President Bush : Massacre at HALABJA Shows Evil of Hussein's Rule

President George W. Bush listens to Dr. Katrin Michael, at right, Della Jaff and Idres Hawarry, foreground, in the Oval Office Friday, March 14, 2003. The three are from the Kurdish area of Iraq where a chemical weapons attack killed 5,000 citizens 15 years ago this weekend. Thousands died in the days following the attack on Halabja and an estimated 10,000 people still suffer from the attack. Idres Hawarry survived the attack on Halabja, Dr. Michael survived a similar attack in another Kurdish village and friends and family of Della Jaff were killed in Halabja. White House photo by Eric Draper.

		— White House

Washington, Mar. 15-- President George W. Bush Friday met with Kurdish civilian victims of the 1988 chemical attack Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein launched against their city that killed thousands and caused long-term physical and psychological problems among survivors.

Della Jaff, Idres Hawarry and Dr. Katrin Michael spoke with Bush about their experiences after Saddam attacked the Iraqi city of Halabja with chemical weapons.

Michael, of Alexandria, Va., said she was blind for three days after the attack.

"We had long-term effects. I suffered a lot of breathing (problems) and hands shaking. I've sought treatment in different countries. The psychological effects were most important," said Michael, who fled Iraq in 1988.

Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of Saddam's chemical weapons attack on Halabja, a Kurdish city in northeastern Iraq. On March 16, 1988, the Iraqi military attacked the people of Halabja with mustard gases and other poison gases, killing roughly 5,000 civilians and injuring 10,000, according to the State Department.

"The United States of America wishes to take this opportunity to remember the uncounted thousands of ordinary people, mostly innocent civilians, who have died and suffered under the brutal reign of the current Iraqi regime, and to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that Saddam Hussein and his henchmen can never again use weapons such as these against the international community, its neighbors, or its own people," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Fifteen years later, the lingering effects of the attack include an abnormally high incidence of neurological disorders, birth defects, miscarriages, serious disease and cancer.

Residents of Halabja still bear scars from the attack -- genetic mutations, , breathing problems and chronic eye disorders.

"In that single order that Saddam Hussein gave to use chemical weapons, the Iraqi regime killed thousands of Iraq's own citizens. Whole families died while trying to flee clouds of nerve and mustard agents descending from the sky," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, a few hours before the meeting was held. "Many who managed to survive still suffer from cancer, from blindness and respiratory diseases, miscarriages and severe birth defects as a result of Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons."

		— White House

The United States, Britain and Spain support a draft U.N. resolution calling for Saddam to surrender his cache of chemical and biological weapons, and al-Samoud 2 missiles or face the consequences, likely military action.

Jaff, who lives in Reston, Va., was in the United States when the attack occurred, but said she had family there. Now an activist, Jaff said she tells the story to make people aware of the devastation that chemical weapons can create, particularly to the environment.

She left Iraq 17 years ago to come to the United States but lost many family members and friends in the chemical weapon attack. She has worked to promote awareness of the massacre.

Hawarry told reporters he saw a lot of people dead after the attacks. Though he survived, Hawarry said he lost many relatives and friends. In 1997, he left Iraq to come to the United States. He lives in Yorktown, Va., and works as a civil engineer in a geotechnical technology consulting firm.

Jaff called the use of chemical weapons against civilians "a big problem."

President's Radio Address

"The chemical attack on Halabja -- just one of 40 targeted at Iraq's own people -- provided a glimpse of the crimes Saddam Hussein is willing to commit, and the kind of threat he now presents to the entire world"

March 15, 2003
AUDIO

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend marks a bitter anniversary for the people of Iraq. Fifteen years ago, Saddam Hussein's regime ordered a chemical weapons attack on a village in Iraq called Halabja. With that single order, the regime killed thousands of Iraq's Kurdish citizens. Whole families died while trying to flee clouds of nerve and mustard agents descending from the sky. Many who managed to survive still suffer from cancer, blindness, respiratory diseases, miscarriages, and severe birth defects among their children.

The chemical attack on Halabja -- just one of 40 targeted at Iraq's own people -- provided a glimpse of the crimes Saddam Hussein is willing to commit, and the kind of threat he now presents to the entire world. He is among history's cruelest dictators, and he is arming himself with the world's most terrible weapons.

Recognizing this threat, the United Nations Security Council demanded that Saddam Hussein give up all his weapons of mass destruction as a condition for ending the Gulf War 12 years ago. The Security Council has repeated this demand numerous times and warned that Iraq faces serious consequences if it fails to comply. Iraq has responded with defiance, delay and deception.

The United States, Great Britain and Spain continue to work with fellow members of the U.N. Security Council to confront this common danger. We have seen far too many instances in the past decade -- from Bosnia, to Rwanda, to Kosovo -- where the failure of the Security Council to act decisively has led to tragedy. And we must recognize that some threats are so grave -- and their potential consequences so terrible -- that they must be removed, even if it requires military force.

As diplomatic efforts continue, we must never lose sight of the basic facts about the regime of Baghdad.

We know from recent history that Saddam Hussein is a reckless dictator who has twice invaded his neighbors without provocation -- wars that led to death and suffering on a massive scale. We know from human rights groups that dissidents in Iraq are tortured, imprisoned and sometimes just disappear; their hands, feet and tongues are cut off; their eyes are gouged out; and female relatives are raped in their presence.

As the Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, said this week, "We have a moral obligation to intervene where evil is in control. Today, that place is Iraq."

We know from prior weapons inspections that Saddam has failed to account for vast quantities of biological and chemical agents, including mustard agent, botulinum toxin and sarin, capable of killing millions of people. We know the Iraqi regime finances and sponsors terror. And we know the regime has plans to place innocent people around military installations to act as human shields.

There is little reason to hope that Saddam Hussein will disarm. If force is required to disarm him, the American people can know that our armed forces have been given every tool and every resource to achieve victory. The people of Iraq can know that every effort will be made to spare innocent life, and to help Iraq recover from three decades of totalitarian rule. And plans are in place to provide Iraqis with massive amounts of food, as well as medicine and other essential supplies, in the event of hostilities.

Crucial days lie ahead for the free nations of the world. Governments are now showing whether their stated commitments to liberty and security are words alone -- or convictions they're prepared to act upon. And for the government of the United States and the coalition we lead, there is no doubt: we will confront a growing danger, to protect ourselves, to remove a patron and protector of terror, and to keep the peace of the world.

Thank you for listening.
END