    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [December 16, 2005]
    [Pages 1861-1862]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Iraq's Ambassador to the United
    Nations Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida'ie
    December 16, 2005

        President Bush. It's my honor to welcome the Ambassador to the
    United Nations from Iraq. This good man has been a--is an Iraqi patriot.
    He was there in Iraq right after liberation. He helped write the TAL,
    which is the go-by for the new Constitution. He's serving his country in
    New York now. He was a voter yesterday in the elections.
        The reason he came by to say hello is, we want to talk about what a
    glorious day it was yesterday for the Iraqi citizens and what we're
    going to do to work together to make sure that we complete our mission,
    and that is to have an Iraq that can defend itself and sustain itself,
    an Iraq that will help us defeat the terrorists in this war on terror,
    an Iraq that will serve as such a powerful example for other countries
    in the region that share the same desires as the Iraqi citizen--that is
    the desire to live in a free world and a free society.
        I'm so pleased to hear the stories from his Al Anbar Province, where
    his grandfather was--lived. And he was telling me about the stories from
    the village where he was from, about how there's no phone service
    because the terrorists blew up the capacity for people to make phone
    calls. But they forgot to shut off the Internet, and people were then
    describing for this good man what it was like to participate in the
    democratic process.
        It was a remarkable day yesterday in the history of mankind and in
    the history of freedom.
        And so, Mr. Ambassador, I'm glad you're here. Thank you so much for
    serving with such dignity. Welcome. It's been great talking to you.
        Ambassador Sumaida'ie. Thank you, Mr. President. I believe that
    yesterday was a great day for Iraq; it was a great day for freedom. I
    think it was the turning point and the beginning of the end of terrorism
    in Iraq.
        Iraqis have written, with their blood, a chapter of their history
    which will be remembered for decades, with the help of the American
    troops, with your help, Mr. President, and the help of the American
    people, which we will remember and appreciate for generations.
        Thank you very much, Mr. President. And I believe that we should
    keep our eye on the ball and make sure that the mission is accomplished
    and we build an Iraq which is stable, at peace with itself and with its
    neighbor, and forever, I hope, a reliable ally of the United States.
        President Bush. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:40 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House.

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