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WHITE HOUSE WELCOMES FORMATION OF IRAQI UNITY GOVERNMENT
President Bush said the formation of Iraq’s unity government is “an important milestone for a free Iraq,” and marks “the beginning of a new chapter” in U.S.-Iraqi relations.
Speaking in Washington April 25 in remarks focused on U.S. energy policy, Bush said he spoke with British Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier in the day about the Iraqi agreement, which he described as “a major development that has taken place in the war on terror.”
“[T]his new leadership reflects the diversity of Iraq, and it reflects the will of the Iraqi people who defied the terrorists and killers and went to the polls last December. This new government is an important milestone for a free Iraq,” Bush said.
He added that it marks “the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship with the Iraqi people.”
The president said he spoke with Iraq’s president, speaker of parliament and prime minister designate during the weekend of April 22 and offered his congratulations.
“I told them that they have important responsibilities to their people, to rebuild infrastructure and to improve their economy and enhance security. I was pleased with the response I got,” he said.
The transcript of the president’s remarks can be found at the White House Web site.
McCLELLAN SAYS SECURITY COUNCIL SHOULD CONSIDER ACTION AGAINST IRAN
The White House says it expects the International Atomic Energy Agency will submit a report to the U.N. Security Council later in the week showing that Iran “remains in noncompliance with its obligations,” and said it time for the Security Council to consider what action to take.
Press secretary McClellan said Iranian regime is “continuing to move in the opposite direction” of its international obligations and has said that it is continuing to move forward on uranium enrichment-related activities.
“[Y]ou're seeing by their statements that they only want to escalate the situation, that they are continuing to move forward on defying the international community, and that somewhat ends any premise that their program is for peaceful purposes,” he said.
“It's time for the Security Council to look at what action needs to be taken for this regime's continued defiance,” the press secretary said.
He noted that the international community “is united in our desire to prevent the regime from developing a nuclear weapon,” and called for continued pressure on the Iranian government to “come clean and comply with its obligations.”
BUSH TO NOMINATE U.N. FOOD REPRESENTATIVE, AMBASSADORS TO HUNGARY AND TAJIKISTAN
President Bush intends to nominate ambassadors to Hungary and Tajikistan, and a representative to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture, according to an April 25 White House press release.
The president will nominate April Foley as the next U.S. ambassador to Hungary. Foley, who has a private-sector background, was most recently a first vice president and a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. She was previously the director of strategy for Reader's Digest Association Incorporated.
Bush plans to nominate career Senior Foreign Service member Tracey Jacobson as ambassador to Tajikistan. Jacobson is currently the U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan, and was previously the deputy chief of mission in Riga, Latvia. She also has served as a deputy executive secretary at the National Security Council.
Current U.S. Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez is the president’s choice for the next U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. Vasquez was previously a division vice president for public affairs at Southern California Edison Company, and has also served in state and local positions in California.
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