Bush: U.S. will help Iraq 'defeat the dictator's legacy'
Washington won't impose government, he tells Iraqi-Americans
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President Bush speaks Monday in Dearborn, Michigan.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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DEARBORN, Michigan (CNN) -- President Bush, promising to help "defeat the dictator's legacy" after the ouster of longtime Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, received a warm welcome Monday from Iraqi-Americans in Michigan.
"America pledged to rid Iraq of an oppressive regime, and we kept our word," Bush said. "America now pledges to help Iraqis build a prosperous and peaceful nation, and we will keep our word again."
A spontaneous rally drew 2,000 people to the streets of Dearborn on April 9, when U.S. Marines pulled down a statue of Saddam in Firdos Square, central Baghdad. The president met with Iraqi exiles before his speech, and his remarks were punctuated by standing ovations and chants of "USA."
Bush lauded the work being done to restore basic services and order in Iraq after Saddam's ouster, but warned "the building of a new Iraq will take time." He said the United States will help Iraqis create a democratic society.
"America has no intention of imposing our form of government or our culture," he said. "Yet we will ensure that all Iraqis have a voice in the new government and all citizens have their rights protected."
Representatives of numerous political, ethnic and religious groups met with U.S. officials Monday in Baghdad and agreed to convene again within a month to begin building an interim Iraqi government.
U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq on March 20 to remove Saddam from power and strip Iraq of suspected stocks of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, which Bush said could have been supplied to terrorists. So far, none have been found, though samples have been taken from several suspected sites.
The cease-fire that ended the Persian Gulf War in 1991 prohibited such weapons. U.N. economic sanctions imposed in 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait were kept in place until weapons inspectors could report Iraq's disarmament.
With Saddam out of power, Bush called on the United Nations to lift those sanctions "so that Iraqis can use their own resources to build their own prosperity." Ending the sanctions would require Security Council approval.
Saddam's whereabouts were unknown Monday, his 66th birthday.
