Wamp: Remarks On Iraqi PM's Address To Congress
July 27, 2006

The message Congress received Wednesday as Members sat in a joint session to receive an address by Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, was that Iraqi’s are grateful to America for their freedom and are putting the institutions in place to ensure democracy but this cannot happen if the war Islamic Jihadists are waging against freedom-loving nations is lost.

Mr. al-Maliki declared Iraq’s commitment to the on-going struggle and their fight for freedom and also denounced the sectarian and insurgent violence. He also signaled that his country is willing to take an active role in helping foster a lasting peace in the Middle East, calling it the “new politics of democratic Iraq.” I think it was very, very important for his neighbors and the world to hear and be reminded of what it meant when the voters of Iraq dipped their fingers in ink and held them high with the pride of knowing that they were beginning that difficult process of self-government, making their own decisions and choosing their own leaders.

He was very bold when he said, “Few believed in us, but America did.” And he made it very clear that he is representing the genuine feelings and interests of the Iraqi people who elected him and they want very much for America to stay with them in this quest for a democratic way of life.

Another positive factor al-Maliki mentioned was Iraq’s growing free-market economy and the fact that their gross domestic product has doubled. He pointed to Iraq’s policy of opening this new economy to foreign investment, which other Arab countries do not allow. Iraq’s progress on women’s’ rights is also something that the world should watch closely because this too separates the new Iraq from its Arab neighbors.

He echoed what is often said on the floors of Congress; that every free country of the world is at risk if these extremists are allowed to succeed. “Iraq is the battle that will determine the war,” al-Maliki said, meaning that Iraq is the front line and the outcome there will determine whether or not these Islamic Jihadists prevail in their global quest to use fear and terror to intimidate the free world and effectively, I think, to drive the free world out of their region.

Because of what happened under Saddam Hussein’s regime, the National Reconciliation Initiative al-Maliki began is a very important development. In South Africa 2 years ago, I saw firsthand the fruits of the incredible reconciliation process that took place there following the end of Apartheid and how important it is for those who were in tyranny and for those who were treated so terribly to offer forgiveness. Likewise, al-Maliki talked about forgiveness and reconciliation and how that must take place, but he also made it very clear that if people misinterpreted their willingness to forgive as a weakness that they should remember that if the terrorists continue to use violence against them, that they will end up, frankly, like Musab al-Zarqawi did.

Maliki was strong and forthright and gave us a clear reminder of how important this bold challenge is with the United States’ presence in Iraq. The President has committed even more troops there in the short run in order that we might ultimately prevail and then begin to bring our troops home, but clearly with the events in Lebanon, the actions by Hezbollah and the problems with Hamas and Iranian aggression, the Middle East is clearly a hornets nest which we cannot ignore or run from. We must meet it head on, and use new partners in freedom like Iraq and their newly elected government to stand our ground against this global threat of Islamic Jihadists. I’m grateful for Prime Minister al-Maliki’s attendance and his message to the United States Congress to remind us what is at stake and what progress is being made.