U.S. and Iraq Discuss Strategic Framework Agreement
Secretary Rice (Aug. 21): "What we’re trying to do is to put together an agreement that protects our people, that respects Iraqi sovereignty, that allows us to lay the kind of foundation that we need for making certain that we complete the work that we’ve all sacrificed so greatly to see accomplished, and that work is being accomplished. But the goal is to have Iraqi forces responsible for the security of Iraq. That is the goal." Full Text |
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to Brussels, Belgium, Warsaw, Poland, and Baghdad, Iraq, departing on August 18. Under instructions from President Bush, Secretary Rice requested an emergency session of the North Atlantic Council to discuss with her counterparts the situation in Georgia and its implications for the region. She met with European Union leadership, to include Foreign Minister of France Bernard Kouchner, European Union High Representative Javier Solana, and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Fererro-Waldner.
In Warsaw, Secretary Rice signed a formal agreement with Poland on behalf of the United States for the establishment and operation of a ballistic missile defense interceptor site in Poland. This agreement is an important step in our efforts to protect the United States and our European allies from the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles.
Secretary Rice arrived in Baghdad August 21 on an unannounced trip to Iraq and met with top Iraqi officials, including the prime minister, on the status of negotiations to keep U.S. forces in Iraq after the expiration of a U.N. Security Council resolution later this year.
--08/21/08 Remarks With Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari
--08/20/08 Remarks at the Prime Ministry of Poland
--08/20/08 Remarks With Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security John Rood
--08/20/08 Interview With Zain Verjee of CNN
--08/20/08 Remarks With Polish President Lech Kaczynski
--08/19/08 Interview With Kim Ghattas of BBC
--08/19/08 Interview With Lara Logan of CBS News
--08/19/08 Remarks After the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the Level of Foreign Ministers
--08/18/08 Remarks En Route to Brussels, Belgium
--08/20/08 Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland
--08/20/08 Declaration on Strategic Cooperation Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland
--08/20/08 Text of the Declaration on Strategic Cooperation Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland
Meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers
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