Remarks by Vice President Biden at the Conclusion of a Meeting of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Mr. Prime Minister, my distinguished colleagues, as I stated at the outset, both our countries are now launching on a new phase of this relationship. What we discussed here today was not totally new, but what we discussed here today was a way forward.

We will continue to keep our promises as we have thus far. We will in fact, as I said at the outset, draw down our military forces by the end of December in agreement with the so-called SOFA that was signed some years ago. And we’re embarking on a new — and I think we learned today, or we discussed today a new and a comprehensive civilian relationship between the United States and Iraq as sovereign partners in a way that will benefit, as I said at the outset, not only Iraq but the region and in turn the world.

Our civilian mission in Iraq — I think it’s worth saying this — is sized. It is big, as the Foreign Minister said. But it’s sized to meet the request and the obligations and the promises we’ve made. The reason it’s as big as it is, and I say this for American audiences as well as Iraqi audiences is because in order to fully meet the obligations that the strategic framework agreement calls for, in order for Iraq to meet its incredible promise, incredible opportunities that it has before it, that we will have in country, on hand for direct relationships — and the last thing we just discussed is how can we make these coordinating meetings more available, more regularized and more engaging because there’s so much opportunity and so much work to be done. So we will have in country, which we don’t in every country, on hand experts, U.S. experts in every one of the fields that we discussed here today.

It is not a matter of us having the luxury of being able to send — or Iraq — diplomats and experts back and forth across the world. If we’re going to get this job done together, we need to have people on the spot, on the job, in place, immediately accessible for meetings and emergencies relating to their areas they’re concerned with in a matter of hours, not a matter of weeks’ planning. So that’s the reason why we’re going to have in country not only diplomatic experts but experts on trade, agriculture, education, health care, transportation, rule of law, energy, security and the list goes on because I don’t know about you, Mr. Prime Minister, but occasionally I at home have to explain why we have such a large embassy here. Why.

With the debate about the U.S. troop presence in Iraq seemingly out of the way, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Barham Salih urged the Vice President of the United States Joseph P. Biden to deploy the broad array of diplomatic and economic tools necessary to ensure that the stability and prosperity of the Kurdistan Region is preserved and built upon.

During a meeting at the White House, Prime Minister Salih and Vice President Biden discussed the impact of the forthcoming US military withdrawal from Iraq on the Kurdistan Region and on Iraq as a whole. In their discussion, Prime Minister Salih stressed the importance of increasing meaningful US engagement on all fronts – economic, cultural, political and security – “to create an enduring strategic relationship between the US and Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region.”

For his part, the Vice President reaffirmed the US commitment to a stable, federal and democratic Iraq and in an official statement released by the White House “praised the dynamism of Iraq’s Kurdish region and the historic friendship and partnership between the Kurdish and American people.”

Both sides stressed the importance of a strategic relationship between the US and Iraq and spoke optimistically about furthering the relationship as outlined in the strategic framework agreement signed between Iraq and the US in 2008.

The Prime Minister, accompanied by Iraq’s Ambassador to the United States Samir Sumaida’ie, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Planning Ali Sindi and the KRG Representative to the US Qubad Talabani, also discussed the importance of promoting increased US private sector involvement in the Kurdistan Region. Citing Kurdistan as a Region ripe for investment with a consistently growing economy, the Prime Minister assured the Vice President, “Kurds welcome American businesses to operate in Kurdistan; not just to benefit from the inviting market in Kurdistan, but to also be well positioned to branch out throughout the country as opportunities arise.”

(Source: KRG)

Today’s session of United Nations Security Council, which led to the crucially important easing of restriction on Iraq, was chaired by the US Vice President, Joe Biden (pictured). The following is the text of the statement issued from his office, including full details of the decisions made by the Council.

Today marks an important milestone in the restoration of Iraq’s normalized ties to the international community.  The UN Security Council, in a special session chaired by Vice President Biden, took significant steps to return Iraq to the legal and international standing it held prior to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait with the passage of three resolutions.  Additionally, the Security Council issued a Presidential statement reaffirming the Security Council’s commitment to Iraq and support for UNAMI, welcoming Iraqi progress and reintegration into the region, and encouraging Iraq and all regional states to deepen and broaden their relationships.

With today’s action by the Security Council the United States and the international community are keeping their commitments to the Government and the people of Iraq. The resolutions adopted today by the Security Council will lift several longstanding Chapter VII restrictions on Iraqi trade and activity.

The three Security Council resolutions passed today are Resolution 1956, which terminates the UN supervised arrangements for the Development Fund for Iraq on June 30, 2011; Resolution 1957 which ends restrictions related to civilian nuclear cooperation placed on Iraq after the first Gulf War; and Resolution 1958, which ends the residual activities of the Oil for Food program.

Despite hardships, Iraq has made tremendous progress over the past few years and today is a far safer, more secure, and economically stable country. The United States urges Iraq’s neighbors and the international community to work closely with Iraq to resolve remaining outstanding Chapter VII issues, particularly outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait.

US President Barack Obama delivered a major speech from the Oval Office on Tuesday, marking the official end of combat operations in Iraq.

As just over 50,000 US troops will remain in the country until the end of 2011 in non-combat roles, the real significance of the military draw-down is hotly debated.

But it is clear that the US remains committed to the success of the Iraqi mission, and the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn will continue to require considerable investment of both money and political will over the coming years. By no stretch of the imagination is the West simply walking away.

Vice President Joe Biden is again visiting Iraq and trying to coax the political factions to find some solution to the ongoing electoral stalemate. The latest snippets of information point to a possible agreement within days, but given the history of this election we shouldn’t get too excited just yet.

And in the business arena, activity is clearly increasing, especially with regard to oilfield development. To quote a headline from Forbes yesterday, “As U.S. Troops Move Out Of Iraq, Oil Companies Move In”.

The article concludes, “The rush is on for Iraqi oil”. And while oil will be the driving force, it’s fair to say the rush is on for Iraqi oil, gas, roads, rail, housing, jobs … the list is practically endless.

If your business can meet the needs of Iraq’s developing economy, Upper Quartile and AAIB can help you. For more information please contact Gavin Jones or Adrian Shaw.

Twice in recent days, senior Iraqi government officials have stressed the need to solve the parliamentary stalemate internally within Iraq, without influence from outside: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki specifically warned the United States not to interfere in the country’s internal affairs, while Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi reportedly described it as “an internal affair and non-Iraqis are not involved in it”.

These comments come days after US Vice President Joe Biden visited the country and urged the parties to find an agreement. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton put it this week: “The United States expresses no preference in the outcome in the government formation but we share a sense of urgency. The people of Iraq deserve to have a government that is ready to meet their needs and we hope that that occurs soon.”

With foreign governments, aid agencies, and businesses picking up the tab – and not just financially – it is not unreasonable for them to express a desire to get the situation resolved as soon as possible. We are now in month five.

Many countries have emerged from dark times in the past and gone on to prosper, but how many of those had the advantage of sitting on a lake of oil? The population desperately requires even basic services and infrastructure, and has the means of solving its problems right under its feet.

Rarely have the stakes been so high, and the potential rewards so huge.

The clock is ticking.

For more information on how Upper Quartile and AAIB can assist your business in Iraq, please contact Gavin Jones or Adrian Shaw.