12 December 2006
Bush Consults Iraq's Sunni Vice President on Policy Shifts
Tariq al-Hashemi sees "real chance" to achieve stability in Iraq
Washington -– President Bush met with Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi December 12 to discuss the security situation in Iraq and ways the United States can help the Iraqi government achieve stability.
After their meeting, Bush said: “He spoke eloquently about the suffering that innocent families have gone through. And my heart goes out to those, Mr. Vice President, who have suffered at the hands of the extremists and killers. Our objective is to help the Iraqi government deal with the extremists and killers and support the vast majority of Iraqis who are reasonable people who want peace.”
Al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab, has been personally affected by the violence in Iraq, which claimed the lives of his brother and his sister in separate attacks in April. Bush praised the Iraqi vice president, saying, “In spite of his grief and in spite of pain in his heart, he was willing to work for a united Iraq and a peaceful Iraq.”
He added, “Mr. vice president, I respect your courage and I respect your advice.”
Bush’s meeting with al-Hashemi follows similar discussions with Shiite political leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and comes at a time when the president is considering revisions to U.S. policy in Iraq. Al-Hashemi welcomed Bush’s decision to move their scheduled meeting forward, calling it “a really positive message to the Iraqi people that the American administration, while they are revising their strategy, they are looking for a balance and fair analysis from diverse leaders in Iraq.”
The president has also sought input from the State Department and the Pentagon as he weighs options for policy changes in Iraq. (See related article.)
Al-Hashemi said Iraq is facing difficult times but insisted there is a “real chance to get out of this present dilemma” with “strong determination.”
“Whatever the sacrifices, my family and the country, at the end of the day, we have no other option but to maintain this momentum and to struggle until we meet that success, inshallah,” al-Hashemi said.
A transcript of the remarks by Bush and al-Hashemi is available on the White House Web site.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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