AL RASHEED HOTEL
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
AMBASSADOR CROCKER: Your Excellencies, the Vice Presidents of Iraq, Dr. Abd Al-Mahdi and Dr. Tariq Al-Hashimi, Your Excellency Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Barham Salih, Your Excellencies (inaudible) of Baghdad and the Chairman of the Baghdad Provincial Councils, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Salaam Aleykum and good afternoon.
We are here at a very important moment in the history of the new Iraq and the new Baghdad. Amaliyat Fard al Qanoon has registered great successes. And the courage of Iraqi security forces and their Coalition allies have made a remarkable difference in a short period of time in the security conditions in this city as well as elsewhere.
Those improvements are what sets the stage for today’s conference. To have had this event six months ago, even three or four months ago, would not have made much sense in light of the security conditions at that time. But at the same time, we all need to remind ourselves that this fight is not over. There is still a determined enemy, terrorists, extremist militias that will take any opportunity they can find to get control back of the streets of Baghdad.
So as we look ahead to the need for development, it’s very important that we not lose sight, that we all still face a significant security challenge. That said, the most important battles still lie ahead. The Government of Iraq, the Provincial Government, the Amanat and all those that support them have a fight. They have a fight for many things. They have a fight to provide basic services, power, water, schools, jobs to the people of Baghdad. They also have a fight against something. They have a fight ahead of them against entrenched militia influence.
The greatest threat to Baghdad may not be terrorists and militiamen bearing arms, but militia and extremist elements that will work more quietly to control services, to control the provision their fuel, to control the management of real estate.
So in this period ahead, the Government of Iraq, both federal, provincial and local, have a huge challenge to break the grip where it exists of these bad actors and restore the authority to the state. And we in the Coalition and the international community have an obligation to help and we have helped.
This year, 2007 for example, the United States through military and civilian spending is putting more than $950 million into the province and the city of Baghdad. And we will continue our assistance in the years ahead. We’re acting in the same field where the government is acting, providing better access to water, to power, to provide sewage systems that work.
But as the government develops further its own capacities to bring resources to Baghdad and elsewhere -- and I congratulate the Council of Ministers on their action yesterday to approve, as the Deputy Prime Minister said, a record budget for Iraq, a record development budget and a record investment budget -- our emphasis needs to shift to do more to help the agencies in government develop the capacity to implement and execute on the resources that are now available. We have been doing that and we will continue to do it through USAID’s Tatweer program for example, as well as many of our other capacity building programs, for example, our assistance to the Ministry of Planning in developing a coordinated procurement system for the entire country.
And we’ve been pleased to be involved in coordination with the Amanat and other government agencies with some very important economic development projects such as the two that were just mentioned, the Haifa Street development and the development of Abu Nuwas Street.
So as the Government of Iraq moves forward on this critical second phase of the fight for Baghdad, the Coalition and the international community will be with you as we were and are for the first phase, Amaliyat Fard al Qanoon.
The second phase, as both Vice Presidents mentioned as well as other speakers, will require even more in the field of coordination from all of us. We have got to work in lockstep. And from the side of the United States, I can pledge you that we will make every effort to do that.
And finally, I'd like to add my own warm welcome to Mr. Dimistura in the United Nations that will be expanding the scope of its potential activities at a time when I think we can all agree this could make the most difference to the new Iraq.
And once again, I thank you for the opportunity to be here, wa Salaam Aleykum.
(Applause.)
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