Congressman Aderholt Praises Iraqi Prime Minister's Commitment to Freedom

CONGRESSMAN ADERHOLT PRAISES IRAQI PRIME MINISTER'S COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM

Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said he was encouraged to hear the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki offering his commitment to freedom and a constitutional democracy in Iraq during his speech before a joint meeting of the House and Senate in the House Chamber today.

"For years, the Iraqi people suffered under a tyrannical government built upon fear and intimidation," said Congressman Aderholt. "While challenges still exist, under Prime Minister Mailiki's leadership Iraq has taken the first steps to establishing an enduring constitutional democracy that is committed to freedom for all its citizens."

The Prime Minister met with President Bush at the White House yesterday to discuss the agenda of Iraq's unity and reiterated those points in his speech today. Since taking office following Iraq's first free and fair elections, Prime Minister Maliki has focused Iraq's unity government on three key areas: security; governance and economic reform; and international engagement. During the course of the meeting President Bush reaffirmed America's commitment to support Iraq and Prime Minister Maliki's government to succeed in their mission.

Prime Minister Maliki said in his speech, "Defeating terrorism is the duty of all of us. Today, Iraq stands at the forefront of this struggle against terrorism. History will show that the sacrifices made by the Iraqis in this struggle for freedom will not have been made in vain. It will show that the Iraqis have joined the ranks of those who are standing up to the terrorists. And history will record the courageous, humanitarian stance that the Iraqi people have taken. The destiny of our country and the destiny of the countries of the world are tied to one another. If democracy is allowed to fail in Iraq and terrorists are allowed to [claim] victory, you will never achieve victory in the war against terrorism in other parts of the world."

"Over 225 years have passed since the United States fought to establish our own constitutional democracy free from tyranny. It's easy to forget that we faced our own struggles and challenges at that time, much as Iraq is today. But with principled leadership and the support of the vast majority of the Iraqi people, I believe that Iraq will succeed just as the United States did so long ago," concluded Congressman Aderholt.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/al04_aderholt/72606IraqiPMSpeechReact.html