian regimes that happen to be friendly to the United States but not friendly to their own people?
People want democracy. People want pluralism. They remember in 2005 when George Bush started this whole democracy campaign, Egypt was the center point of it.
And then they pulled back because the people who they didn't like were winning the elections. So that's going to be very difficult to -- a very interesting challenge for this administration as it pursues its policies in this part of the world.
COSTELLO: Something that may make this challenge a little easier as far as winning the hearts and minds of young people, I mean, by and large, many are unemployed. I mean, they go to Cairo University yet they go and drive taxicabs because there are no jobs for them.
So if President Obama reaches out and says, you know -- you know, I believe in human rights. I believe in improving the economies of this country. Are those the things that these young people really want to hear?
CROWLEY: Well, I mean, certainly, when you talk about the pro- democracy forces, I mean, this has been even in the White House briefings before they left, it was are you going to meet with any of the dissidents when you're in Cairo? Will you be talking to any of the opposition parties? And it was sort of, well, we haven't really settled the schedule yet, or we'll -- so it's very tricky. I mean, it's very tricky because they need Hosni Mubarak to help them as they sort of try to, you know, put together something that might move the peace process forward.
And, yet, you know, the United States is still that beacon of democracy and if the United States doesn't speak up for the rule of law and human rights, who's going to? So there's -- it really is just constantly walking on this tight rope.
ROBERTS: We just got a couple of minutes now before the speech again. Going over an embargo copy, it's very interesting. You're going to want to watch this speech.
CNN iReporters weighing in on the president's Middle East mission, his high-profile speech to the Muslim world. Here's what they've been saying to us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAJID BANGASH, IREPORTER: Obama should focus on real things. He should not just prepare for speeches. Speeches cannot resolve the real issues alone. He should focus on the grassroot of the problems.
EGBERTO WILLIES, IREPORTER: It is definitely the right time for President Obama to be in the Middle East and in many other places at this time. Constructive engagement always pays dividends even when not immediately obvious.
DAVID SEAMAN, IREPORTER: The president has so much to work on here at home, I don't know if now is the best time for him to be going overseas and giving speeches. That does not seem to me like a radical departure from previous administrations who just go out of town or go out of the country whenever the going gets tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Of course, we want to hear from you and the president's speech and anything else that might be on your mind as well. Send us an iReport or call our show hotline at 1-877-MY-AMFIX. A little less than a minute before the speech, a couple of final thoughts here before we go, Candy?
CROWLEY: Well, just thinking -- we've looked at it from the Muslim point of view and what do they want to hear. Back home is very interesting as well.
I thought the question to the president from the BBC -- will this be an apology? No. I mean, right away, because he's getting briefed back home. He's also getting briefed even from Democrats saying wait a second. You're so publicly pressuring Israel. Why don't we see the flip side of that? Why do you expect Israel to move forward without pressing on the Palestinian side?
COSTELLO: And the other thing, Christiane, the United States has given Muslim countries a lot of money, you know? And we are putting boots on the ground in Muslim countries and we are fighting for them. So that's something else the Americans want the president to point out.
AMANPOUR: Well, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrote a commentary in the "New York Times" this week and she did actually address that very issue about how there's so much sort of antipathy about American presidents in the Islamic world.
But remember she said when we intervened in Bosnia, when we intervened in Kosovo, so there is a flip side to this. You know, obviously, the intervention is very tricky because it's being seen as just -- and here's the president indeed. He's going to set it really well.
ROBERTS: Here's the president now. All right.
AMANPOUR: That he's doing more than just bomb.
ROBERTS: All right. Let's watch and we'll get a sense of the atmosphere there at the university -- at Cairo University.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon. I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has had stood as a beacon of Islamic learning. And for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress.
I'm grateful for your hospitality and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. And I'm also proud to carry with me the good will of the American people and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Assalamu-alaikum.
(APPLAUSE)
We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world, tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation but also conflict and religious wars.
More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims and a Cold War in which Muslim majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.
Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11, 2001, and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and western countries but also to human rights.
All this has bred more fear and more mistrust. So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end.
I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap and share common principles, principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. I know there's been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point.
But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground.
As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth."
(APPLAUSE)
That is what I will try to do today, to speak the truth as best I can. Humbled by the task before us and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.
Now, part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I'm a Christian. But my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk.
As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam at places like Al-Azhar that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's renaissance and enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities...
(APPLAUSE)
It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra, our magnetic compass and tools of navigation, our mastery of pens and printing, our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires, timeless poetry and cherished music, elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.
(APPLAUSE)
I also know that Islam has always been a part of America's story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second president, John Adams, wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.
They have fought in our wars. They have served in our government. They have stood for civil rights. They have started businesses. They have taught at our universities. They've excelled in our sports arenas. They've won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building and lit the Olympic torch. And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same holy Koran that one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, kept in his personal library.
(APPLAUSE)
So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.
(APPLAUSE)
But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as...
(APPLAUSE)
Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire.
We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal. And we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words, within our borders and around the world.
We are shaped by every culture. Drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.
Now much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name "Barack Hussein Obama" could be elected president.
(APPLAUSE)
But my personal story is not so unique. The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores. And that includes nearly 7 million American Muslims in our country today who, by the way, enjoy incomes and educational levels that are higher than the American average.
Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. That is why there is a mosque in every state in our union and over 1,200 mosques within our borders. That's why the United States government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it.
So let there be no doubt...
(APPLAUSE)
... let there be no doubt, Islam is a part of America. And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations: to live in peace and security, to get an education and to work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.
Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead. And if we understand that the challenges we face are shared and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.
For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations.
When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience.
(APPLAUSE)
That is what it means to share this world in the 21st Century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings. This is a difficult responsibility to embrace, for human history has often been a record of nations and tribes, and, yes, religions subjugating one another in pursuit of their own interests.
Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership, our progress must be shared.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, that does not mean we should ignore sources of tension. Indeed, it suggests the opposite. We must face these tensions squarely. And so, in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and as plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together.
The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all its forms. In Ankara, I made clear that America is not and never will be at war with Islam.
(APPLAUSE)
We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject, the killing of innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as president to protect the American people.
The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals and our need to work together. Over seven years ago, the United States pursued Al Qaida and the Taliban with broad international support. We did not go by choice. We went because of necessity. I'm aware that there's still some who would question or even justify the offense of 9/11. But let us be clear. Al Qaida killed nearly 3,000 people on that day.
The victims were innocent men, women, and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody. And yet Al Qaida chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale. They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach.
These are not opinions to be debated. These are facts to be dealt with. Make no mistake, we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We see no military -- we seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict.
We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and now Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case. And that's why we're partnering with a coalition of 46 countries. And despite the costs involved, America's commitment will not weaken. Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists. They have killed in many countries. They have killed people of different faiths but, more than any other, they have killed Muslims. Their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam.
The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as -- it is as it if has killed all mankind.
(APPLAUSE)
And the Holy Koran also says whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind.
(APPLAUSE)
The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism; it is an important part of promoting peace.
Now, we also know that military power alone is not going solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That's why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who've been displaced.
That's why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend on.
Now, let me also address the issue of Iraq. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world. Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible.
(APPLAUSE)
Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, "I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power and teach us that the less we use our power, the greater it will be." Today America has a dual responsibility to help Iraq forge a better future and to leave Iraq to Iraqis.
I have made it clear to the Iraqi people...
(APPLAUSE)
I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no basis and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August. That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2012.
(APPLAUSE)
We will help Iraq train its security forces and develop its economy. But we will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner and never as a patron.
And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter or forget our principles. 9/11 was an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable. But in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals.
We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States. And I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.
(APPLAUSE)
So America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law. And we will do so in partnership with Muslim communities, which are also threatened. The sooner the extremists are isolated and unwelcome in Muslim communities, the sooner we will all be safer.
Now, the second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world. America's strong bonds with Israel are well-known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.
Around the world the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries. And anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented holocaust. Tomorrow I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich.
Six million Jews were killed, more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless. It is ignorant, and it is hateful.
Threatening Israel with destruction or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews is deeply wrong and only serves to evoke in the minds of the Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.
On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people, Muslims and Christians, have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years, they've endured the pain of dislocation.
Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations, large and small, that come with occupation.
So let there be no doubt, the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.
(APPLAUSE)
For decades, then, there has been a stalemate. Two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive. It's easy to point fingers.
For Palestinians to point to the displacement brought about by Israel's founding and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history, from within its borders as well as beyond. But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth. The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.
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That is in Israel's interests, Palestine's interests, America's interests, and the world's interests. And that's why I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all of the patience and dedication that the task requires.
The obligations -- the obligations that the parties have agreed to under the road map are clear. For peace to come, it is time for them and all of us to live up to our responsibilities. Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and it does not succeed. For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America's founding.
This same story can be told by people from South Africa to South Asia, to Eastern Europe to Indonesia. It's a story with a simple truth: violence is a dead end. It is a sign neither of courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children or to blow up old women on a bus. That's not how moral authority is claimed, that's how it is surrendered.
Now is the time for Palestinians to focus on what they can build. The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern with institutions that serve the needs of its people.
Hamas does have support among some Palestinians, but they also have to recognize they have responsibilities, to play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations, to unify the Palestinian people, Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist.
At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.
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This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.
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And Israel must also live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians can live and work and develop their society. Just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security, neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be a critical part of a road to peace. And Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.
And, finally, the Arab states must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important beginning but not the end of their responsibility. The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people of Arab nations from other problems. Instead, it must be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions that will sustain their state, to recognize Israel's legitimacy, and to choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.
America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and we will say in public what we say in private. To Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs...
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... we cannot impose peace. But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away.
Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true. Too many tears have been shed, too much blood has been shed.
All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians could Representative can see their children grow up without fear, when the holy land of the three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be, when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together...
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... as in the story of Isra.
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... as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed -- peace be upon them -- joined in prayer.
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The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons. This issue has been a source of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. For many years, Iran has defined itself, in part, by its opposition to my country. And there is, in fact, a tumultuous history between us.
In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government. Since the Islamic revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians. This history is well known.
Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward. The question now is not what Iran is against but, rather, what future it wants to build.
I recognize it will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude, and resolve. There will be many issues to discussion between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.
But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point. This is not simply about America's interests. It's about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.
Now, I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nations should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons. And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.
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And any nation, including Iran, should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the treaty. And it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.
The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.
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I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years. And much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear. No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any other. That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people.
Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.
But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed, confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice, government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people, the freedom to live as you choose. These are not just American ideas. They are human rights. And that is why we will support them everywhere.
(APPLAUSE) Now, there is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear. Governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments, provided they govern with respect for all their people.
This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they're out of power. Once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others.
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So no matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who would hold power. You must maintain your power through consent, not coercion. You must respect the rights of minorities and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise. You must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party.
Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.
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Thank you.
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The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom. Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia where devote Christians worshipped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country.
That is the spirit we need today. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul.
This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive. But it's being challenged in many different ways. Among some Muslims, there's a disturbing tendency to measure one's own faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith.
The richness of religious diversity must be upheld, whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt.
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And if we are being honest, fault lines must be closed among Muslims as well as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.
Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. We must always examine the ways in which people protect it. For instance, in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation.
That's why I'm committed to work with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat. Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit, for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear.
We can't disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretense of liberalism. In fact, faith should bring us together. And that's why we're forging service projects in America to bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
That's why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's interfaith dialogue and Turkey's leadership in the Alliance of Civilizations.
Around the world, we can turn dialogue into interfaith service so bridges between peoples lead to action, whether it is combating malaria in Africa or providing relief after a natural disaster.
The sixth issue -- the sixth issue that I want to address is women's rights.
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I know...
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I know, and you can tell from this audience, that there is a healthy debate about this issue. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal. But I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.
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And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well- educated are far more likely to be prosperous.
Now let me be clear, issues of women's equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, we've seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead.
Meanwhile, the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of American life and in countries around the world. I am convinced that our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons.
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Our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity, men and women, to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal. And I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice.
That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim- majority country to support expanded literacy for girls and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.
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Finally, I want to discuss economic development and opportunity. I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory. The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence into the home.
Trade can bring new wealth and opportunities but also huge disruptions and change in communities. In all nations, including America, this change can bring fear; fear that, because of modernity, we lose control over our economic choices, our politics, and most importantly, our identities, those things we most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our faith.
But I also know that human progress cannot be denied. There need not be contradictions between development and tradition. Countries like Japan and South Korea grew their economies enormously while maintaining distinct cultures. The same is true for the astonishing progress within Muslim majority countries from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai.
In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education. And this is important because no development strategy can be based only upon what comes out of the ground nor can it be sustained while young people are out of work.
Many Gulf States have enjoyed great wealth as a consequence of oil, and some are beginning to focus it on broader development. But all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century. And in too...
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And in too many Muslim communities, there remains underinvestment in these areas. I am emphasizing such investment within my own country. And while America, in the past, has focused on oil and gas when it comes to this part of the world, we new seek a broader engagement.
On education, we will expand change programs and increase scholarships like the one that brought my father to America.
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At the same time, we will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students are internships in America, invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world and create a new, online network so a young person in Kansas can communicate instantly with a young person in Cairo.
On economic development, we will create a new core of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim majority countries. And I will host a summit on entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations, and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim majority country and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia and appoint new science envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, grow new crops.
Today, I'm announcing a new global effort with the organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio. And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.
All these things must be done in partnership. Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments, community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.
The issues that I have described will not be easy to address, but we have a responsibility to join together to behalf of the world that we seek, a world where extremists no longer threaten our people and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each secure in a state of their own and nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes, a world where governments serve their citizens and the rights of all God's children are respected. Those are mutual interests. That is the world we seek.
But we can only achieve it together. I know there are many, Muslim and non-Muslim, who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest that it isn't worth the effort, that we are fated to disagree and civilizations are doomed to clash.
Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust that has built up over the years. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith in every country. You more than anyone have the ability to reimagine the world, the remake this world.
All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings.
It's easier to start wars than to end them. It's easier to blame others than to look inward. It's easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is one rule that lies at the heart of every religion, that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
(APPLAUSE) This truth transcends nations and peoples, a belief that isn't new, that isn't black or white or brown, that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world. It's a faith in other people. And it's what brought me here today.
We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written. The Holy Koran tells us, "Mankind, we have created you male and a female. And we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."
The Talmud tells us, "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
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The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on Earth.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
