Political Quotes

“I call this body's attention to the recent developments in Iraq. Last month, Iraqis went to the polls to vote in the second provincial election since the hand-over of power in 2004. Elections were conducted peacefully under the watchful eyes of Iraqi security forces, and the results were quickly certified by the United Nations. This peaceful expression of political will is yet another demonstration of political progress in Iraq. Less than 2 years after some were declaring the war lost and the surge a failure, violence has declined, and the world--most importantly the Arab world--saw Iraqis peacefully voting, their security ensured by an increasingly competent Iraqi army and police. Not only was the election process successful, the results also merit attention. The Iraqi people voted in favor of secular parties competing with the Iranian-backed religious parties. These results in many ways represent a remarkable change from the 2005 provincial elections that strengthened many extremist and foreign-backed parties opposed to the central government. Sunnis, who largely boycotted the 2005 elections, participated broadly in January's election. Their involvement should enhance national reconciliation and bolster a more moderate and diverse government representative of the Iraqi people. This progress is reversible.…”