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Rumsfeld to Iraq: 'Remarkable changes''I know that life remains difficult for many of you'
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Saturday outlined a bright future for Iraqis, saying he has seen "truly extraordinary" political, economic, social changes in the country since his last visit four months ago. He reminded the war-weary nation that the "coalition is committed to helping you succeed." In a taped address to the nation, aired Saturday afternoon on the Iraq Media Network -- a day before U.S. President George W. Bush is to make an address on Iraq and terrorism in Washington -- Rumsfeld said that the Saddam Hussein regime is "finished." He urged Iraqis to help security forces root out the regime's remnants responsible for the guerrilla attacks against U.S. troops. "Baghdad is bustling with commerce. Universities and hospitals are open for business," Rumsfeld said. "A free press is flourishing, Iraqi banks have started taking applications for small business loans so Iraqi entrepreneurs can create jobs." The political infrastructure is steadily being transformed, he said. In cities and towns, "municipal councils are making decisions about local matters." The Iraqi Governing Council, Rumsfeld said, is striving to develop a constitution and pave the way for free elections "where you, the Iraq people, will choose your own leaders." "These are remarkable changes." He acknowledged the hardships and the instability Iraqis must cope with. "I know that life remains difficult for many of you. But visiting your country I can see the determination of so many brave Iraqis who are stepping forward to create a new nation where there is freedom and opportunity for all of the Iraqi people." He said the persistent violence in the country, including the recent bombings at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad and the Shiite mosque in Najaf, is a sign of weakness and desperation of those who oppose the new Iraq and said the "Hussein regime is finished." "The regime remnants see you, the Iraqi people, putting the era of Saddam Hussein behind you. They see you policing the streets, publishing newspapers, worshipping freely, and governing your towns and cities. "With each step forward that you take, they see any remote chance of returning to power slip further and further away, and they are right. The coalition will not be dissuaded from its mission in Iraq, not by sabotage not by snipers and not by terrorists with car bombs." He reminded Iraqis of the many senior leaders who have been captured, such as Saddam associate Ali Hassan al-Majid, the Iraqi general known as "Chemical Ali," and Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay, who have been killed. "It's only a matter of time before the rest are dealt with," Rumsfeld said. "To find the rest you can help those who lead coalition forces to Baathists, fugitives or terrorists" and "will receive substantial reward and protection. Terrorist threats will not dissuade the coalition from helping Iraqi people rebuild." "We found Uday and Qusay and Chemical Ali because Iraqis like you came forward with the information," he said. Rumsfeld said nearly 50 nations have pledged almost $4 billion for reconstruction and "the 1.7 billion dollars the Baathists stole from you has been recovered -- money that is now being used for the benefit of the Iraqi people." "Those who sabotage the efforts to restore power and water and other services are not attacking the coalition, they are attacking you, the Iraqi people. With your cooperation we're dealing with them." Rumsfeld said that during his stay he plans to visit a mass grave site, "where the regime piled the bodies of its victims," and a prison where the Saddam regime "tortured innocent Iraqis."
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