President George W. Bush and British
Prime Minister Tony Blair shake hands after they conclude a joint news
conference at the Camp David, March 27, 2003. "The United States and United
Kingdom are acting together in a noble purpose. We're working together to make
the world more peaceful; we're working together to make our respective nations
and all the free nations of the world more secure; and we're working to free the
Iraqi people," President Bush said. President Bush said he didn't know
whether Saddam was alive after a thunderous explosion rocked the upscale
Al-Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad. "
I don't know whether he survived," the president said. " The
only thing I know is that he's losing power," Bush said at a news
conference with British Prime Minster Tony Blair after a meeting at Hillsborough
Castle outside Belfast. And
despite suspicions at the Pentagon that Saddam may have been killed, there were
no signs of nay unusual security measures at the site Tuesday. A reporter
had no problem examining it, watching the rescue operation or speaking to
neighbors. As
U.S. troops swept into the heart of Baghdad to a joyous welcome on Wednesday,
President Bush was pleased by the military progress while Vice President Cheney
said the world was witnessing the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government. The
president was back in Washington after a two-day war summit in Belfast with
British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Washington
and London hope their agreed vision of the postwar stages in Iraq will placate
antiwar nations such as France, Germany and Russia, and allay widespread
international suspicion of U.S. motives in Iraq. " We are of course agreed,
as we say in our joint statement, that there will be a vital role for the United
Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq," Blair told a news conference at
this summit meeting with Bush in Northern Ireland. Bush
used the same words and added he wanted Iraq to move fast toward establishing an
interim authority of Iraqis. "We will move as quickly as possible to place
governmental responsibilities under the control of an interim authority composed
of Iraqis from both inside and outside the country," Bush told the news
conference at Hillsborough
Castle. “The interim authority will serve until a permanent government can be
chosen by the Iraqi people,” he added. “Rebuilding of Iraq will require the
support and expertise of the international community. We are committed to
working with international institutions, including the United Nations, which
will have a vital role to play in this task.”