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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 28, 2003

Bush pays surprise visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day

US President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day Thursday, but only stayed in the war-torn country for two and a half hours, CNN reported.


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Bush pays surprise visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day
US President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day Thursday, but only stayed in the war-torn country for two and a half hours, CNN reported.

This is the first trip made by an American president to Iraq. The Air Force One landed at the Baghdad International Airport at 5:31 p.m. (1431 GMT) and left at 8:01 p.m. (1701 GMT) from his Ranch in Texas, the United States.

The president held a Thanksgiving dinner with a number of officials including US civil administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer, US ground forces commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Ahmed Chalabi, member of the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), and current IGC president Jalal Talabani.

Bush also met around 600 US soldiers at the airport during the quick but historic visit, which was kept a top secret. The visit was said to be aiming at boosting morale of the US troops, most of them deployed in the country for more than seven months, by giving a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. A footage aired by CNN showed Bush delivering a brief speech in a dinner hall in the presence of hundreds of soldiers. "We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, and pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.


Bush pays surprise visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day (2)
"Everyday you see first hand the commitment and sacrifice that the Iraqi people are making to secure their own freedom. "I have a message for the Iraqi people. You have an opportunity to seize the moment and rebuild your great country based on human dignity and freedom. The regime of Saddam Hussein is gone for ever. "The United States and our coalition will help you, help you build a peaceful country ... We will stay until the job is done." The speech drew applause from the audience.

A senior CNN correspondent said Bush's special plane departed from Washington toward Baghdad without notice and the aircraft landed with windows shut and lights off.

The trip was disclosed only 10 minutes after he left the city on his way back, said the news channel.

The airport where the president stopped over, has been harried with rocket and missile attacks.

On Nov. 22, a shoulder-fired missile hit a civilian plane belonging to the DHL international courier, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing.

A C-141 transport plane, the same type that US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld used when he travelled to Iraq early September, was attacked by guerillas during Rumsfeld's visit but the missile missed the target.

One hour after the president's visit was reported on television on Thursday night, at least two explosions were heard and flares were seen in western Baghdad.

A coalition spokesman did not give any information and the 1st Armored Division could not be reached due to communication problems.

Bush made the trip after senior US officials admitted that anti-coalition attacks were reduced recently as a result of newly launched offensive operations, but attacks against soft targets were increased and more civilian casualties were caused. The sudden visit seemed much less exciting in the eyes of Iraqis than the GIs. "It's not a visit to Iraq, he is visiting American soldiers," said Abdullah Ahmed, a taxi driver in Baghdad's Admiyah neighborhood.

"If he wants to show something to the Iraqi people, why doesn't he come during the Eid but on Thanksgiving Day?" he asked. Also on Thursday, IGC President Talabani said after meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani that he would take into consideration the pundit's concerns and was going to draft an appendix to a US-sponsored Iraqi political transformation blueprint.

Al-Sistani, the most influential heavyweight in the Shiite community, has been critical of the plan and instead favored direct elections for the future political bodies.

The new plan, unveiled by the IGC on Nov. 15 after signing an agreement with US officials, sees an indirectly-elected government assuming the sovereignty in next June.


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