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Bush praises troops on Veterans Day

Warns again of possible confrontation with Iraq

President Bush walks along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Monday.
President Bush walks along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Monday.

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U.S. President George W. Bush places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery (November 11)
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A new documentary focuses on Vietnam veterans and the helicopters that took them into and out of battle. CNN's Ed Lavander reports (November 11)
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush used the Veterans Day holiday Monday to praise American troops for their historical sacrifices and warn again of a possible confrontation with Iraq.

Bush made an unscheduled visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and met with veterans at a White House ceremony Monday morning before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

This year's holiday finds U.S. troops in numerous countries overseas as part of the war on terrorism, while a possible conflict with Iraq looms on the horizon.

"We will not permit a dictator who has used weapons of mass destruction to threaten America with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons," Bush said at Arlington. "This great nation will not live at the mercy of any foreign plot or power. The dictator of Iraq will fully disarm, or the United States will lead a coalition and disarm him."

As he has stated routinely since late summer, Bush said the attacks on New York and Washington that triggered the war on terrorism demonstrate "that a threat that gathers on the other side of the Earth can bring suffering to the American homeland." Iraq's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction pose such a threat, he said.

The holiday now known as Veterans Day was first designated Armistice Day in 1926. It commemorated the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. Congress made Armistice Day a national holiday in 1938. After World War II and the Korean War, the holiday's name was changed to Veterans Day.

In a White House ceremony earlier Monday, Bush -- who flew fighter jets for the Texas Air National Guard during Vietnam -- praised the "selfless sacrifice" of Americans who served in previous wars and said today's enemies have learned "the fierce resolve of our great nation."

"We will not forget the harm that was done to us. We will not be distracted from the task before us. No enemy that threatens our security or threatens our people will escape the patient justice and the overwhelming power of the United States of America," he said.

The Bush administration says Iraq has violated U.N. resolutions ending the 1991 Persian Gulf War by maintaining stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Bush has warned repeatedly that if the United Nations does not act to enforce those resolutions, the United States would do so itself or with allies.

Iraq has denied the allegations and invited U.N. weapons inspectors to return for the first time since 1998. The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution Friday to send those inspectors back to Baghdad with the threat of "serious consequences" if Iraq obstructs their efforts.

Top Bush administration officials said Sunday the United States can act unilaterally if Iraq violates the resolution, but Arab League secretary-general told CNN Monday that a unilateral U.S. attack would wreak havoc in international relations and set a bad example worldwide.

"Acting unilaterally, ignoring or avoiding [or] marginalizing the Security Council, would open Pandora's box," he said.

Arab League foreign ministers Sunday urged Iraq to accept the U.N. resolution and readmit inspectors under its terms. Iraq's parliament met Monday to discuss the issue, but the final decision will lie with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.



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