Remarks at Stakeout With Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Baghdad, Iraq
April 27, 2006
SECRETARY RICE: Good morning. How are you? We've had the opportunity yesterday and yesterday evening to spend some time
with the newly appointed, nominated Prime Minister for Iraq, who of course will now work very hard to form a government
with the presidency council and with the speaker and his deputies. We also were able to pay a call on Prime Minister
Jafari. I think that it's fair to say that all of these Iraqi leaders recognize the challenges before them, recognize
that the Iraqi people expect their government to be able to meet those challenges. It is obviously going to take some
time to do this work, and we found a government, or government representatives, who are focused, who are inspiring in
listening to them and I think who understand very much the work before them.
Our message here was that the United States wants to be a supportive partner in that work, that we are prepared to do
whatever we can to help the Iraqi Government meet the challenges before it. But it was a really inspiring time, because
these are great patriots who very often, at great personal risk, are taking on the work of building this democratic and
prosperous Iraq, and they're going to have a good friend and partner in the United States in doing it.
Any questions?
QUESTION: Madame Secretary and also Mr. Secretary, the Zarqawi video (inaudible) upswing in U.S. casualties. What is it
that the Iraqis can do and what can they talk about doing to regain the initiative, to establish their credibility and
to quell the sectarian violence?
SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Well, the first step, obviously, for the government is to fashion a cabinet, the heads of the
various ministries, soon with people that demonstrate to the Iraqi people, who went out and voted for them, that they
have stepped forward and assumed responsibility for their sovereign nation, and then to continue the work to develop the
Iraqi security forces. I think that the impression that the people of this country will have of the government will be
the impression that Secretary Rice and I garnered from our meetings with them; that they are serious people. They
recognize the difficulties of the tasks they're facing and they intend to get about the task of governing this country
in a responsible way. So I come away very encouraged by them.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary.
SECRETARY RICE: I really don't have much to add. Obviously, the key now is to get the government up and running, to get
ministers who are capable and who also will reflect the values of a national unity government, and then to get about the
work of dealing with the security situation, dealing with the economic situation. But I think that these are very
responsible and capable people.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, (inaudible) Allawi. He previously said that Iraq was in a state of civil war. I just
wondered if you remain far apart from him in your assessment of the situation and if so, why?
SECRETARY RICE: The conversation this morning with the former Prime Minister Allawi, Mr. Allawi, who is a good friend of
the United States and an Iraqi patriot, was about the future here in Iraq and about the need for a government that takes
advantage of all of the very capable people who have fought to bring Iraq to this point; that is, an Iraq that is free
of Saddam Hussein's tyranny and that is now in the work of trying to build a stable government. And so that was our
discussion. That was our conversation.
And I don't know anybody more devoted to the notion of national unity than Mr. Allawi and they're all very devoted to
that notion. And that's the best answer to those who are trying to and who believe that they can tear this country
apart. There are leaders here and I'm quite certain the great majority of the Iraqi people who are determined that they
will not be torn apart.
MR. MCCORMACK: Thank you all very much.
2006/T12-14
Released on April 27, 2006
ENDS