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From: White House Press Office <noreply@messages.whitehouse.gov>
To: Owens, Missy
Sent: Wed Nov 30 05:06:07 2011
Subject: Fw: VP Pool Report #2


----- Original Message -----
From: Landler, Mark [mailto:landler@nytimes.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 04:55 AM
To: Allen, Elizabeth M.; 'adudley@ovp.eo@.gov' <adudley@ovp.eo@.gov>; Barkoff, Kendra
Subject: VP Pool Report #2


Closing statements after the Higher-Level Coordinating Committee meeting

VP Biden largely repeated his message from the start of the session. Some highlights:

"Both our countries are now launching on a new phase of this relationship."

"We will continue to keep our promises, as we have thus far."

"We're embarking on a new, and I think we learned today, a new and a comprehensive civilian relationship between the United States and Iraq, as sovereign partners"

He pointed out that US civilian presence is big, but "is sized to meet the request and the obligations and promises we've made."

He says the US needs to have experts in a wide range of areas "on hand, in country." (e.g. Health care, transport, energy, trade)

"If we're going to get this job done together, we need to have people on the spot, on the job, in place, immediately accessible"

"I don't know about you, Mr. Prime Minister, but occasionally I at home have to explain why we have such a large embassy here. Why?"

Iraq's development, he said, "will bring stability to the region. That is our sole interest in Iraq. Period. End of story."

Biden said that people in both countries have had to overcome misperceptions about the relationship. In the US, he said, people still ask, "Is this worth it? Why are we continuing to expend so much energy and money?"

"We have jointly demonstrated, it is worth it, it is worth it -- as costly and as difficult and sometimes as controversial as it is."

Biden noted that Maliki pushed for the coordinating committee to have a broader scope than just security.

Today, he added, the two sides pledged to create a separate committee for coordinating security and defense cooperation.

Biden said US has completed nearly 1800 projects in Iraq's health sector, valued at $800 million, renovating 133 primary health centers.

The US has invested in transportation infrastructure, air traffic control network, and railroads.

"This is about developing a people's capacity, about developing what every people in the world are entitled to"

"A lot of work remains to be done, to make it a success"

"Now it is time to get to work. As you've heard, we have big plans."

On security:

"Our nations are embarking on a new phase of our relationship. Military forces are going to draw down. There will still be security concerns, but we are confident your government is fully capable of handling those internal security concerns."

"Far from leaving Iraq, the United States is going to deepen our engagement with you"

Biden closed by saying he looked forward to Maliki's visit to DC in mid-December.

###

(NOTE: Maliki's remarks based on a sometimes rough translation)

He echoed much of Biden's message about a new phase in US-Iraq relations, "based on mutual respect."

On security, he said Iraq was now capable of protecting its internal security, but added, "No doubt, the US forces have a role in providing training of Iraqi forces."

Maliki said he hoped US companies would come to Iraq with the same force as US troops did.

"Yes, we will face some difficulties," he said. But he said that as long as the US and Iraq agreed on a "robust partnership," the two sides would find much on which to cooperate.

###

Below are a few quotes from Maliki's opening statement, before the meeting began:

"We're going to start a new phase of friendship"

The US-Iraq strategic framework "will establish a relationship based on mutual respect and bilateral interests."

"We can be a brother, a friend for other countries in this area"

"We hope the cooperation will continue in training"

"Iraq has suffered from the wave of terrorism that entered the country"

"We succeeded against terrorism and Al Qaeda"

####

Mark Landler
NY Times

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