*EPF302 04/14/2004
White House Report, April 14: Iraq, Paraguay
(Administration defends Iraq strategy, Bush thanks Paraguay's President) (360)

ADMINISTRATION DEFENDS ITS IRAQ STRATEGY

This was an important opportunity for the president to inform and educate the American people about Iraq, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said to reporters April 14 about President Bush's April 13 press conference.

"He [Bush] discussed the strategy for the transfer of sovereignty and building a free and democratic nation for the Iraqi people," McClellan said. "He talked about the importance of the June 30 date for the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people and was firmly committed to make sure we keep that commitment to the Iraqi people."

When asked about specific details of Bush's plan on the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq McClellan responded, "The president discussed how Iraqi leaders, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi are working on the plan for the transfer of sovereignty to an interim representative government in Iraq that would serve for a period of seven months before it would conduct national elections."

The spokesman noted that "the president said our work doesn't stop on June 30. We will be there to support and help them [the Iraqi people] through the reconstruction and provide assistance to them along with other coalition partners and the international community."

"We will also continue to work with them on security elements," said McClellan.

"Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. The terrorists recognize how high the stakes are, and the American people recognize that this is a time of testing for the coalition and the Iraqi people," McClellan said, "It is important for us to stay the course and finish the job because a free and a peaceful Iraq is crucial to making the Middle East more stable and America more secure."

BUSH DISCUSSES BILATERAL ISSUES WITH PARAGUAY PRESIDENT

"President Bush spoke by phone with Nicanor Duarte of Paraguay and congratulated him on his strong stand against corruption and his cooperation in the war on terrorism," McClellan said. "The two leaders also discussed their bilateral and regional issues."

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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