[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 36 (Monday, September 10, 2007)]
[Pages 1165-1166]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Iraqi Leaders at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq

September 3, 2007

[The President's remarks are joined in progress.]

    ----as reinforcements. And together with the brave Iraqis, we've 
gone into Al Qaida strongholds and have driven them out.
    Today, Anbar is a really different place. The level of violence is 
down; local governments are meeting again; police are more in control of 
the city streets; and normal life is returning. The people of this 
Province are seeing that standing up to the extremists is the path to a 
better life, that success is possible. And soon I'm going to meet with 
some of the leaders here in Anbar Province who have made a decision to 
reject violence and murder in return for moderation and peace.
    I'm looking forward to hearing from the tribal leaders who led the 
fight against the terrorists and are now leading the effort to rebuild 
their communities. I'm going to speak with members of Anbar's Provincial 
council, which has reestablished itself and returned to the capital city 
of Ramadi. I'm going to reassure them that America does not abandon our 
friends, and America will not abandon the Iraqi people. That's the 
message all three of us bring.
    Earlier, we just met with the leaders of Iraq's national Government: 
President Talabani and Prime Minister Maliki, Deputy Prime Minister 
Barham Salih, Vice President Abd Al-Mahdi, Vice President Hashimi, and 
President Barzani of the Kurdish region. We had a good, frank 
discussion. We share a common goal: a free Iraq that has a government 
that responds to the people. The Government they represent, of course, 
is based in Baghdad, but they're here in Anbar because they know the 
success of a free Iraq depends on the national Government's support from 
the bottom up. They know what I know, that when you have bottom-up 
reconciliation like you're seeing here in Anbar, it'll begin to 
translate into central Government action.
    The national Government is sharing oil revenues with this Province, 
and that's a positive development. The challenges are great, and I 
understand the pace of progress is frustrating. It's frustrating for the 
American people; it's frustrating for the Iraqi people. These people are 
working under difficult circumstances after having lived under the thumb 
of a brutal tyrant. Iraq's local and national leaders are working to 
ensure that the military success in places like Anbar is quickly backed 
up by real improvements in the lives of ordinary Iraqis. That's what we 
discussed today. Secretary Gates, Secretary Rice, and I discussed with 
the Iraqi leaders that there has been some security success, and now 
it's important for government to follow up.
    Our troops and diplomats and civilian experts will support the 
Iraqis in these efforts as they follow up. General Petraeus and 
Ambassador Crocker gave us an update on how things are looking. They 
gave us an update on the way forward, and I was pleased with what I 
heard. The strategy we put into place earlier this year was designed to 
help the Iraqis improve their security so that political and economic 
progress could follow. And that is exactly the effect it is having in 
places like Anbar.
    We can't take this progress for granted. Here in Anbar and across 
Iraq, Al Qaida and other enemies of freedom will continue to try to kill 
the innocent in order to impose their dark ideology. But General 
Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker tell me if the kind of success we are 
now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of 
security with fewer American forces. These two fine Americans will 
report to Congress next week, and I urge members of both

[[Page 1166]]

parties in Congress to listen to what they have to say. Congress 
shouldn't jump to conclusions until the general and the Ambassador 
report.
    When you stand on the ground here in Anbar and hear from the people 
who live here, you can see what the future of Iraq can look like. That's 
why Members of Congress from both parties who have visited Iraq have 
come back encouraged by what they have seen. For all the differences 
over the war, we can agree on what's working. And we can agree that 
continuing this progress is vital to making the strategic interests--
vital in meeting the strategic interests of our Nation. It's vital to 
bring in--it's vital that we work to bring America together behind a 
common vision for a more stable and more peaceful Middle East.
    Thank you all very much.

Note: The President spoke between approximately 11 a.m and 12 noon. In 
his remarks, he referred to Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commanding 
general, Multi-National Force--Iraq.