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30 July 2004

Powell Meets With Iraqi President Al Yawer in Baghdad

Pledges U.S. support for efforts to establish democracy, human rights

Secretary of State Colin Powell made an unannounced visit to Baghdad July 30 and said the United States is determined and committed to work with Iraq's interim government as it establishes "democracy and the basis of freedom and human rights in Iraq."

Speaking with Iraqi Interim Government President Sheikh Ghazi Al Yawer, Powell also said the Bush administration is looking forward to Iraq's upcoming national conference as an opportunity for Iraqis to "assemble and speak to their leaders and to begin to debate amongst themselves and to talk to each other about the kind of Iraq that they wish to see."

Following is the text of Secretary Powell's remarks with Iraqi President Sheikh Ghazi Al Yawer:

(begin transcript)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
(Baghdad, Iraq)
July 30, 2004

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL
WITH IRAQI PRESIDENT SHEIKH GHAZI AL YAWER

Office of the President
Baghdad, Iraq
July 30, 2004

SHEIKH GHAZI: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I met this morning ... this afternoon with Secretary Powell, Secretary of State of the United States of America. I welcome him for being here in Baghdad. I thank him for taking the chance to come here. And of course, as usual, this is part of the close cooperation and coordination between Iraq and the United States for the sake of Iraq, for the sake of this hemisphere, this country and this hemisphere of the world. And we discussed many issues of mutual interest and things for the better prosperity of Iraq. Thank you.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. President, Sheikh Ghazi. It's a great pleasure for me to be back in Baghdad: a Baghdad that is now free and sovereign under its new leadership. I've brought greetings from the President to Sheik Ghazi, and I also reaffirmed our determination and commitment to keep working with the Interim Government as they go about the process of establishing democracy and the basis of freedom and human rights in Iraq.

We are facing challenges in the weeks ahead, but we are determined to overcome. We look forward to the National Conference that will be held in two weeks time, where the people of Iraq can assemble and speak to their leaders and to begin to debate amongst themselves and to talk to each other about the kind of Iraq that they wish to see.

I also expressed to the President and to the Prime Minister, when I saw him yesterday in Jeddah, how impressed we all are with the courage and the determination they have shown in the face of adversity. And we are pleased at the leadership they are showing in taking over the responsibility for governing this great country.

So, Mr. President, thank you for receiving me. I look forward to the rest of my visit here today and I look forward to returning again in the not too distant future. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=July&x=20040730113315ESnamfuaK6.101626e-02&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html