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Ray
Suarez: So, the referendum on the constitution
is about a month away, you don't think he has the
ability or people who sympathize with him have the
ability to derail the process?
President Jalal Talabani:
No. He will try his best, but they cannot. The big
majority of Iraqis will vote and I think majority
will vote for constitution.
Ray Suarez: What about the Sunnis?
President Jalal Talabani:
Sunni Arabs in the west part of Iraq -- some of them
will against and some of them will for the
constitution. Here the majority will vote again, but
there is a big minority among them, which will vote
for constitution. Let us see what will be the result
of the referendum.
Ray Suarez: In these negotiations, have you
seen a greater sense of people feeling that they are
Iraqis, that we may come from different ethnic
groups, we may come from different religious groups,
but we're all Iraqis?
President Jalal Talabani:
Yes -- that -- after liberation, for the first time,
many, many Iraqis, they are feeling that they are
Iraqis; before there was national oppression,
religious oppression, all kinds of dictatorship; the
people were deprived of all kinds of democratic
rights.
Nowadays, Iraqi people enjoy democracy, human rights
-- all kinds of freedoms. And there is a kind of
equality among Iraqis that Iraqis feel that all of
them are first class citizens -- for that they are
really proud to be Iraqis.
Balancing two allies: Iran
and the U.S.
Ray Suarez: One of the people you'll be
meeting on your visit to the United States is the
new president of Iran. Iran is a neighbor of Iraq --
has been a friend to many of the people who are the
new leaders of Iraq -- yet not a friend of the
United States, which helped bring down the Saddam
regime. Is this an uncomfortable position to be in?
President Jalal Talabani:
You know, yes, they did something when they let the
war of liberation of Iraq, something indirectly for
interest of Iranians also, why the Iranians must be
against removing the worst kind of their enemy; they
must be grateful.
Ray Suarez: Well, can you say anything to the
new Iranian president about your ally, President
George Bush?
President Jalal Talabani:
I am going to see him after finishing with you. And
you know, I am proud to say that we could always
keep alliances with the United States in one hand
and the other with Iranians in the other hand.
The Kurds in a unified Iraq
Ray Suarez: You're a Kurdish leader in
addition to being the president of Iraq; you've been
a leader of the struggle there for almost half a
century. Are you in the position of telling your own
people that staying in Iraq is good for them? Are
there many of your own Kurdish brothers and sisters
who want to be free of Iraq?
President Jalal Talabani:
You know, before becoming president of Iraq, I
always called for Kurdish Arab brotherhood for
common struggle, against dictatorship, for having
democracy, and democratic federal regime in Iraq.
It is something that we struggled for in the past.
Nowadays also I can say to the Kurds stay inside
democratic federal Iraq, better for you than asking
for a kind of independence which is impossible.
Ray Suarez: The newly elected Kurdish
assembly is very much in favor of an independent
Kurdistan.
President Jalal Talabani:
No. The newly elected Kurdistan assembly voted
unanimously for the constitution and for remaining
within the federal Iraq.
U.S. support
Ray Suarez: President Bush is going to speak
to the United States to talk about relief for the
hurricane here in America. We're also spending in
this country a great deal of money to rebuild your
country; some senators have expressed some worries
about whether we can afford both things. What would
you tell Americans about their investment in Iraq?
President Jalal Talabani:
Well, I had meeting with some leaders of Congress,
and in press conference, I think the American people
is a great people. They have an international
responsibility. The American sacrifices in the First
and Second Word War, hundreds of thousands of
American sons were killed in these wars to liberate
Europe from Nazis and liberating Asia from the
threat of Japan.
This is the responsibility of big states; this is
the responsibility of big nations in the world. I
told the American people, you will have a very good
friend and a democratic, federal, secure Iraq will
be a very good friend for the United States of
America, and when we will be victorious over
terrorism, America will be more safe than before.
Ray Suarez: But not only is it expensive,
most Americans are now telling pollsters that
they're not sure it was a good idea and they're not
sure that they want to stay.
President Jalal Talabani:
Well, it's up to the American people to decide. I
cannot interfere in internal affairs of the United
States of America.
U.S.
troop withdrawal
Ray Suarez: But you're not also ready to say
goodbye to American troops?
President Jalal Talabani:
We will be ready to tell them goodbye any time they
want to leave. But as I understood that American
forces, President Bush has a mind to stay until he
will finish the job, until Iraq will be able to
train police and security forces, until Iraq will be
able to face alone terrorism. I think this is a wise
decision and we support this decision of President
Bush.
Ray Suarez: But would it help Iraq to get on
its feet, would it help Iraq to become a more normal
place to not have foreign troops on its soil?
President Jalal Talabani:
Well, if Iraq will be able to have forces for
defending Iraq from terrorism and foreign
interference, then perhaps there will be no need for
foreign forces. But it also depends on agreement
between the Iraqi government and Americans --
perhaps Iraqi government will see it is in the
interest of Iraq to ask some military bases for
American forces, even after liberation, liberating
Iraq from the threat of terrorism.
Ray Suarez: In recent weeks you've talked
about specific numbers of troops, you've talked
about timetables, and then you've gone back and
changed the --
President Jalal Talabani:
No. I didn't tell about timetables. Americans can
remove forces if they want. But I think within two
years we can be able to have our forces, our
security forces, army able to face the terrorism.
But the timetable for removal of the forces depends
on the relation between the Iraqi government and
coalition forces.
Ray Suarez: But are you ready? If they came
to you this week --
President Jalal Talabani:
I was misquoted. I said at the end of the next year
yes, we'll be ready for many kind of replacement of
American forces with Iraqis. But the departure of
American forces depends on many factors. First, a
kind of agreement between Iraq and United States
that show that the departure of American forces is
not under the threat and pressure of the terrorists;
it is not defeat of American forces - to escape from
the country -
Ray Suarez: So not just leaving, but leaving
the right way.
President Jalal Talabani:
Yes, I think so.
Ray Suarez: Mr. President, thanks for
speaking with us.
President Jalal Talabani:
Thank you very much. Thank you very much for
liberating me as you liberated our country from
dictatorship.
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