Text 3789, 86 rader
Skriven 2006-12-11 23:31:48 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0612112) for Mon, 2006 Dec 11
====================================================

===========================================================================
President Bush Meets with Senior State Department Officials on Iraq
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 11, 2006

President Bush Meets with Senior State Department Officials on Iraq
United States Department of State
Washington, D.C.

President's Remarks view


THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. I just had a briefing with senior
policy advisors here at the State Department. I want to thank you for your
hospitality, Madam Secretary.

We talked about a lot of things. We talked about what's taking place on the
ground in Iraq, particularly from the perspective of the State Department.
I must tell you, there are some fantastic, brave souls who are heading
PRTs, provincial reconstruction teams. These are our civilian components on
the ground there in Iraq. And we got a briefing from Baghdad with one of
our PRT leaders here in Washington about the challenges and the tasks to
help this Iraqi government get a country that can sustain and govern and
defend itself.

No question in my mind, there are some very brave State Department
officials who are engaged in this really important endeavor. And I want to
thank them and their families. I appreciate the advice I got from those
folks in the field. And that advice is an important part, an important
component of putting together a new way forward in Iraq. Like most
Americans, this administration wants to succeed in Iraq, because we
understand success in Iraq would help protect the United States in the long
run.

We also talked about the neighborhood, the countries that surround Iraq and
the responsibilities that they have to help this young Iraqi democracy
survive. We believe that most of the countries understand that a mainstream
society, a society that is a functioning democracy, is in their interests.
And it's up to us to help focus their attentions and focus their efforts on
helping the Iraqis succeed.

I appreciate so very much the Iraqi leadership taking the lead in its
neighborhood. After all, one of the things we're trying to do is help this
government get on its feet so it can govern and it can conduct its own
foreign policy. But the role of America is to help this young democracy
survive.

I'm looking forward to continuing my deliberations with the military.
There's no question we've got to make sure that the State Department and
the Defense Department are -- the efforts and their recommendations are
closely coordinated so that when I do speak to the American people, they
will know that I've listened to all aspects of government, and that the way
forward is the way forward to achieve our objective: to succeed in Iraq.
And success is a country that governs, defends itself, that is a free
society, that serves as an ally in this war on terror.

And the reason why that's vital is because Iraq is a central component of
defeating the extremists who want to establish safe haven in the Middle
East, extremists who would use their safe haven from which to attack the
United States, extremists and radicals who have stated that they want to
topple moderate governments in order to be able to achieve assets necessary
to effect their dream of spreading their totalitarian ideology as far and
wide as possible.

This is really the calling of our time, that is, to defeat these extremists
and radicals, and Iraq is a component part, an important part of laying the
foundation for peace.

And so Madam Secretary, thank you for the briefing. I want to thank your
team here in Washington for their good work, and I thank those out in the
field who have shown such incredible bravery to do the hard work necessary
to secure our country.

Thank you all.

END 11:58 A.M. EST

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/20061211-2.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)