If Saddam is allowed to rebuild his arsenal unchecked, none of the region's children will be safe. America is working very hard to find a diplomatic solution to this crisis Saddam has created. I have sent my Secretary of State, my Defense Secretary, and my Ambassador to the United Nations literally around the world to work with our friends and allies. If there is a way to resolve this peacefully, we will pursue it to the very end. That is what Saddam agreed to as a condition for ending the Gulf War way back in 1991.
Nobody wants to use force.
But if Saddam refuses to keep his commitments to the international community, we must be prepared to deal directly with the threat these weapons pose to the Iraqi people, to Iraq's neighbors, and to the rest of the world. Saddam himself understands that the international community places a higher value on the lives of the Iraqi people than he does. If force proves necessary to resolve this crisis, we will do everything we can to prevent innocent people from getting hurt. To all our Arab and Muslim friends, let me say America wants to see a future of security, prosperity, and peace for all the people of the Middle East. We want to see the Iraqi people free of the constant warfare and repression that have been the hallmark of Saddam's regime.