2008 Press Releases
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ambassador Goli Ameri, Iraq Minister of Culture Maher Dalli Ibrahim Al-Hadithi, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker
Press Conference
Iraq Cultural Heritage Project
October 20, 2008
Iraq National Museum
Baghdad, Iraq
DR. AMIRA: (via translator) I would like to thank, in the name of the national Iraqi museum and Iraqi heritage, the -- his excellencies, the ministers, and the honored guests of Iraq, Ms. Goli Ameri and His Excellency, Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
Since the unfortunate events of 2003, many institutions have come by to work and to help here so that we can -- they can support this very important element of Iraqi culture and history.
What we are doing today, we are on the receiving end of the biggest grant that has been given us. And we are also -- the happiest day in our history as the Iraqi museum. It is a great day today for all those who are interested in the humanitarian heritage.
I am honored now to call His Excellency, the Minister of Culture, to come and speak for us.
MINISTER OF CULTURE: (via translator) In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, esteemed guests, peace be upon you. And, in the name of the staff of the Ministry of Culture and all the (inaudible), from all walks of life and specializations, we welcome our guests, Assistant Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs, and we wholeheartedly express our thanks, and we look at what has been given to us today, a definite, large grant in order to raise the standard and the level of the Iraqi museum, as well as other cultural aspects of it.
We are not only looking from one aspect. We also look at the great moral support that this shows, and that affects us so much in our future relations in our heart, our minds. I look at this initiative. It shows the great development and growth that has happened to our relations. This is an important (inaudible) right direction, because it would create a culture where we exchange ideas between the government of Iraq and the United States of America, and the American and Iraqi peoples.
This initiative does not stop at the -- at what we see here today. This initiative will go to impact other areas. It will start with music, with cultural exchange. It will start with many different fields that are possible today. There is no limit to cultural areas that can be tapped into. That is why we look forward that this initiative will not stop at any limits. We welcome distinguished guests, again.
(Applause.)
DR. AMIRA: Thank you, Your Excellency. Madame Goli Ameri, if you could, please come forward.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY AMERI: Thank you so much, Your Excellency, Ambassador Crocker, Minister, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen.
This is my first visit to Iraq, and I am delighted to be here today at the Iraqi National Museum. The world, of course, knows Iraq as the birthplace of civilization, and this museum is the premier repository for Iraqi history and culture, and a world treasure. And it is truly an honor to be able to visit the museum, and see the passion of its director, Dr. Amira, and the staff, for the preservation of the Iraqi cultural heritage.
This past Thursday the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the United States, His Excellency Samir Sumaida’ie, announced the Iraq Cultural Heritage Program. And I am delighted to be able to travel to Iraq to meet the Minister of Culture, and to join him in announcing this program to the Iraqi people.
The Iraqi Cultural Heritage Program -- what we call, for short, ICHP -- is a partnership between the government of the United States and the government of the Republic of Iraq. With the ICHP, the government of the United States is allocating more than $13 million to support cultural heritage in Iraq. We are contributing to Iraqi cultural heritage, a field in which Iraq has invested much, and will continue to contribute significant national resources.
There are also many countries who are contributing to Iraq's renaissance in this field. And it is our hope that this initiative can be part of a coordinated global effort to support a truly rich cultural heritage, which is the legacy of all mankind.
The Iraqi Cultural Heritage Project will consist of three program areas. It will establish a conservation and historic preservation institute in Erbil to serve preservation and training needs throughout Iraq. It will help refurbish the Iraq National Museum to support its objectives of preservation and the promotion of scholarship. It will enhance the professional development and capacity-building of Iraq's museum and antiquity staff.
This is a sizeable program, and will build upon the partnership Iraqis and Americans have already developed. It will also engage premier American cultural organizations, such as the Field Museum and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, the Winterthur Conservation Program in Delaware, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the United States National Park Service.
This morning I had the privilege to tour the Iraq National Museum. I know that the museum has been closed for some time, and will remain so in the near term. Nevertheless, I am confident, with the hard work of Iraqis, joined by Americans, and by the support of all people who value our shared heritage, I remain confident that the cultural heritage of Iraq will be protected, preserved, and, in time, reopened to the whole world.
I would again like to thank His Excellency, the Minister of Culture, for welcoming me here today, and for the wonderful tour of the museum, and Dr. Amira.
This is a major step along the road of enhanced cooperation, and a productive Iraqi-American partnership. Thank you very much.
(Applause.)
DR. AMIRA: We thank you, Madame, for your kind words. And I ask Ambassador Crocker (inaudible) to come forward.
AMBASSADOR CROCKER: Your Excellencies, the Ministers, Madame Assistant Secretary, Dr. Amira, ladies and gentlemen, (speaks in Arabic), good morning.
As the Minister and the Assistant Secretary have said, this is an important occasion. The embassy has been very pleased to fund the program that the Assistant Secretary described. This is an investment not only in Iraq's heritage, but in the world's heritage. With its 10,000 years of recorded history, Iraq truly is the cradle of the world's civilizations. This project is also an indication of the breadth and the potential for relations between Iraq and the United States.
Recently there has been much attention to the security agreement that we have negotiated with Iraq. It is an important agreement that fully restores Iraq's sovereignty, while allowing U.S. forces to continue, for a temporary time, to assist Iraq's security forces.
But this occasion is a moment to recall that we have negotiated two agreements. In addition to the security agreement, we also have a strategic framework agreement. And this agreement lays out the outline of an Iraqi-U.S. relationship in a number of fields, in addition to security. This includes cooperation in economic development, in science, in technology, in education, and in culture. And it is very much in keeping with the spirit of that agreement that we move forward with this important project today.
It is also in the spirit of that strategic framework agreement that the Assistant Secretary will be meeting later today with Iraqi officials to explore how we can further our cooperation in education and, in particular, how we can work together to see that deserving young Iraqis have the opportunity to study in the United States under scholarship programs.
And, finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Amira and all of her colleagues who, with great dedication and courage, have protected, preserved, and expanded Iraq's cultural heritage through this museum under very difficult circumstances.
(Speaks in Arabic.)
(Applause.)
DR. AMIRA: Thank you, Your Excellency. I would like to call upon Minister Jibori, State Minister for Tourism Affairs.
MINISTER JIBORI: In the name of God the Most Compassionate and Merciful, His Excellency, the Minister of Culture, Madame Assistant Secretary for Education and Affairs, Ambassador Ryan Crocker in Baghdad, Ambassador of the United States, distinguished guests, we welcome you with a heart of welcome, and we thank you for supporting us and being with us as we open a new day of support for this great monument of Iraqi experience.
Ladies and gentlemen, everyone knows the great difficulty that the Iraqi museum went through after April 2003, and the damage done to it because of lawlessness, which also resulted in the loss of many important heritage pieces. These pieces were very important, as well as the destruction of the whole museum building and the storeroom.
We have found ourselves in front of challenges that affect us, but we can carry through in front of the eyes of the world in order to rebuild the infrastructure of this civilization (inaudible) which documents the ancient civilization of Iraq. And our friends have stood by us, and the United States, in particular.
(Interruption to recording.)
MINISTER JIBORI: -- to work for cooperation between Iraqi and U.S. governments, and between the two peoples, the two peoples that have great ambitions and understanding for the importance.
Again, I would like to welcome you, and we wish for you a success and (inaudible).
(Applause.)
DR. AMIRA: We thank all those who are here, and we announce this project as having been official. Thank you so much.
(Applause.)
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