Subject: [big campaign] Re: HUGE STORY
From: "Andres Moreno" <[email-masked]>
To: "Ilan Goldenberg" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:40:43 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

You can find this interview at:
SPIEGEL Online International:
 http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566852,00.html

On Sat, Jul 19, 2008 at 10:03 AM, Andres Moreno <
[email-masked]> wrote:

> Here is an excerpt and full text of interview
>
> EXCERPT:
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops
> will finally leave Iraq?
>
>  *Maliki:* As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. US presidential
> candidate Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months. Assuming that
> positive developments continue, this is about the same time period that
> corresponds to our wishes.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in
> November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a
> better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain?
>
> *Maliki:* Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq
> today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US
> troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an
> election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans'
> business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's
> where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of
> the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited.
>
>
> FULLL TEXT OF INTERVIEW:
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Germany was opposed to the war. The German economics minister
> was in Baghdad last week, Daimler AG plans to build trucks in Iraq, and you
> will travel to Berlin this week. Has everything been smoothed out between
> Germany and Iraq?
>
> *Maliki:* We want closer relations, and it is my impression that the
> Germans -- the government, the people and German companies -- want the same
> thing. Our task is to rebuild a country, and the Germans are famous for
> effective and efficient work. We have great confidence in them and want to
> involve them in the development of our country.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* And there is truly no resentment against a country that opposed
> the war in 2003?
>
> *Maliki:* We do not judge our partners on the basis of whether or not they
> were militarily involved in toppling Saddam. The decisions back then
> corresponded to the national will of the countries, and we respect that.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* What exactly do you expect from the Germans and from German
> companies?
>
> *Maliki:* We want to get to know them, and we want to know what they want
> -- and the things they fear when thinking about Iraq. We have to start over
> again in many areas, including oil production, the development of the power
> grid and all industries. There is much to be done.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* What do you expect from the Germans, politically and
> militarily? The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) occasionally trains Iraqi
> security forces -- but only in neighboring countries.
>
> *Maliki:* What matters most to us is that we develop resilient political
> relationships and work together economically. Our security forces are
> steadily improving, partly as a result of German efforts. We will be pleased
> to turn to the Germans to equip our police and military; and should there be
> new training programs with the German Bundeswehr, we will be happy to accept
> their help. However, we would clearly prefer that the training take place in
> Iraq in the future. Overall, I believe that we are gradually becoming
> self-sufficient.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Three weeks ago, your government filed a civil lawsuit in New
> York against companies that allegedly paid bribes to officials in the Saddam
> regime. The defendants include three German companies: Daimler, Siemens and
> B. Braun Melsungen. How is this compatible with your overtures to German
> industry?
>
> *Maliki:* We are in negotiations with Siemens for the construction of
> power plants, which shows just how serious we are. Whether the suit you
> mention succeeds will be for the courts to decide. Under no circumstances
> will the consequence be that we no longer wish to work with the companies in
> question.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Large parts of Iraq's assets abroad remain frozen -- and
> inaccessible to creditors. What will happen to this money when the UN
> Security Council mandate for Iraq expires at the end of this year?
>
> *Maliki:* We have hired several international law firms to deal with these
> assets. At the moment, they are protected by UN resolutions, American law
> and the personal commitment of President George W. Bush -- and we want this
> protection to remain in place after the end of UN mandate on Iraq. We
> consider the claims being lodged against this money to be unjustified. Iraq
> cannot be punished for crimes that were committed by the dictator. This is
> very important to us, and a key aspect of our negotiations over the future
> status of US troops in Iraq.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Germany, after World War II, was also liberated from a tyrant
> by a US-led coalition. That was 63 years ago, and today there are still
> American military bases and soldiers in Germany. How do you feel about this
> model?
>
> *Maliki:* Iraq can learn from Germany's experiences, but the situation is
> not truly comparable. Back then Germany waged a war that changed the world.
> Today, we in Iraq want to establish a timeframe for the withdrawal of
> international troops -- and it should be short. At the same time, we would
> like to see the establishment of a long-term strategic treaty with the
> United States, which would govern the basic aspects of our economic and
> cultural relations. However, I wish to re-emphasize that our security
> agreement should remain in effect in the short term.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* How short-term? Are you hoping for a new agreement before the
> end of the Bush administration?
>
> *Maliki:* So far the Americans have had trouble agreeing to a concrete
> timetable for withdrawal, because they feel it would appear tantamount to an
> admission of defeat. But that isn't the case at all. If we come to an
> agreement, it is not evidence of a defeat, but of a victory, of a severe
> blow we have inflicted on al-Qaida and the militias. The American lead
> negotiators realize this now, and that's why I expect to see an agreement
> taking shape even before the end of President Bush's term in office. With
> these negotiations, we will start the whole thing over again, on a clearer,
> better basis, because the first proposals were unacceptable to us.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Immunity for the US troops is apparently the central issue.
>
> *Maliki:* It is a fundamental problem for us that it should not be
> possible, in my country, to prosecute offences or crimes committed by US
> soldiers against our population. But other issues are no less important: How
> much longer will these soldiers remain in our country? How much authority do
> they have? Who controls how many, soldiers enter and leave the country and
> where they do so?
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops
> will finally leave Iraq?
>
>  *Maliki:* As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. US presidential
> candidate Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months. Assuming that
> positive developments continue, this is about the same time period that
> corresponds to our wishes.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in
> November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a
> better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain?
>
> *Maliki:* Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq
> today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US
> troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an
> election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans'
> business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's
> where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of
> the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* In your opinion, which factor has contributed most to bringing
> calm to the situation in the country?
>
> *Maliki:* There are many factors, but I see them in the following order.
> First, there is the political rapprochement we have managed to achieve in
> central Iraq. This has enabled us, above all, to pull the plug on al-Qaida.
> Second, there is the progress being made by our security forces. Third,
> there is the deep sense of abhorrence with which the population has reacted
> to the atrocities of al-Qaida and the militias. Finally, of course, there is
> the economic recovery.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Critics have accused you of striking harshly against the Mahdi
> army of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, while going easy on his rival
> Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim's Badr militia.
>
> *Maliki:* That's not true. We proceed just as firmly against anyone who
> breaks the law. Just a few days ago, we had an incident with a group
> associated with the Badr people. The army moved in immediately and arrested
> them all. No one was spared. The punishment is based purely on the nature of
> the crime, not on the identity of the criminal.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* In southern Iraq, where you come from, you have been compared
> with Saddam Hussein when it comes to harshness.
>
> *Maliki:* That's the sort of thing that people say who don't understand
> how urgently Iraq needs stability -- or these people prefer instability. We
> don't want to spread fear and terror in Iraq. We have, for example, given
> the militias several deadlines to hand over their weapons. Their resistance
> was tremendous, so we had to oppose them with tremendous force of our own.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* What role do you envision for your chief rival, Muqtada
> al-Sadr? Can there ever be national reconciliation in Iraq without his
> participation?
>
> *Maliki:* You can only reconcile with someone who wants to reconcile. His
> Excellency Muqtada al-Sadr can be a political partner, especially if, to
> that end, he draws on the great spiritual legacy he has inherited from his
> ancestors. He has understood that his following was eventually infiltrated
> by criminal elements, by men from the former regime, al-Qaida people and
> others. The fact that he is now in the process of systematically separating
> himself from these elements makes him even stronger as a political partner.
> As a politician, I might add, not as a militia leader.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* You spent part of your exile in Iran, and you have visited the
> country several times since you took office. Can you explain to us what the
> leaders in Tehran are up to? Are they building a nuclear bomb? Do you see
> this as a serious threat?
>
> *Maliki:* I have not been made privy to the details of the Iranian nuclear
> program. Iranian representatives assure us, however, that this program
> serves peaceful purposes. Even if Tehran wanted to develop a nuclear weapon,
> it would take a very long time, simply from a technical standpoint. It is
> obvious that our region is far too fragile for even a single country to
> possess nuclear weapons, because it will always be an incentive for other
> countries to also build their own.
> *SPIEGEL:* Exactly 50 years ago, the monarchy in Iraq was overthrown and a
> republic established. But we didn't see any celebration of this event at
> all. What does that day mean for the history of Iraq?
>
> *Maliki:* There may have been people who celebrated. But certainly not all
> Iraqis. On July 14, 1958, and era came to an end, but what came afterwards
> didn't live up to our expectations and hopes. What came were decades of
> military putsches and the dictatorship. We are still dealing with the
> aftermath today.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Mr. Prime Minister, your job is probably one of the most
> dangerous a politician can have. How do you cope with this, and what do you
> do to make it bearable?
>
> *Maliki:* I lead a very simple life -- one that is shaped by external
> forces, which is apparently what fate has determined for us Iraqis. In that
> regard, the past few decades of dictatorship have not changed all that much.
> What keeps me going? The constant exertion of my job -- and the successes we
> are now having. It means a lot to me to see how much closer we are today to
> a democratic Iraq, one that respects human rights, than we were only a few
> months ago.
>
> *SPIEGEL:* Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for taking the time to speak with
> us.
>
> *Interview conducted by Mathias Müller von Blumencron and Bernard Zand in
> Baghdad*
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Ilan Goldenberg <[email-masked]>
> Date: Sat, Jul 19, 2008 at 9:07 AM
> Subject: [big campaign] HUGE STORY
> To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
>
>
>
>
>
> This is absolutely huge.  Maliki just essentially endorsed by name the
> Obama Iraq plan
>
>
> http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2008/07/its-over.html
>
>
> It's Over
> Posted by Ilan Goldenberg
>
> Not much to say here.  Other than the fact that this is a huge huge huge
> deal.  Article speaks for itself.
>
>    In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he
> wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
>
>    "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That,
> we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the
> possibility of slight changes"
>
> And
>
>    Asked if he supported Obama's ideas more than those of John McCain,
> Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend
> who people should vote for.
>
>    "Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality.
> Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems."
>
> And
>
>    "The Americans have found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable
> for the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it
> isn't," Maliki told Der Spiegel.
>
> Is there anything left to say?
>
> July 19, 2008 at 05:59 AM | Permalink
>
>
>
> http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSL198009020080719
>
>
> Print | Close this window
> Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan: report
> Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:38am EDT
>
> BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German
> magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate
> Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.
>
> In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he
> wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
>
> "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we
> think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility
> of slight changes."
>
> It is the first time he has backed the withdrawal timetable put forward by
> Obama, who is visiting Afghanistan and us set to go to Iraq as part of a
> tour of Europe and the Middle East.
>
> Obama has called for a shift away from a "single-minded" focus on Iraq and
> wants to pull out troops within 16 months, instead adding U.S. soldiers to
> Afghanistan.
>
> Asked if he supported Obama's ideas more than those of John McCain,
> Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend
> who people should vote for.
>
> "Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality.
> Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems."
>
> Maliki, who is due to visit Germany this week, has suggested a timetable
> should be set for a U.S. withdrawal but U.S. officials have been more
> cautious, despite an improving security situation.
>
> The White House said on Friday President George W. Bush and Maliki had
> agreed that a security deal under negotiation should set a "time horizon"
> for meeting "aspirational goals" for reducing U.S. forces in Iraq.
>
> "The Americans have found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable for
> the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it
> isn't," Maliki told Der Spiegel.
>
> Some five years after the U.S.-led invasion, there are still some 146,000
> U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
>
> (Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Jon Boyle)
>
>
>
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Andres Moreno
> Deputy Director - Tracking/Media Monitoring
> ProgressiveAccountability.org (PAO)
> 202-609-7688 (office)
> 703-501-6661 (cell)
> [email-masked]
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Ilan Goldenberg <[email-masked]>
> Date: Sat, Jul 19, 2008 at 9:07 AM
> Subject: [big campaign] HUGE STORY
> To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
>
>
>
>
>
> This is absolutely huge.  Maliki just essentially endorsed by name the
> Obama Iraq plan
>
>
> http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2008/07/its-over.html
>
>
> It's Over
> Posted by Ilan Goldenberg
>
> Not much to say here.  Other than the fact that this is a huge huge huge
> deal.  Article speaks for itself.
>
>    In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he
> wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
>
>    "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That,
> we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the
> possibility of slight changes"
>
> And
>
>    Asked if he supported Obama's ideas more than those of John McCain,
> Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend
> who people should vote for.
>
>    "Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality.
> Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems."
>
> And
>
>    "The Americans have found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable
> for the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it
> isn't," Maliki told Der Spiegel.
>
> Is there anything left to say?
>
> July 19, 2008 at 05:59 AM | Permalink
>
>
>
> http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSL198009020080719
>
>
> Print | Close this window
> Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan: report
> Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:38am EDT
>
> BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German
> magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate
> Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.
>
> In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he
> wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
>
> "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we
> think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility
> of slight changes."
>
> It is the first time he has backed the withdrawal timetable put forward by
> Obama, who is visiting Afghanistan and us set to go to Iraq as part of a
> tour of Europe and the Middle East.
>
> Obama has called for a shift away from a "single-minded" focus on Iraq and
> wants to pull out troops within 16 months, instead adding U.S. soldiers to
> Afghanistan.
>
> Asked if he supported Obama's ideas more than those of John McCain,
> Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend
> who people should vote for.
>
> "Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality.
> Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems."
>
> Maliki, who is due to visit Germany this week, has suggested a timetable
> should be set for a U.S. withdrawal but U.S. officials have been more
> cautious, despite an improving security situation.
>
> The White House said on Friday President George W. Bush and Maliki had
> agreed that a security deal under negotiation should set a "time horizon"
> for meeting "aspirational goals" for reducing U.S. forces in Iraq.
>
> "The Americans have found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable for
> the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it
> isn't," Maliki told Der Spiegel.
>
> Some five years after the U.S.-led invasion, there are still some 146,000
> U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
>
> (Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Jon Boyle)
>
>
>
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-- 
Andres Moreno
Deputy Director - Tracking/Media Monitoring
ProgressiveAccountability.org (PAO)
202-609-7688 (office)
703-501-6661 (cell)
[email-masked]

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