Blair and Bush remind Iraqis they are not conquerors

US President George W Bush, launching a sweeping media campaign in war-torn Iraq, said in a televised address yesterday: “Your nation will soon be free.”

Meanwhile, British ally Tony Blair assured Iraqis that coalition soldiers are “friends and liberators, not your conquerors.”

The remarks were being beamed throughout Iraq from a US C-130 Hercules aircraft. Using air- and ground-based transmitting facilities, the US will broadcast five hours of programming five days a week on the same channels on which Iraqis have received state television programmes. Programming will be controlled by the US and British military, but may include rebroadcasts from independent news outlets in both countries, the White House said. US and British government briefings may feature.