Virginia Foxx: “just a few minutes ago, we welcomed His Excellency Nouri Al-Maliki to address the U.S. Congress. We commend him for his…”

“just a few minutes ago, we welcomed His Excellency Nouri Al-Maliki to address the U.S. Congress. We commend him for his sacrifices and efforts to bring peace and democracy to Iraq. Once sentenced to death and thus forced into exile by Saddam Hussein's government, Al-Maliki has devoted his life to ending the tyranny that dominated his country for so long. I commend His Excellency for his commitment to rebuilding his nation on the principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law; and we look forward to collaborating with him in this regard. I applaud the Prime Minister for condemning the countless terrorist acts in Iraq; and I encourage him to condemn all acts of terror in the Middle East, including the most recent ones we have seen begun by Hezbollah. As the Prime Minister articulated, we must continue to fight for ``liberty over oppression'' and ``democracy over terrorism'' wherever it may occur in the world. ____________________”