Chief among our goals in the Middle East is to bring about peace in a region
that has faced decades of conflict. While cognizant of the challenges ahead, this
Administration believes that comprehensive peace – peace not only between Israel
and the Palestinians, but also between Israel and Syria, and Israel and Lebanon,
and the full normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors – is not
only in the interests of the parties to these conflicts; it is in America’s interest, and
it is in the world’s interest. Achievement of this goal will require collective action
and we are working closely with countries across the region to create an
environment that supports peaceful resolution. At the same time, we are
addressing the security needs of our friends and allies.
The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the two-state
solution is central to our goal of comprehensive peace: two states living side by
side in peace and security – a strong, Jewish state of Israel, with true security for
all Israelis; and an independent, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state that ends
the occupation that began in 1967 and unleashes the full potential of the Palestinian
people. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are deeply and personally
committed to realizing this goal. On behalf of the President and Secretary of State,
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell has been working closely
with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, regional leaders and allies, our partners in the
Quartet, and others.
This is a challenging issue with a tangled history. We all know that no one
high-level meeting will resolve this conflict. But progress is steadily and quietly
being made, and the President and his team will continue to approach this effort
with perseverance and determination.
Both in public and in private, President Obama has made clear that the
negotiations should cover all permanent status issues – borders, security,
Jerusalem, and refugees – and result in the establishment of an independent, viable,
and contiguous Palestinian state, alongside a secure Israel.
While there are differences in the parties’ positions on the core issues, that is
true of every negotiation. If we accepted that such differences would remain
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unbridgeable, no conflict would ever be resolved. And there is a firm basis for
discussions to resume based on the terms of reference of earlier negotiations and
the parties’ previous agreements.
We seek to create a dialogue that facilitates the compromises necessary to
ensure the long-term interests of both sides. While it is critical that neither side
hold out for the perfect formula, it is also important that both sides have a stake in
the framework for the negotiations. The issues at hand can only be resolved
through direct talks.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship,
which is based not only on our common interests in the region, but on our common
values. The Administration’s commitment to Israel’s security and well being is
unshakable. We continue to consult closely with Israel to ensure its continued
Qualitative Military Edge throughout the region. In FY09, with your help and
leadership, the Administration disbursed $2.55 billion in FMF to Israel and our
FY10 commitment stands at $2.775 billon. Additionally, our assistance and our
diplomatic engagement region-wide help ensure Israel’s security. We have also
consistently worked to ensure that Israel is treated fairly at the UN and other
international organizations.
This Administration is also vigorously pursuing comprehensive peace in the
region, which we fundamentally believe is in our interests, as well as Israel’s longterm
interest. As the President said, the United States does Israel no favors when
we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security and well-being with an
insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of Palestinians.
Resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict will not automatically resolve other
challenges in the region, such as those posed by Iran, just as neutralizing those
concerns will not automatically resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But efforts
on these fronts and others are mutually reinforcing.
Making peace between Israelis and Palestinians – and between Israel and its
Arab neighbors – strengthens the U.S. in responding to other foreign policy
imperatives in the region. It serves U.S. national security interests and strengthens
regional security and stability.
Among the other vital issues we must address in the region, nuclear nonproliferation
is key to our long-term security and the stability of the region. We
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continue to advance our non-proliferation aims internationally by seeking to
prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, as well as
weapon-usable nuclear and radiological materials and expertise, while ensuring
that states that do seek civil nuclear power are able to exercise that right while they
uphold their commitment to exclusively peaceful applications.
We are actively engaged in countering extremism by working with our
partners to pursue terrorists and by discrediting extremist ideologies through
promotion of social and economic development, good governance, rule of law, and
resolution of regional conflicts.
We are also building constructive partnerships between the people of the
United States and the Middle East that support entrepreneurism, science,
education, health, and other shared goals.
While we must continue to strive for energy security by developing
renewable sources and alternatives to fossil fuel use at home, we also must ensure
international markets have access to affordable energy resources. Air and sea lanes
must be protected and lines of communication to and from the region kept open.
The United States must be ready to support and work with the governments
and people in the region, promoting reform and liberalization to increase
representativeness, inclusiveness, and respect for the rights of all people, including
women and religious minorities.
Regional Challenges and Threats
A range of serious challenges confront the Middle East and North Africa –
among them, acute demographic challenges, notably a youth bulge that will
necessitate the creation of millions of new jobs over the next decade. Conflicts,
including continued attacks in Iraq and violence and separatism in Yemen, among
others, continue to destabilize the region and detract resources from other
priorities. Human trafficking, inadequate human rights protections, and absent or
weak democratic institutions persist across much of the Near East. Other crossborder
threats – from public health epidemics to terrorist organizations, including
Al-Qaeda affiliates – are aggravated by emerging demographic trends that
undermine human security and progress in the region.
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These issues not only confront the people and governments of the region, but
also affect our own policies and national security interests. Development and
government capacity deficits can contribute to radicalization, inhibit the emergence
of a robust civil society, and hinder opportunities for economic growth and trade.
Conflicts fuel extremism and interfere with our ability to crystallize positive
changes in the way the United States is viewed in the region. We will continue to
bolster our strategic relationships in the region and the capacity of stakeholders at
all levels to work together to overcome these challenges.
New Opportunities
President Obama has created a genuine opening and opportunity for a new
beginning to our relationship with Muslims in the Middle East and around the
world.
The President said, in both Ankara and in Cairo, that, where in the past we
may have focused in this region more narrowly, through a lens of defeating
extremists or securing oil and gas supplies, we now seek a broader engagement, on
the basis of common interests and mutual respect. The President’s vision includes
new and reinvigorated partnerships in the fields of business, science and
technology, education, public health, and with civil society across the region.
Following the President’s speech, we initiated hundreds of conversations
with community, civil society, and political leaders around the world. We have
listened carefully. The expectations in the region are very high for U.S. action to
follow up on the speech. With heightened expectations come certain risks, but also
important opportunities.
The Department of State and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs play an
important role in helping to fulfill that vision and ensure the President’s words are
backed by deeds. We will continue important ongoing public diplomacy efforts,
including educational and cultural exchanges, which in FY 2008 totaled over $100
million and involved thousands of youth and professionals. We remain active in
our outreach efforts to regional news outlets, encompassing traditional and new
media. Since 2007, the U.S. has issued more than 71,400 student and exchange
visitor visas to applicants from the Middle East. We are particularly interested in
supporting employment-focused approaches to education and partnerships with the
private sector to tackle comprehensively the obstacles that hinder economic growth
and development in the region. Coordination through international fora, such as
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the G8’s Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA), enhances our
reach and effectiveness in these and other areas. Secretary Clinton will be leading
the U.S. delegation, of which I will be a part, to the annual BMENA Forum for the
Future in order to demonstrate our enduring commitment to creating sustainable
partnerships that lead to reform, progress, and prosperity in the region.
A principal vehicle for achieving our objectives is the Middle East
Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Through MEPI, we are answering the President’s
call to intensify and deepen our engagement in the region. MEPI is directly
engaging with and investing in the people of the Middle East and North Africa
through programs focused on strengthening civil society and the rule of law,
empowering women and youth, creating educational opportunities, and fostering
economic development and entrepreneurship.
MEPI’s Local Grants Program directly supports the efforts of NGOs, the
private sector, and academic institutions that are working to advance educational
and professional opportunities for people in the region. Through this unique, fastdelivery
program, MEPI fuels initiatives and ideas developed by organizations and
civil society leaders working to advance positive change and reform in the Middle
East and North Africa.
MEPI’s support strengthens the capacity of those who serve as the region’s
most dedicated and successful agents of change – the people themselves. We’ve
seen progress in the region through our efforts. For example, MEPI funds
provided for the training for more than 6,000 women candidates in preparation for
Morocco’s June 2009 municipal elections, in which the government had set aside
12 percent of the seats for women. Women won 13 percent of the seats, surpassing
the quota and marking a dramatic increase from only 0.5 percent of seats they held
previously. This type of activity responds to the President’s call to employ foreign
assistance to catalyze local action that will ultimately help to build sustainable
democracies.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provides another
key vehicle for furthering regional goals that are vital to U.S. foreign policy.
Through programs in the region – that totaled more than $2 billion in FY 2009 –
USAID helps local governments to deliver services; supports private sector-led
economic growth; delivers humanitarian aid; and works with governments to
strengthen their capacity to respond to the needs of the people of the region.
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Principled Engagement
Let me turn to our strategy of engagement, which the President first laid out
in his inaugural address and has since repeated in interviews and speeches across
the United States and around the world.
Through our strategy of principled engagement we are greatly strengthening
our position and advancing our objectives, vis-à-vis both our friends and our
adversaries. With our allies we are reinvigorating more comprehensive
partnerships – reaching beyond governments to touch the lives of individuals
through economic, educational, and scientific cooperation. We are demonstrating
our desire to work with our allies and engage in full cooperation across a wide
range of issues.
Our engagement, based on mutual respect and mutual interests, increases our
power, our influence, our options, and ultimately our chances for success in
achieving our objectives. Even in the cases of adversaries or nations with which
we disagree, a strategy of engagement pays important dividends. When we lead
with diplomacy we gain insight into others’ intentions and calculations. As
Secretary Clinton has said, we also gain the possibility, however remote, that
governments will ultimately alter their policies on issues where we disagree.
By pursuing the option for dialogue and proving our openness to a
negotiated resolution of differences, we bolster the willingness of our allies to join
us in exerting pressure should those negotiations fail. Our efforts in the context of
international fora are met with greater readiness and receptivity by other countries,
opening new channels to mitigate conflicts and encourage international actors to
adhere to their international responsibilities.
Iran
Our strategy of engagement in general takes us to the specific case of Iran.
Our primary goal is clear: to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons
capability. In coordination with our friends and allies, we are using a range of
diplomatic tools including direct, principled engagement and continued pressure to
change Iran’s strategic calculus so that it meets its international obligations on its
nuclear program and can enjoy the rights that come with being a responsible
member of the international community.
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While we remain committed to reaching a diplomatic solution through
meaningful engagement with Iran, we know that pressure plays a role in
persuading Iran of the costs of its destabilizing activities. In case negotiations do
not produce the necessary results, we are also developing our planning for
international action to pressure Iran to change its policies. This is the rationale
behind the P5+1 dual-track policy, a balance between engagement and pressure, to
persuade the Iranian government that its current approach is not in its best interest.
As the President has said, the P5+1 meeting with Iran on October 1 was a
constructive beginning, but determination of whether Iran is serious about
addressing international concerns will depend on Iran’s follow-through on its
commitments. The recent revelation of a previously-undisclosed enrichment
facility at Qom contributed to the deep concerns and unity of the international
community. Tangible steps by Iran are needed to demonstrate that its nuclear
program is exclusively peaceful. In Vienna last week, the IAEA, Russia, the U.S.,
France, and Iran met to finalize the implementation terms of the IAEA’s proposal,
based on the Geneva agreement in principle, to respond to Iran’s request to acquire
fuel for its IAEA-safe-guarded Tehran Research Reactor. Russia, France and the
United States have accepted the draft IAEA agreement, which if implemented by
Iran, would be an important step to build confidence. We hope that Iran will
respond positively to the agreement developed by the IAEA as a confidence
building measure. Turning to the IAEA investigation of the Iranian nuclear
program, IAEA inspectors have inspected the Qom facility this week and we
expect Iran to provide the IAEA with full and unfettered access for its investigation
and we await the IAEA’s report.
The Tehran Research Reactor project and the IAEA’s inspection of the
Qom facility occur in the context of the international community’s broader
concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, which will remain the focus of the P5+1
process.
International concerns about Iran are also broader than the nuclear file. Iran
remains the most active state sponsor of terrorism. Its support for groups such as
Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, members of the Taliban, and
insurgents in Iraq continue to destabilize the region. Iran’s support for terrorist
groups has a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace and threatens
regional economic stability. Moreover, it undermines the trust of the international
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community and weakens its confidence in Iran’s ability to play a positive role in
the region.
We encourage Iran to maintain constructive and peaceful relations with its
neighbors. We also continue to appeal to countries in the region, whose territory
and air space Iran has used to re-supply terrorist groups, to help stop the flow of
materiel and other support to terrorist groups.
When we talk about Iran meeting its international responsibilities, we are not
just talking about its nuclear program or support for terrorism; we are also talking
about human rights. Much like Iran’s failure to adhere to its international
obligations on the nuclear front, Iran has failed to adhere to its international
obligations to protect and advance human rights and universal principles and
freedoms - freedoms provided for in its own constitution, reflected in the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights, and codified in the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.
We remain deeply concerned about the brutal manner in which the Iranian
government handled peaceful post-election protests. We call on Iran to live up to
its international obligations to advance universal principles, including freedom of
expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of worship, and the right to due process
for all those seeking justice. The Iranian government’s flagrant disregard of its
international human rights commitments has never been clearer than in the weeks
and months following the June 12
th election. Iraqis continue to make political progress. Recent provincial and regional
elections were conducted peacefully and successfully. Upcoming national
parliamentary elections in early 2010 are expected to be a watershed event in Iraq’s
young democracy. Of critical importance for Iraq’s democracy is passage of an
election law to govern the upcoming national elections. Iraq’s political leaders are
seriously working on such a law, but have already exceeded their self-imposed
deadline. We are actively urging all parties to seek compromise language on the
issues that divide them, so that Iraq may hold timely and democratic polls this
coming January.
Progress in Iraq is significant and hopeful, but not without challenges,
including Arab-Kurd disagreements that continue to cause tensions. To address
those issues we are actively supporting efforts to settle boundary disputes and
develop the vital oil sector. We urge all sides to abstain from violence and to work
through peaceful channels to resolve differences.
The Strategic Framework Agreement serves as the basis for our relationship
with Iraq as we move forward. In July, Secretary Clinton and Iraqi Prime Minister
Maliki co-chaired the Higher Coordinating Committee of the SFA and reaffirmed
our mutual commitment to the civilian partnership it envisions. We will direct
U.S. assistance to help re-build the capacity of the Iraqi government in many
critical areas, including better delivery of public services, economic reform,
decreasing sectarian violence and strengthening the rule of law and respect for
human rights. We will continue to work with the Iraqi government and the
international community to assist displaced Iraqis and create conditions that
support their voluntary and sustainable return.
U.S. combat forces withdrew from cities and villages on June 30. We will
honor our commitment under the Security Agreement to remove all U.S. forces by
December 31, 2011, and the President has made clear his intent to remove combat
troops by August 2010. He reiterated this pledge when he met with Prime Minister
Maliki in the Oval Office on October 20. The Department of State and Embassy
Baghdad are actively engaged in the important transition from a military focus
toward a civilian and capacity-building focus. We are working closely with
General Odierno and our military colleagues and other U.S. government agencies
to ensure the transition is smooth and successful. The support of Congress will be
vital in the effort to obtain the resources our men and women on the ground need
to do their jobs and build a strong foundation for our new relationship with Iraq.
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Syria and Lebanon
The President has endorsed a sustained, principled dialogue with Syria to
advance the interests of the United States and our allies. We believe that Syria and
the United States share some common interests, including a comprehensive peace
in the region, and that Syria can potentially play a constructive role in realizing our
common goals, provided Syria addresses a number of key concerns.
As part of our policy of engagement, I have visited Syria on several
occasions and Special Envoy Mitchell has twice met with Syrian President Bashar
al-Asad. Our initial meetings were essential to underscore the U.S. commitment
toward advancing regional peace and establishing a constructive atmosphere for
dialogue. Having laid this groundwork, we now want to move beyond dialogue
and toward action in the areas of cooperation and concern that we have identified.
While we have made some modest headway with the Syrians in this regard and we
believe that there is further potential for a positive, constructive U.S.-Syrian
relationship. For that potential to be fully realized, however, we will need to see
Syria address our concerns about some of its regional policies, such as support for
terrorist organizations like Hizballah and Hamas.
In Lebanon, we hope to see a quick resolution to the challenges that have
impeded the government-formation process. This is a process for the Lebanese to
carry out in accordance with their constitution and without outside interference. In
their June elections, the Lebanese sent a clear message in favor of Lebanon’s
independence. Expectations are currently high that a cabinet could be announced
within the coming days. We certainly hope this is the case. The Lebanese people
have waited too long for their government to return to the work of ensuring
security, economic development, and political dialogue for all Lebanese citizens.
We commend Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and President Michel Sleiman
for their stewardship during the government formation process. We look forward
to working with the next Lebanese government and reiterate that our support for
Lebanese sovereignty will not be compromised by our engagement with any other
party.
We remain extremely troubled about Hizballah’s role in Lebanon, especially
its maintenance of a vast arsenal of increasingly sophisticated weaponry. We are
also gravely concerned by Hizballah’s operations outside Lebanon, including their
activities inside Egypt, and in Azerbaijan where two Hizballah operatives were
recently sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hizballah’s actions in Lebanon and
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abroad contravene Security Council Resolution 1559 and 1701, are inconsistent
with Lebanon’s democratic processes, stoke sectarian tensions, and threaten to
spark renewed conflict in the region. We reiterate our calls, echoed by the UN
Secretary-General in his most recent report on Lebanon, for Hizballah to lay down
its arms and respect the Lebanese constitution, the Taif Agreement, and relevant
Security Council resolutions. All other parties in the region, particularly Syria and
Lebanon, should also help ensure the implementation of relevant Security Council
Resolutions.
Regional Partners
We continue to develop our strategic relationships in the Gulf and
throughout the region. Through our engagement with regional partners, and with
other governmental and non-governmental actors around the world, the U.S. is
gaining the political and material support to deal effectively with the challenges we
face.
We share a common vision of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Middle East
with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We are committed to
working with our Gulf partners to seek an end to persistent conflict in the region,
in particular achieving a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. We
continue to support military, law enforcement, and regulatory mechanisms and
promote robust anti-terrorism cooperation with our Gulf partners to stem
extremism and deny safe haven for terrorists throughout the broader region.
With our important allies Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries that
currently have peace treaties with Israel, we are working on a broad range of
shared initiatives, including promoting a comprehensive Middle East peace,
countering terrorism, promoting good governance, respect for human rights, and
economic prosperity.
President Obama and Secretary Clinton have acknowledged the contribution
of Saudi Arabia as the author of the Arab Peace Initiative. It is important, though,
that Arab states recognize this initiative as an important beginning, and not an end,
to their responsibilities to help create the conditions for peace.
The U.S. must also engage with our partners to address the troubling
developments in Yemen and ensure that critical stabilization, development, and
humanitarian assistance objectives are met. We are seriously concerned by the
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violence and unrest of recent weeks and months. We will follow a two-pronged
approach, involving security as well as humanitarian and stabilization assistance,
to improve the government of Yemen’s ability to maintain stability and prevent the
country from becoming a safe haven for terrorists. A weak central government in
Yemen, as well as the increased presence of Al-Qaeda, are two significant
challenges that the United States must continue to address.
In conclusion, even a quick survey of the Near East region reveals the
magnitude of the issues and challenges we face there: the search for peace in a
region riven by decades of conflict; the security of our friends and allies; the
protection of our nation’s energy supply; the moral imperative to confront global
climate change; the promotion of democracy, women’s empowerment, human
rights, and social and political progress; the fight against human trafficking; the
cultivation of new markets for American commerce; and the expansion of
education and economic opportunity. Our foreign policy in the Near East will
affect the future security and well-being of the American people, the people of the
region, and indeed, of the world. Our diplomats serving in this region, often in
combat zones alongside the brave men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces, are
pursuing these goals vigorously every day. As Assistant Secretary, I am deeply
grateful for the support this committee has shown them.
Thank you for that support, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for giving me the
opportunity to lay out the pressing issues, and our vital goals in the region. I look
forward to addressing any questions the Committee may have.
Of particular concern is the Iranian government’s use of public show trials to
deal with the aftermath of the June elections and designed to extract forced
confessions from hundreds of its citizens. Iran’s sentencing of Iranian-American
scholar, Kian Tajbakhsh to 15 years in prison is just one recent example of Iran’s
failure to ensure due process safeguards as guaranteed in its own constitution, as
well as in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In discussing Iran today, I must reiterate our concern about the fate of
American citizens currently detained or missing there. We continue to urge the
Iranian government to release Mr. Tajbakhsh, and the three American hikers,
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal, who have been held without charges
for more than 80 days. We also continue to call for the immediate release of Reza
Taghavi, a 71 years-old Iranian American who has been held in detention without
charges since May 2008 despite his failing health. We also continue to press Iran
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to use all means to determine the whereabouts and ensure the safe return of Robert
Levinson. Our goal is to ensure the safe return of all these individuals to the
United States as quickly as possible so that they can be reunited with their families.
REMARKS FOR THE RECORD
AMBASSADOR JEFFREY D. FELTMAN
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS
BEFORE THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE
MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA
OCTOBER 28, 2009
Chairman Ackerman, Ranking Member Burton, Distinguished Members of the
Committee:
Thank you for inviting me to appear before you today. My colleagues in the
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and I appreciate the Committee’s abiding interest
in and attention to our nation’s priorities and goals in the region. I am pleased to
present the Committee with an overview of the Administration’s policies and our
relations with the countries of the Middle East.
Events in the Middle East and U.S. involvement there often have significant
policy and security implications that reach far beyond the region. International
peace and stability, nuclear proliferation, energy security, economic growth, and
human rights all are affected greatly by developments in the region. President
Obama and Secretary Clinton are implementing a foreign policy that best enables
us to respond to the clear imperatives, seize new opportunities, and address the
serious challenges that we face in the Middle East and around the world.
Partnership has been a watchword of this Administration’s foreign policy.
President Obama’s call for greater openness and partnership in our relations with
other nations reflects a belief deeply held by this Administration: to face the
complicated challenges confronting us today, we need to work together with others
more than ever before.
And just as that holds for our foreign relations – reaching out to traditional
and non-traditional partners in our diplomatic efforts – it could not be truer within
our own government: teamwork, across our departments, agencies, offices, and
branches of government, is essential. The State Department’s Bureau of Near
Eastern Affairs collaborates intensively with other regional and functional bureaus
in the Department, with distinguished Special Envoys, Representatives and
Advisors appointed by the President and the Secretary of State, with USAID and
other civilian agencies and the Department of Defense, and with the Congress,
Iraq
The United States remains committed to bolstering Iraq as a sovereign
nation and supporting its progress on a path to self-reliance, peace, and prosperity.
Iraqis themselves are making efforts to promote domestic peace, national unity,
and regional integration. We continue to support those efforts of our Iraqi partners.
An example of our commitment to a better future for Iraq is the U.S.-Iraq
Business and Investment Conference held on October 20-21 that attracted over
1,000 participants. It was an opportunity to mark the progress that has been made
and a chance for the American and international business communities to take
advantage of significant business opportunities in Iraq. Secretary Clinton and
Prime Minister Maliki opened the event. They highlighted the exciting potential in
Iraq and the desire of Iraqis to build a more prosperous, peaceful future for
themselves. Secretary Clinton commended Iraqi officials for recent steps to
improve the investment climate and urged additional steps so that Iraq could
compete successfully for global investment funds. She stressed that the conference
was a tangible outcome of U.S. commitments under the Strategic Framework
Agreement (SFA) to move toward the goal of a stable, sovereign, and self-reliant
Iraq. We have made other commitments to Iraq as well. As you may recall, the
President announced in February that we would continue to help Iraq train its
Security Forces and develop its government and economy.
We have expressed our condolences to the victims of Sunday’s brutal attacks
in Baghdad and for the tragic loss of so many lives. The United States strongly
condemns the bombings at the Iraqi Ministry of Justice and other government
offices and the horrific bombings of August 19. These bombings and some of the
recent attacks on the U.S. military and Iraqi civilians demonstrate that Iraq is not
yet secure and there will be difficult days ahead. We stand by all Iraqis, at this
crucial time leading up to national elections, and we pledge to join them in
working together to combat all forms of violence and attempts at intimidation. It is
worth noting that violence in Iraq remains substantially reduced from 2006-2007
levels, and the capacity of Iraq’s Security Forces is improving.
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particularly with members of this Subcommittee, to ensure a comprehensive,
coordinated approach to fulfilling our strategic goals.
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Strategic Imperatives in the Region and Middle East Peace