Iraqi Quotations | Page 3

We have built enough Iraqi capacity where we can begin talking seriously about transitioning this counterinsurgency mission to them,

We in the Iraqi opposition have a common stand that the opposition forces, assisted by regional and international states including the United States, must undertake comprehensive democratic changes.

That story spoke to me. Sometimes all you can do is walk with someone as they go through what they are going through, and the Iraqi people welcome and need people to walk with them. Letting people know that you care, that they are not alone because it is horrendous out there.

We need to put a wholly Iraqi face on this election.

The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone,

Most of the kidnappings are of Iraqi citizens.

We are not saying that everyone will be out by the end of 2006 but we are saying that this process - despite the terrorist attempts to destroy it - is going relatively well, and, in the course of the next year, we could well see the handover to Iraqi forces at certain places in Iraq, including in our own area,

We are not utilizing the Iraqi oil for U.S. purposes. We are not asking that the Iraqi oil be used to pay our military expenses. We are asking only that the Iraqi oil be used to rebuild Iraq - that is, to rebuild Iraq for the Iraqi people.

We need these forces. It is an Iraqi need, more than an American or coalition need. The consequences would be catastrophic.

We have not even put the word out to the Iraqi people. We're going to hold that till right down to the bitter end to ensure that the enemy does not have much time at all if, in fact, they decide the plan against those positions.

We know the future that they have in mind for the people of Iraq and we reject it utterly, as do the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people,

We need experienced Iraqi commanders who can lead troops. Listen, I've always told you that I opposed disbanding the army.

We have not seen a serious effort on the Iraqi side ... or evidence that would clear up the question marks.

Who said that? I certainly did not say that. How could you even ask that question when it was the Iraqi regime that ignored 16 resolutions of the U.N. over a period of many years.

We believe that the United States should coordinate and cooperate with the Iraqi opposition, and must not entertain any idea of making changes behind the opposition's back.

We are aware that these crimes, though awful, pale in comparison to the crimes the regime is still perpetrating against the Iraqi people. Many of the hostages were subjected to appalling suffering, physical abuse and mental torture.

which has worked hard to reach this goal, feels even more the moral duty to support the brave Iraqi government in its efforts for democracy, security and for the social and economic reconstruction of the country.

We can only win if the Iraqi people are able to play a greater role in peacekeeping, and we can only win if the president gives an honest assessment of what's really happening on the ground in Iraq. Staying the course and paying for good headlines are not a strategy. It's merely a bad excuse for not having a plan.

While we take what happened seriously, and I stand by everything that our commander on the spot did, don't let's take one incident like that and try to pretend that it reflects the whole of even the Iraqi police force,

While we transferred sovereignty today, we need to be honest with the American people that this struggle is far from over, ... Security in Iraq is worse now than it was right after the fall of Baghdad and may deteriorate further. The Iraqi security forces cannot handle the challenge alone, reconstruction has barely started, and massive unemployment has left many frustrated and even desperate.

We do not have a timeline or milestones that directly tie the draw down of coalition units to numbers of Iraqi battalions,

We don't express condolences to a government that is attacking Iraqi people on a daily basis,

We hope that the Iraqi people and especially the kidnappers realize that the hostages that they have taken are friends of the Iraqi people. They're not part of the conflict. They went there to help. They went there knowing that they're risking their lives. They should have been honored.

We have to tell the world there will be no civil war among the Iraqi people. The risk is there.

Why would an Iraqi group release biographies of foreign fighters?

Why would I want one more mother -- either Iraqi or American -- to go through what I'm going through? I don't want him to justify my son's honorable sacrifice to continue his murderous killing policies,

We believe this is a very significant turning point, ... and yet another indicator that the Iraqi regime is approaching its end.

We can't work that way...We'll be talking about getting access in a way which shows respect for Iraqi security.

Well, tonight he spelled out the plan we've been operating under and that we're going to move forward with to create an independent Iraq and turn the government of Iraq over to the Iraqi people.

The fact is we have an Iraqi government, supported by the United Nations, trying desperately to bring stability and hope and democracy to Iraq, ... Our job has got to be helping them.

The fact that Iraq is exporting nursing supplies (in exchange) for hard currency, in violation of sanctions, while babies and children are suffering from malnutrition is yet another indication of the Iraqi regime's cynical disregard for the welfare of its own citizens, ... and further proof that the responsibility of the suffering of the Iraqi children lies with Saddam Hussein -- and not sanctions.

The reality is that if the Shi'ites and Kurds can be inclusive and if they can reach a settlement with most of the Iraqi Sunnis, then the efforts of U.S. and coalition forces and the growing Iraqi forces are almost certain to be successful,

The process has been difficult, but the outcome is a clear demonstration of the will of all the members of the Security Council to place the interest of the Iraqi people above all other considerations.

The process is a purely Iraqi affair, which should take place on the (Iraqi) territory, and it is out of the question to transfer it anywhere else,

The only way the inspectors can find anything is if the Iraqi government cooperates and shows it to them, ... Inspectors can't find things. They can only inspect what they've been shown.

We are going to make sure the Iraqi people believe us at the end of the day,

We have a policy to go after Iraqi funds whether they were abused by members of the former government or spent by international bodies.

We're gonna turn the Iraqi election into a big pageant, ... It'll be huge, as big as my hair.

Today we accomplished the final amendments of the new constitution and the final version has been presented to the United Nations to print it and to be distributed to the Iraqi people,

We had a tip from an Iraqi citizen that led us to him, ... It was a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation. We've been tracking him for a while.

We had a tip from an Iraqi citizen that led us to him, ... It was a joint US-Iraqi operation. We?ve been tracking him for a while.

We had a tip from an Iraqi citizen that led us to him, ... We've been tracking him for a while.

We are gravely alarmed that insurgents are intensifying their murderous campaign against Iraqi journalists and media employees.

We are going through many of the issues, outstanding disarmament issues. The Iraqi side is providing explanation on some of the issues ... We are discussing, but we have to wait until tomorrow.

Yeah. Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary, said, heres the part that I like. 'Okay, so lets work on that answer a little bit, Captain Kennedy. Why dont you work on, 'were working with the Iraqi soldiers, and to my right is Master Sergeant.' And then a little later, 'she says, you know, a few smiles wouldnt hurt back here on the TV. A few smiles.' So-

We're doing this to keep Jill in the minds of the Iraqi public, so that if people were to see her they would know who she is and could help her.

We discussed this issue with Iraqi officials, and we told them that this declaration should be comprehensive, concise and clear, as the Security Council mentions, and it should include all factors that the Security Council demanded.

We are questioning whether those (U.S.) agencies doing reconstruction have plans to transition to the Iraqi government, and whether there are sufficient resources to support the Iraqis' ability to do what is now being done by the Americans.

We're not saying that the future of Iraq should be governed by the Americans and the British, we're saying the future of Iraq should be governed by the Iraqi people.

We're not seeing civil war ignited in Iraq. We're seeing a competent, capable Iraqi government using their security forces to calm the storm.

We want to make it clear to the kidnappers that these people were working for the good of the Iraqi people.

We demand an explanation from the Iraqi government on this document which left us deeply disturbed,

The decisions about the choice of the prime minister are entirely up to the Iraqis. This will be an Iraqi decision.

We are moving towards a precision approach in the conduct of our operations that begins to take into consideration the Iraqi culture and sensitivities and we want to be precise in our application of combat power,

When there is a contradiction on two different interpretations within one text, that would become an issue, Ultimately, this will be a sovereign decision by the Iraqis, and it's up to the Iraqi National Assembly to decide on the appropriate electoral framework.

When there is an adequate Iraqi security force, foreign troops leave ... Iraq,

What I found most notable about President Bush's remarks was that he began to prepare the people for the potential long-term consequence of this action, including the possibility of a protracted military engagement, the hopefully limited collateral damage to Iraqi civilians, and the role that the United States will play after the hostilities cease,

The fact that we're going out to have these discussions with the Iraqi leadership is a sign of the urgency which we attach to a need for a government of national unity.

The reallocation of forces allows us to further our campaign of carrying out this formula. This will allow us to pursue our strategy: get into the cities, provide a presence of Iraqi and U.S. forces and give the cities back to Iraq.

The real question, which will be answered in the next couple of months, is whether the combatants in this phase of the Iraqi warthe Sunnis vs. the Shiites, mainlyare ready to agree on a framework.

We owe congratulations to the Iraqi people on achieving yet another step on their road to democracy ..., ... This is a remarkable story.

We often hear that sanctions are hurting the Iraqi people, but an objective analysis of the facts reveals that Iraq has access to international markets and the money to buy food, but Saddam will not buy or distribute it to the needy.

We come at this problem of Iraqi compliance with a high degree of skepticism about their (Iraq's) intentions.

We condemn the view that the (U.S.-led) occupation's existence is beneficial for the Iraqi people because if it ended, there would be sectarian war - as if sectarian war has not already begun.

We condemn the view that the (US-led) occupation's existence is beneficial for the Iraqi people because if it ended, there would be sectarian war as if sectarian war has not already begun.

We can train Iraqi soldiers to combat insurgencies while respecting human rights, as we have trained armies in the Philippines and Latin America.

We are working around the clock with the Iraqi authorities and foreign missions to win the release of all the hostages.

There has been disappointment over the performance of the United Iraqi Alliance in the past period. There has been no vision and no policies because they're not employing technically qualified people.

There has not been a fundamental breakdown in trust between the British government and the Iraqi government,

We saw firsthand the terrible suffering that they had endured. We protected a hospital and kept a school safe from sniper fire. We saw hope in the faces of Iraqi children who may have the chance to grow up as free as our own.

We're not likely to see oil prices going lower until there's resolution on the Iraqi front,

We're over there and we need to come home, ... What happens in Iraq after we leave isn't a worry of ours. We need to let the Iraqi people handle their own business.

We should not be hasty regarding the issues and the constitution should not be born crippled, ... We are keen to have an early constitution, but the constitution should be completed in all of its items in a proper manner that appeals to all components of the Iraqi people so that the whole people interact with the whole constitution.

Too often in the past, U.S. leaders have forced Israel to pay the price for American strategic interests in the Middle East - through concessions in the peace process as well as passivity in the face of Iraqi attacks.

You have enough men, ... We will work together. We will not let the Iraqi people down.

You have given us something more than money -- you have given us a lot of your sons, your children that were killed beside our own children in Iraq, ... Iraqi people are insistent on going along the path for their economy and their security, but we do need the help of other countries who will help us, to stand beside us.

We've conveyed our views and concern to the Iraqi authorities.

We have said for the last couple of weeks that we have seen the enemy starting to attack soft targets, Iraqi targets, rather than military targets, ... He is attempting to intimidate the people of Iraq. He will not succeed.

We want to prove to the Iraqi people and the world that we are in charge. We can manage our own security and can defend ourselves provided we are given the means and support to do that.

would be insufficient to address, even as a temporary measure, all the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people.

would signal the Iraqi regime that they can continue their violations of the U.N. resolutions.

With no other security forces on hand, U.S. military was left to confront, almost alone, an Iraqi insurgency and a crime rate that grew worse throughout the year, waged in part by soldiers of the disbanded army and in part by criminals who were released from prison.

We're doing better here. The Iraqi Army is playing a bigger role.

We appreciate the wide ranging efforts being made by Iraqi and US officials to secure Jill's release. We hope that today's encouraging statements about Jill's condition and prospects for safe return are proved correct.

We believe that more than half of the Iraqi population have someone who is missing in their family,

Ultimately, this will be a sovereign decision by the Iraqis, and it's up to the Iraqi National Assembly to decide on the appropriate electoral framework. That being said, it is our duty in our role in Iraq to point out when the process does not meet international standards.

And the United States, for its part, is going to do everything it can to ensure that the rights of Iraqi citizens are respected.

Because it has become such a dangerous place, news organizations do rely on Iraqi staffers. These journalists get caught up in their own country's sectarian violence. Their presence has also created potential conflicts with the U.S. military, which has had a difficult and slow time accepting that Iraqis have been professional and objective journalists.

At this point, if I were an Iraqi opposition figure, I wouldn't lay my life on the line based on the president's word.

Believe me, the United States is very popular now in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Covering the war in Iraq, and the dangers faced by U.S. and Iraqi forces, brings with it its own unique hazards. There is no way to cover the story in Iraq without exposure to danger.

Wars, conflicts, instability and the poor environmental management of the previous regime have left their scars on the Iraqi people and the Iraqi environment,

There have been no violations of the no-fly zone by the Iraqi forces for the last five days or so,

What's different this time is there are more Iraqi forces in the field with more experience,

Either the new Iraqi government with U.S. backing starts to fix Iraq's problems or continued failures will propel Iraqis in to the arms of the militias, likely generating a full-blown civil war.

Every day you hear of new deaths. Tony Blair has actually made Iraq a worse place for the Iraqi people.

Every country's success depends upon the health and wellbeing of its children. By working together, we can help future generations of Iraqi children grow up strong and healthy.

Everyday the hunt for Iraqi assets unveils more and Hussein's thievery from the Iraqi people, ... Taking international action to identify and freeze funds pilfered by the fallen regime is crucial to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

Every day, the number of Iraqi security forces are getting bigger, and they're getting better, and they're getting more experienced,

At their very best, the inspectors can complicate and restrain and slow down Iraq's clandestine efforts, and give us a better picture of what is going on in Iraq than we have to today, ... They cannot compel Iraqi compliance and therefore not put an end to the WMD threat posed by Iraq.