Iraq, 2005

I wish

first of all to express my sincerest congratulations to

you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the

General Assembly. I wish you success in performing

this historic and humanitarian mission in the best

interests of humanity at large. I wish also to express

my appreciation to Mr. Jean Ping for his efforts in the

framework of that same mission and goals during the

previous session of the Assembly.

I come from Iraq, the cradle of civilization, a

meeting place for a variety of nationalities, religions,

creeds and political ideas. I come from a rich and

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fertile land which has throughout its honourable past

given the blood of its children, such as Al-Hussein and

subsequently Al-Sadr, to protect freedom and human

rights.

This is a unique opportunity for me to make

heard the strong voice of Iraq. The dictatorship that

ruled Iraq in the past tried to silence that voice by

sowing death and destruction. Mass graves testify to

that. Today it is the terrorists who are trying to silence

that voice. I have come here to deliver to the Assembly

a message from my nation, to convey the real picture

of the new Iraq that is emerging, the power of its

determination and its profound love and feelings

towards all other nations.

Iraq is now dealing with various new realities.

Today ó released from the restraints of a 35-year

dictatorship that imposed on Iraq one political,

security, media and economic option and engendered a

real Calvary of suffering for its people ó Iraq is

witnessing a different, multifaceted reality. Throughout

that period of great suffering and while the world stood

idly by, all kinds of crimes and suppression were

committed against Iraqis, Iraqi wealth and resources,

the environment, education, the justice system, culture

and civilization.

With the recent successful conclusion of our

political journey - in record time and in spite of all

the obstacles and challenges facing it - the Iraqi

people can justly be proud of their country and identity

today. Beginning with the elections on 30 January 2005

and the formation of the Government on 3 May, and

despite all the challenges faced over the past three

months, a draft constitution was written and will be

presented to the Iraqi people for a vote on 15 October.

That referendum will allow the Iraqi people to express

its will and allow it to constitutionally establish the

rule of law and to create a State in which there is

equality for all Iraqis.

The constitution will allow law and order, justice

and equality for all Iraqis. Iraqi women will be able to

participate actively in political life and will have their

rights restored, including the same right that men have

to pass on their nationality to their children. The

constitution grants religious freedom, freedom of

speech, and the right to federal and regional autonomy.

We are marching resolutely towards political

stability and economic prosperity and regaining

security and stability. While there were 61 terrorist car

bombings in July, that number dropped to nine in

August and September. Likewise, the number of

assassinations decreased from 225 to nine in the past

two months.

On 9 September the Iraqi military attacked

terrorist hubs in Talafar to restore security and stability

there. Our forces adhered to strict rules of conduct,

doing their best to protect innocent civilians in that

town. Feeling the force of that operation, the terrorists

fled to commit more crimes ó this time in the brave

and heroic city of Khadimiya, where over 160 civilians

were killed on 14 September.

The Iraqi forces continue to build, to train and to

be equipped so that they can take control of all internal

security matters and do not have to depend on the

multinational forces for their security. However, even

though some Iraqi cities are already prepared for it, the

time has not come for the Iraqi forces to be completely

independent. When we are ready and self-sufficient, we

will ask the multinational forces to leave our cities.

The new political life in Iraq is committed to

freedom of the press, freedom of expression, the

separation of the legislative, executive, and judiciary

powers and the reconstruction of Iraq, as well as to

realize the aspirations of the Iraqi people to

development and progress. Oil production and exports

have increased along with the number of employment

opportunities, income and trade exchange for Iraqis.

More is being accomplished in public services and in

health care and ambitious projects are under way to

reconstruct our infrastructure, especially in the areas of

home and road construction. Environmental bureaux

have now declared the Iraqi provinces to be free from

radioactivity.

I therefore seize this opportunity to urge creditor

nations to help us by cancelling Iraqi debt or loans.

That debt was accumulated under the corrupt policies

of the previous regime and the Iraqi people have had

no hand in it.

For Iraq to recover its role in the international

community and to participate effectively in defending

international peace and security and to combat the evil

scourge of terrorism, it must be allowed to rebuild and

to implement plans for the development, rehabilitation

and the rebuilding of its infrastructure. I call on the

donor countries to meet their commitments undertaken

at different international conferences, including in

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Madrid, Brussels and, most recently, Jordan, to provide

financial aid to Iraq.

Iraq would like to pay tribute to the constructive

role of the United Nations in its special efforts to help

the Iraqi people through the special envoy of the

Secretary-General and the technical election assistance

team. While we highly appreciate those efforts, we are

also looking forward to having the United Nations

return to Iraq and reopen its offices and agencies in

order to support the reconstruction and development

process.

We also call upon the international community to

evaluate the need to adopt an international programme

to protect and preserve the fine cultural and

archaeological heritage and shrines of Iraq, whose

cities are steeped in history, from Sumer and Babylon

to the present.

Today, Iraq is both a witness to and a victim of

the cruel, vicious and merciless attacks of international

terrorists, who began their global campaign on

11 September 2001. Alarm bells are ringing in different

capitals around the world ó in Spain, Britain, Turkey,

Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia - as we

have all witnessed. Iraq was afflicted with that scourge

under Saddamís regime, whose policy was to rule or

destroy people and property with all types of lethal

weapons. Today the Iraqi people are paying the price of

countering terrorism, because it is their homes that are

on the frontlines of the battle. The world must support

Iraqis in fighting the war against terrorism and the

remnants of the Baath regime so that it can move

towards democracy.

In order to deal effectively and radically with

terrorism, we must agree on a definition of a number of

elements that are closely related to it, including suicide

and the culture of terrorism, the financing of terrorism,

advocacy and propaganda that attempt to legitimize

terrorism, perpetrators of terrorist acts and State

terrorism.

No country is free of terrorism today. Any

country can be a victim of terrorism at any time. We all

face this common threat. It brooks no boundaries; the

geography of terrorism envelopes all humanity. We

must therefore lend a hand to those who are paying the

price of terrorism and to its victims. Because of the

interdependence of nations, what happens in one

country cannot fail to have repercussions in others.

There is also a need to draw a distinction between

natural disasters and terrorist disasters caused by man.

The former are often uncontrollable. When they occur

the entire world mobilizes to provide assistance to the

affected countries, as we witnessed in the case of last

Decemberís Asian tsunami and the recent Hurricane

Katrina in Louisiana. But the calamities of terrorism, if

allowed, will be as devastating as natural disasters. We

need to raise awareness and work together to put an

end to terrorism and to alleviate its destructive impact.

In this regard, we want to express our warmest

thanks to the people of the United States and to all the

other peoples who have supported us. We must join

efforts to triumph over terrorism, because those who

win this victory will be able to help others as well. The

Iraqi people are in the forefront of the counter-

terrorism struggle. Why do those countries that send

suicide bombers not send their young people to do

humanitarian work to contribute to the reconstruction

of Iraq instead of sending them to kill children, to

destabilize Iraq and its security? Why do they not send

funds to invest in Iraq, so that the common interests of

our peoples and theirs may be achieved and so that the

stay of the multinational forces may be shortened?

Why do the news agencies in these countries not relay

the achievements of the new Iraq and convey the real

picture of the terrorist offensive, which targets popular

markets and civilian gatherings, instead of inciting

media reports that distort facts and falsify realities?

But prior to that, we call upon neighbouring countries

to stand by our people and prevent terrorists from

entering Iraq, and to commit themselves to protecting

our common borders for the safety and well-being of

our peoples. We seek to establish the best possible

relations with all countries, especially neighbouring

ones, in order to promote the best interests of all and to

safeguard national sovereignty and protect it from any

foreign interference.

I would like now to touch on the most important

political problems and the need for these problems to

be resolved peacefully in accordance with international

agreements and treaties. We call for a fair and just

solution to the political problems in the Middle East,

and in particular the Palestinian question, so that this

region and all regions of the world will be free from

weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons. We

also must affirm the legitimate right of the Palestinian

people to establish a sovereign State, ensuring them a

life of dignity lived in freedom in a climate of peace in

their own territory. We must all work to spread the

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culture of love, peace and coexistence instead of the

culture of hatred, war, vindictiveness and terrorism.

Iraq, whose children aspire to political,

economic, security and developmental reconstruction,

wants fully to assume its responsibility, both regional

and international, to safeguard peace and security

throughout the region and in the world. Iraq pays

tribute to the United Nations, which has provided the

world with a broad umbrella to prevent wars and

resolve conflicts. The world today is constantly

changing, and this requires dynamic changes in the

structure, decision-making and working methods of the

United Nations so it can cope with new world realities

and meet its obligations. Iraq is undergoing difficult

times, but its aspirations are just and we therefore hope

that you will give Iraq your support and that you will

display solidarity with Iraq, especially as we are on the

verge of adopting our permanent constitution, a

constitution that can ensure independence and a life of

democracy, coexistence, love and tolerance for all.