In separate addresses, President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair told Iraqis that the old regime is finished and a new era has begun.
"The long era of fear and cruelty is ending," Bush said in his 2½-minute address. "The government of Iraq and the future of your country will soon belong to you."
It was a message Blair reinforced.
George Bush
"We want to give you the chance to rebuild your countries, to rebuild your lives, to give your families a chance of that better future," Blair said.
Information program
Bush and Blair recorded their messages on Tuesday in Northern Ireland. The U.S. military is using them as part of an information program broadcast to the Iraqi people called Towards Freedom.
Tony Blair
In his message, Blair tried to reassure Iraqis that the coalition forces will not leave until all remnants of the Saddam regime are defeated.
"Some of you fear a repeat of 1991 when you thought Saddam's rule was being ended, but he stayed and you suffered," Blair said. "That will not happen this time. This regime will be gone and ended."
Blair said coalition forces have no intention of running Iraq in the long term.
"This Iraq will not be run by Britain, or by the United States or by the United Nations," he said. "It will be run by you the people of Iraq."
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer confirmed that the Pentagon is now in charge of what Iraqis see on local TV, but he said the U.S. hopes an autonomous, Iraqi-run media will take over as soon as possible.
"Free press is a crucial part of a free Iraq and we anticipate that beginning to happen," Fleischer told a briefing Thursday.
