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'We are proud to be your friends'
31.1.2010
By Jalal Talabani
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Iraq's president shares his thoughts about the old
regime and his hopes for the future
January 31, 2010
The Iraqi people now have the
right to build their own freedom and are deeply
grateful to British prime ministers Sir John Major,
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, for their assistance.
At the time, I and other leaders of the Iraqi
opposition asked Mr Blair's government to help the
Iraqi people get rid of the dictatorship. And we
praise the bravery and sacrifice of British troops.
We suffered under Saddam Hussein in ways that too
many in the international community seem to have
forgotten. His regime was a republic of fear, which
slaughtered Iraqis on an industrial scale and
attacked our neighbours. We are fortunate he has
gone and that we have a chance to rebuild our
society. |
Iraqi President : Jalal Talabani, an ethnic Kurd. |
Iraq is one of the historical
founts of modern civilisation. Our tragedy is that
Saddam pillaged our potential for his own purposes.
Now that he is gone we have a great opportunity to
overcome our isolation from decades of modernity and
to rebuild our links with the international
community. Our second parliamentary elections,www.ekurd.neton
7 March, will provide an opportunity to consolidate
our growing democracy and further isolate those who
use the bomb and the gun against the will of our own
people.
We, as a people, have a great regard for and
affection towards the British and we are seeking
deep, broad and long-term relationships with your
politicians, academics, sporting groups and
businesses.
We are a potentially rich country but our legacy is
a poor one. We value the ability of British business
to unlock our resources through increased investment
and by trading with us. Iraq is becoming
increasingly open to commerce, which is a means of
giving our people the better way of life that they
seek and deserve.
It would also be in Britain's interest to continue
its relationship with us. We are proud to be your
friends and hope that you will always be our
friends, working together for the common good of
humanity.
The author is the first non-Arab president of
Iraq and founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
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