23 July 2004
State's Armitage Meets Iraq's Interim Leaders in Baghdad
Says progress in Iraq taking place in security, politics, economics
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has expressed confidence in the interim Iraqi government after talks in Baghdad with the interim president and prime minister.
In a statement issued in Baghdad July 18, Armitage said the interim Iraqi leaders told him that the security situation is improving and that preparations are under way to set up an interim representative assembly and an election commission to organize national elections in early 2005.
Armitage said that the United States and its coalition partners are committed to repairing Iraq's infrastructure and supporting its economic growth.
In an interview with Al Iraqiya television July 19, Armitage talked about India's plans to assist Iraq in reconstruction and training of its police and military, Pakistan's indecision about whether to send troops to Iraq, U.S. regret at the decision of the Philippines to withdraw its troops from Iraq under terrorist pressure, and U.S. satisfaction that other countries are standing firm against terrorism in Iraq.
Armitage added that he is convinced that security in Iraq will improve because the Iraqi people demand it. He said the United States wants Iran to send al-Qaeda members in Iran to their countries of origin.
Following are the text of Armitage's statement and the transcript of his interview:
(begin text)
Statement on Iraq
Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State
Baghdad, Iraq
July 18, 2004
I am delighted to be here to meet with the leadership of the new, sovereign government of Iraq. I wanted to hear from them firsthand about their decisions on important policies for Iraq's people, for the government's plans for the future of Iraq and how we can be helpful to our Iraqi friends.
Of course, we discussed the security situation. The President and Prime Minister assured me that Iraqi security forces are improving and growing. Iraq is a sovereign nation and its security services should assume the responsibility for security as soon as possible. I told the President and the Prime Minister that we are ready to help in any way possible with their agreement. Our commitment to a secure Iraq is strong and will not change.
The Prime Minister also told me about the political process underway here and especially the upcoming national conference to set up an interim representative assembly. We think that assembly can help bring Iraqis from all viewpoints together to discuss Iraq's problems and find solutions together in an Iraqi forum. I was also encouraged to hear that the government is moving ahead with its independent election commission to prepare for elections early next year.
Finally, we talked also today about the economic challenges facing Iraq. I emphasized America's commitment, and that of our Coalition partners, to see Iraq's infrastructure repaired and Iraq's economy grow more quickly. We understand that Iraq's people need more electricity, more water, more jobs -- and we are determined to find ways to help the government meet those needs. A strong Iraq will be a force for stability and an example for its neighbors -- and a friend of the free world.
.........................
Interview on Al Iraqiya TV
Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State
Baghdad, Iraq July 19, 2004
QUESTION: What is your opinion on the current situation in Iraq, especially after the Iraqis have received sovereignty and the new Iraqi government is in place?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: My opinion is that the people of Iraq are gratified about the turnover of sovereignty to the government and that the government is beginning to get traction in terms of infrastructure and security.
QUESTION: After your visit to India and Pakistan you stated that you didn't ask India to send troops to Iraq. Have you seen any cooperation from India and Pakistan or a serious approach to send troops?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: The Indian government had already announced publicly that they were not going to send troops to Iraq, but they expressed a very strong determination to me to assist in reconstruction and they are willing to train Iraqi police or Iraqi military in India. The Pakistanis have not made up their minds about sending troops. They are pleased obviously with the designation of Ashraf Ghazi, the former Ambassador to the United States as the U.N. Secretary General's Special Representative. We hope that Pakistan will deliberate on whether to send troops or not.
QUESTION: What do you think of the Philippines position to withdraw troops from Iraq. How do you see support from the rest of the countries, for instance Thailand has decided it will not renew its presence in Iraq?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Well, we very much regret the decision of the government of the Philippines and we think that giving in to terrorism is a bad policy. But they made the decision as a sovereign nation and we must respect it. But I've noticed that other nations are going in the other direction. The government of Australia is actually sending more troops here. I've seen others such as Bulgaria standing very strong in the mouth of terrorism. So I think that the international community in general is coming to the opinion that Iraq is going to be a success story.
QUESTION: Is the U.S. involved in pressuring Iraq's neighboring countries in their relationship with Iraq, especially Syria and Iran?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Since the naming of the interim Iraqi government it seems to me that the opinion of the Gulf and even Mubarak has turned very positive and the public statement of most of the nations has been quite good. I've noticed the Prime Minister has made an offer to travel to many of the Gulf states and Egypt. I think this will be very beneficial because he will make the case to the Iraqi people (inaudible) and that s much better than Americans making the case. But of course, we always encourage our friends to be as supportive as possible to Iraq.
QUESTION: After the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq and the opening of the Embassy, the Iraqi file has been moved from the DoD to the State Department. Will this step help in the rebuilding of Iraq and also in this case who will be responsible for the security issue?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Well, the security situation I'll tackle first. That will become more and more the responsibility of the Iraqi government and Iraqi security force and the multinational force will be there to assist as requested by the government. You're correct, the State Department has taken over in Iraq. We're represented by a very fine Ambassador, John Negroponte. And I feel that we're moving very rapidly to move reconstruction money into society and into areas of Iraq where it will benefit the people more directly. I think, of course, this is with the (inaudible) and encouragement and agreement of the government of Iraq.
QUESTION: In this case, do you think the security situation will improve?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: I think the security situation will indeed improve. I think the biggest reason it will improve is because the Iraqi people are going to demand it. My sense is that the people of Iraq are fed up with violence. Now, they realize that those who have committed violence and bombing infrastructure targets, etc., are fighting Iraqis. (inaudible) They're fighting against Iraq, and fighting against families of Iraq, not the Coalition.
QUESTION: Most major news networks have forecasted that the terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks committed their operations from Iran. Do you see the Iranian government having a hand in the 9/11 attacks?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: I have to look at the Commission report. I've seen press reports of the report that said the Iranians were involved in some of the facilitation of this, and we'll let the evidence take its way. If that's the case, then our view is to rapidly try to make amends by expelling the Al Qaeda that supposedly are in Iran. The Iranian government knows that they would be very well advised, I think, to return those people to their countries of origin so all of us can learn what they know.
QUESTION: What message do you have for the Iraqi people from this visit?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: I think the wish of the American people is that the new Iraq can take its rightful place in the community of nations and the new Iraq should be a leader in the Middle East. This is what we count and what we are sure of.
QUESTION: Did you have time to visit Baghdad and see the city?
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: No. I've only been out of the Green Zone a couple of times and didn't go very far. I've previously been able to go to other cities because I've had a little more time. But I did talk to all of our folks and, of course, many Iraqis about the situation. And clearly, we're heading towards a better place. We couldn't be happier about that.
QUESTION: Thank you , Mr. Armitage, for this exclusive interview for Al Iraqiya TV.
DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Thank you so much.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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