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06 April 2005

Bush Congratulates New Iraqi President Jalal Talabani

Iraqi National Assembly names three-member presidency council

President Bush extended his congratulations to Iraq's newly selected President Jalal Talabani and his two deputy presidents, Adil Abd al-Mahdi and Ghazi Ajil al-Yawer, in a statement issued April 6, shortly after Iraq's National Assembly agreed on the positions.

"The Iraqi people have shown their commitment to democracy and we, in turn, are committed to Iraq," Bush said in his statement.  "We look forward to working with this new government and we congratulate all Iraqis on this historic day."

Talabani will be Iraq's first Kurdish president.  Abd al-Mahdi is a Shia Arab currently serving as the interim finance minister, and al-Yawer is a Sunni Arab currently serving as Iraq's interim president.

According to the Transitional Administrative Law, the three-member presidency council now has two weeks to choose a prime minister, and the prime minister will have one month to assemble a council of ministers.

The new government will have the task of writing Iraq's new constitution.  After the Iraqi people ratify the constitution in a national referendum, a new set of elections will be held to replace the transitional government.

Following is the text of Bush's statement:

(begin text)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
April 6, 2005

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Iraq's Transitional National Assembly took a momentous step forward in Iraq's transition to democracy today, voting by an overwhelming majority to elect the Presidency Council of the Iraqi Transitional Government.

I congratulate Iraq's next President, Jalal Talabani, and its next Deputy Presidents, Adil Abd al-Mahdi and Ghazi Ajil al-Yawer, on this historic occasion.  These individuals will be formally sworn in tomorrow and will move quickly to name a Prime Minister who will work during the coming days to select a Council of Ministers.  The new Iraqi government will then begin its important work of writing a new constitution, continuing to train Iraqi security forces, delivering basic services, and advancing Iraq's transformation from dictatorship to democracy.

The Iraqi people have shown their commitment to democracy and we, in turn, are committed to Iraq.  We look forward to working with this new government and we congratulate all Iraqis on this historic day.

(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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