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Good Afternoon, Mr. Ambassador. Welcome to Al-Arabiya.
Amb. Negroponte: Thank You
Q: I would like to start by talking about the current situation in Iraq, especially the Falluja Operation entered a second week and so many people will worry and still worry about the political influences and the whole situation in Iraq. How would you look at it?
Amb. Negroponte: The way I look at it is first that Falluja was a base, sanctuary for armed terrorists and for Saddam former regime elements who were using that city as a platform for carrying out terrorist activities in other parts of the country. So now that base has been denied and I think it is therefore an important setback to those who would try to prevent the realization of democracy and freedom in this country
Q: According to so many Iraqis responsible, this operation is the first and certainly others will take place in other cities as well, like Mosul and Abu Satiz. Also, do you think it’s another year and you will launch another attack like Falluja?
Amb. Negroponte: Well, Falluja was a particularly special case because there had been an initial effort back last April and then that did not to take place, and as a result the terrorists used Falluja as a sanctuary for all these months with devastating effects on nearby places, including Baghdad. I think many of the car bombs and other kinds of terrorist acts—kidnappings, executions, things of that nature, attacks against infrastructure, were all being carried out from Falluja. I don’t think that you will necessarily see fighting on the same kind of scale. Hopefully, this in the short term will start seeing some positive benefits from having denied the terrorists the safe haven of Falluja.
Q: Talking about internal and political influences. Do you think these operations could affect the participation of some groups in the week or long week of elections next January?
Amb. Negroponte: Well, hopefully those who thought that violence was a better alternative than peaceful democratic elections. Hopefully, they will have second thoughts as a result of this operation and I think that, in terms of whatever improvements the operation in Falluja brings to the security conditions in the rest of the country, that will better enable the government of Iraq -- with the assistance of its armed forces and the assistance of multinational forces -- to ensure that every Iraqi who wishes to vote and has the right to vote next January will be able to do so.
Q: What about the infrastructure of Falluja and other cities?
Amb. Negroponte: Well, this is very important. I think you saw it in Najaf. I think you will see it in Falluja. You have seen it in Sadr City, as well as here in Baghdad. If military operations of this kind are carried out, it is very important afterwards that humanitarian assistance and reconstruction resources be devoted to rehabilitating those areas so that people can realize their economic hopes or aspirations. So, we do have a plan working with the government of Iraq to help in the reconstruction of Falluja, and I think as soon as the military operations are completely over you will see reconstruction activity taking place, and I think that is going to be very positive.
Q: How long will the military operation last?
Amb. Negroponte: It is effectively… The military objective has been achieved, but there still are some (as you know) some house-to-house searches that have to be conducted. But, we are hopeful that in a matter of days that humanitarian supplies and reconstruction activities will be able to start.
Q: The reconstruction operations will start when you leave after the end of the operation?
Amb. Negroponte: Well, the reconstruction will start as soon as it is safe to do so. We are hopeful. Obviously, we do not want to send humanitarian or reconstruction workers into the town only to expose them to terrible dangers there. So the danger must be eliminated. Once that is done we certainly support the initiation of reconstruction actively and as soon as possible. I will give to you as an example Najaf. Also, Sadr city. There was heavy fighting in Sadr city here in Baghdad in August, and I visited Sadr city this morning and went through parts of the town and saw that some of these reconstruction activities are now beginning
Q: On other aspects of security situation in Iraq. Next week, a conference about the security of Iraq and consultations with the neighbor countries will take place in Sharm el-Sheik in Egypt. How do you think this conference will achieve our goals, especially those considered by the U.S., not France?
Amb. Negroponte: It is very important that this conference is taking place, because it will involve all the neighbors of Iraq as well as the G-8 countries and the permanent members of the Security Council as well as others. The main point of the meeting will be to support the sovereignty and the freedom and the independence of Iraq. I think that with regard to the neighbors, one of the important subjects that is going to be discussed is how to protect Iraq from the infiltration of terrorists and supplies across its borders, so that people do not use the neighboring countries to fish in troubled waters, as we say. So that is going to be important. I am sure that there is also going to be a discussion of the efforts to reconstruct Iraq's economic programs to appeal to international support for Iraq’s economic reconstruction.
Q: You mainly accused Syria and Kuwait to be supporting of the these fighter or the infiltration of insurgents?
Amb. Negroponte: I think the foreign fighters and terrorists have used many borders of Iraq for these purposes. I think it is important that Iraq have a dialogue with all of these countries. In fact, we have set up some mechanisms, particularly with Syria, to discuss a trilateral mechanism between ourselves, the government of Syria, and the government of Iraq to discuss what more can be done to try and prevent the infiltration of foreign terrorists into Iraq, as well as former regime elements, as well as trying to recuperate for Iraq some of the finances that belong to former regime elements that are located in Syria and other banks outside of Iraq.
Q: Has Syria been cooperating with the U.S.?
Amb. Negroponte: Well, I am not sure that I would say that they have cooperated as much as we would like. But they have been willing to enter into dialogue, and I think we need to continue to impress upon Syria that it is in their interest that Iraq be stabilized and peaceful, so that it can benefit from trade and economic and political relations with a new Iraq.
Q: My last question is about the European countries, especially those that were against the war, and now a few months ago we start to see a new era made of them. What about these relations and the participation at this juncture in the future of Iraq.
Amb. Negroponte: Well, We would -- whatever differences that might have existed in the past with some of our European friends -- we hope that all of them will participate in the economic development and reconstruction of Iraq. We think that it is important that they consider making investments here. We think that it is important that they make contributions to reconstruction, and I would note that there has been a hopeful development in that regard with respect to NATO, how they recently decided to establish a training mission for Iraqi Security persons, and I think that is very much a step in the right direction.
Q: This is John Negroponte, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador.
Amb. Negroponte: Thank you very much for the opportunity.
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