Because the task of a political leader is to do what he believes is better for his country. Sometimes the public opinion is in favor; sometimes the public opinion needs a little bit more time to understand things.

Without economic development, any potential for political openness and freedom will be questionable.

Appeasement was never a very clever policy, and it should not be our option today.

Disarming Iraq is legal under a series of U.N. resolutions. Iraq is in flagrant violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

I am a quiet man who grows through adversity.

I'm not going to give President Bush any advice. He knows. He knows what I think.

It is our grave mistake that for many years we neglected pro-Western groups in order to avoid any friction with the existing rulers.

It's about living in a world with rules, or a world without rules.

March 11, 2004, now occupies a place in the history of infamy.

My conviction is that the best strategy to defend the West is to defend Israel.

Speak less but act more.

The alliance should agree... to an effective NATO role against the new threats presented by international terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

The harm done to Israel is damage done to the West. And delegitimizing Israel is a delegitimization of the West.

The only message that terrorists need to get is that they're going to be beaten.

We in the West should stand by our core principles.

We saw there was no consensus in the U.N. Security Council. It was impossible, due to the threatened veto by some.

But, you know, once you're in government, very often you need to shoulder responsibility. I hope the new Spanish government will think about this and will therefore act accordingly. I really and sincerely hope so.

Every day, every week without taking decisions is a problem for us, is a very wrong message for the markets and increases the lack of credibility of our economies.

I want to highlight once again that when we talk about the fight against terrorism and the circles around it and when we talk about ensuring the safety and the peace of all, we are not talking about fantasies.

In crises, the old is dying and the new has not been born. Hence, the revolts we are witnessing in Egypt and Tunisia, which may yet extend to other countries in the region, are full of uncertainties.