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Skriven 2006-11-30 23:31:18 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0611302) for Thu, 2006 Nov 30
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Joint Statement by the President of the United States and the Prime
Minister of Iraq
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 30, 2006

Joint Statement by the President of the United States and the Prime
Minister of Iraq


˙˙˙˙˙ President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with Prime
Minister Maliki of Iraq ˙˙˙˙˙ Renewal in Iraq

We were pleased to continue our consultations on building security and
stability in Iraq. We are grateful to His Majesty King Abdullah II of
Jordan for hosting these meetings here in Amman.

Our discussions reviewed developments in Iraq, focusing on the security
situation and our common concern about sectarian violence targeting
innocent Iraqis. In this regard, the Prime Minister affirms the commitment
of his government to advance efforts toward national reconciliation and the
need for all Iraqis and political forces in Iraq to work against armed
elements responsible for violence and intimidation. The Prime Minister also
affirms his determination with help from the United States and the
international community to improve the efficiency of government operations,
particularly in confronting corruption and strengthening the rule of law.

We discussed the plague of terrorism in Iraq which is being fomented and
fueled by Al Qaeda. The people of Iraq, like the people of the United
States and the entire civilized world, must stand together to face this
common threat. The Prime Minister affirmed that Iraq is a partner in the
fight against Al Qaeda. We agreed that defeating Al Qaeda and the
terrorists is vital to ensuring the success of Iraq's democracy. We
discussed the means by which the United States will enhance Iraq's
capabilities to further isolate extremists and bring all who choose
violence and terror to full justice under Iraqi law.

We agreed in particular to take all necessary measures to track down and
bring to justice those responsible for the cowardly attacks last week in
Sadr City. The Prime Minister has also pledged to bring to justice those
responsible for crimes committed in the wake of this attack.

We discussed accelerating the transfer of security responsibilities to the
Government of Iraq; our hopes for strengthening the future relationship
between our two nations; and joint efforts to achieve greater cooperation
from governments in the region and to counter those elements that are
fueling the conflict.

We received an interim report from the high-level Joint Committee on
Accelerating the Transferring of Security Responsibility, and encouraged
the Committee to continue its good work. We agreed that reform of the Iraqi
security ministries and agencies and addressing the issue of militias
should be accelerated. The ultimate solution to stabilizing Iraq and
reducing violence is true national reconciliation and capable and loyal
Iraqi forces dedicated to protecting all the Iraqi people.

We are committed to continuing to build the partnership between our two
countries as we work together to strengthen a stable, democratic, and
unified Iraq.

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