Excerpts from Bush speech on Iraq

Jan 11, 2007, 12:02 GMT

Washington - Excerpts from US President George W Bush's speech Wednesday on his new Iraq strategy:

'The violence in Iraq ­ particularly in Baghdad ­ overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made. Al-Qaeda terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal danger that Iraq's elections posed for their cause. And they responded with outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent Iraqis.

'The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people ­ and it is unacceptable to me. ... Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me. It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq.

'The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people.

'The most urgent priority for success in Iraq is security, especially in Baghdad. Eighty per cent of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of the capital.

'The Iraqi government will appoint a military commander and two deputy commanders for their capital. The Iraqi government will deploy Iraqi Army and National Police brigades across Baghdad's nine districts. When these forces are fully deployed, there will be 18 Iraqi Army and National Police brigades committed to this effort ­ along with local police.

'... America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence ­ and bring security to the people of Baghdad. ... So I have committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them ­ five brigades ­ will be deployed to Baghdad.

'I have made it clear to the prime minister (Nuri al-Maliki) and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people ­ and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people.

'To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion dollars of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs.

'Al-Qaeda is still active in Iraq. Its home base is Anbar province. ... So I have given orders to increase American forces in Anbar province by 4,000 troops.

'We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

'Countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States need to understand that an American defeat in Iraq would create a new sanctuary for extremists ­ and a strategic threat to their survival. These nations have a stake in a successful Iraq that is at peace with its neighbours ­ and they must step up their support for Iraq's unity government.

'The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time.

'The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice, and resolve. ... We can and we will prevail.'