Opening Remarks at the Editorial Writers ConferenceJohn Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of StateWashington, DC April 2, 2007 First of all, let me welcome you to the Department of State. We’re delighted that you have been able to take time from your responsibilities at home for these important discussions and briefings here in Washington. There is, however, one issue that I would like to put on the table to start things off. I’m referring to the President’s Emergency Supplemental Request for Iraq and Afghanistan. I’d like to speak to this issue not only as Deputy Secretary of State, but as a long-time negotiator and, of course, as former U.S. ambassador to Iraq. I know from experience what I suspect many of you know from experience: in any dispute, major international effort, insurgency or war, it is impossible to achieve success if you have declared beforehand when you plan to give up. Our military, our Defense Department, and this Department have been charged with helping the Iraqi people establish their democracy in the face of ruthless opponents and a drumbeat of violence. I went to Baghdad in 2004 with the conviction that democracy is possible in Iraq. I still think it’s possible. In fact, it is a reality, albeit a reality that is under siege. We in the Executive Branch are committed to making the President’s policy work, and we think it can work, but not on an arbitrary timetable. Negotiations and international conflicts don’t work that way. The delay in funding our troops and our extensive diplomatic efforts in Iraq, coupled with a demand that we pull out by a certain date, sends a message to the opponents of the Iraqi government that they really can win…all they have to do is hold out. I know firsthand how hard it is in Iraq, but I’m not the only one. We’ve asked hundreds of Foreign Service Officers to serve there, and we’re extending our diplomatic reach with Provincial Reconstruction Teams. We can help find a political way ahead for Iraq with strong diplomatic, multilateral efforts, but there is no way to do this absent military strength and commitment. The worst thing we could do right now is hamstring our efforts—the sectarianism would grow worse, the violence would grow worse, the terrorism would grow worse, and a vital region of the world would suffer the consequences. Putting arbitrary limits on our efforts in Iraq would be a self-inflicted wound we can ill-afford with the stakes as high as they are in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. That’s why the President has said he will veto any bill imposing such limits. Released on April 2, 2007 |
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