MEMO To: Chairman Pryce From: Press Shop What: Iraq Conference Call When: Tuesday, January 24 Time: 10:00 am EST Dial in: 1-800-369-1121 Pass Code: House of Representatives Participants: General Casey, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad Details You will lead a brief 30 minute conference call on the continued progress in Iraq. After a brief welcome, you can turn it over to National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, he will turn it over to General Casey who will talk about post election developments. He will highlight the decline in violence and the daily achievements. Members will be able to press *1 if they would like to ask a question at the end. Both General Casey and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley will be on a tight schedule; however, one of them will try to stay on the longer to take questions from the members. We will not know who can stay for questions until Tuesday morning. Members were not asked to RSVP, but Sean and I will be able to watch the call online and will send you a list of what Members are on the call a minute or two into it and then a summary at the end. Remarks I would like to thank everyone for joining in on this call today, especially National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, General Casey, and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. As we all know, the War on Terror is vital to the future of our nation s freedom and as the latest bin Laden tape reminds us, this global war is far from over. The good news is we are making great advances in Iraq and I wanted to bring us all together today so can we can hear first hand the positive news. Because the General and Ambassador are in Iraq this will be a shorter conference call than usual. You can press *1 if you d like to ask a question and with that I will turn it over to National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.
P 2005 P 2005 Iraq Key Points The Past 12 Months, Iraq Has Undergone A Political Transformation That Is Virtually Without Precedent. o o Iraqis have completed three successful nationwide elections, voted for a transitional government, drafted the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world, approved that constitution, and elected a new government under their new constitution. Each successive election has seen less violence, bigger turnout, and broader th participation than the one before (58% turnout January 30P elections, 78% th turnout December 15P elections). The Process Of Forming A New National Government Will Take Time And Patience. o When the final election results come in, Iraqi leaders will begin working to form a new government. In the weeks ahead, Americans will likely see political turmoil in Iraq as different factions and leaders compete for position and jockey for power. o Yet out of this debate will emerge a free government that represents the will of the Iraqi people. Iraqis Have Shown They Can Come Together For The Sake Of National Unity. o After the January 2005 elections, Shia and Kurdish leaders who did well at the polls reached out to Sunni Arabs who failed to participate. o Now Iraqis must reach out once again across political, religious, and sectarian lines and form a government of national unity. o In the December 2005 elections, Sunnis turned out in large numbers. Sunnis who abandoned violence to join the political process must learn to use their influence to benefit their community and the country at large. o Shia and Kurds need to understand that successful free societies protect minority rights. The success of Iraqi democracy will come when political divisions are driven not by sectarian rivalries but by ideas, convictions, and a common vision for the future. Iraq's New Leaders Will Face Tough Decisions. o When a government assumes office, Iraq's new leaders will face tough decisions on issues such as security, reconstruction, and economic reform, and they will have to review and possibly amend the constitution. o If amendments are approved, these changes will be once again taken to the Iraqi people for approval in a referendum before year's end.
o As Iraq's leaders take these steps to build a strong democracy, foreign terrorists and Saddamists will continue to fight this progress. o Yet with the recent elections, the enemies of a free Iraq have suffered a real defeat, and the Saddamists and rejectionists are increasingly marginalized. Osama Bin Laden Audiotape White House Rejects Bin Laden Truce Friday, January 20, 2006 WASHINGTON Rejecting a suggestion by UUsama bin LadenU of a negotiated truce in the war on terror, Vice President Dick Cheney said there was only one way to deal with terrorists. "I think you have to destroy them," Cheney said. The vague offer of a truce coupled with a threat of another attack on the U.S. was made in an audiotape released by the Arab television network UAl-JazeeraU. It brought new attention to the Al Qaeda leader after a yearlong lull in his public statements. U.S. security officials said Thursday there were currently no plans to raise the nation's security threat level because of the new tape. Counterterror officials said they have seen no specific or credible intelligence to indicate an upcoming Al Qaeda attack. Nor have they noticed an uptick in terrorist communications "UchatterU" although that can dramatically increase or decrease immediately before an attack. On the tape, bin Laden warned that his fighters are preparing new attacks in the United States but offered the American people a "long-term truce" without specifying the conditions. But Cheney, in a television interview, rejected that suggestion, saying "We don't negotiate with terrorists." "I think you have to destroy them," he told FOX News. "It's the only way to deal with them." The tape prompted increased security at Los Angeles International Airport and other precautions at the city's port and water and power facilities. The FBI has asked the 103 joint terrorism task forces and intelligence units at its 56 field offices to re-examine its cases and investigative leads in light of the bin Laden tape. The national terror threat level currently stands at yellow, the middle of five grades, signifying an elevated risk of attack. The government has raised the alert level to orange, signaling a high threat risk, seven times since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"At this time, we lack corroborating information suggesting that Al Qaeda is prepared to attack the United States in the near term," said UHomeland SecurityU spokeswoman Michelle Petrovich. "But we recognize that Al Qaeda remains committed to striking the homeland." The tape, which Al-Jazeera said was recorded this month, represents bin Laden's first public communication since December 2004. Since then, Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, UAyman al- ZawahiriU, has served as the terror network's public face. The recording was released only days after U.S. missile attacks in Pakistan that Pakistani officials said killed four senior Al Qaeda operatives. CIA analysts verified the recording as bin Laden's voice. They offered no details about how they reached that conclusion, but in the past the agency has verified authenticity in part by comparing new recordings to earlier messages. In the tape, bin Laden spoke in a soft voice, as he has in previous recordings, but his tone was flatter than in the past and had an echo, as if recorded indoors. He presented his message with a combination of threats, vows his followers can fight forever and a tone of reconciliation, insisting he wants to offer a way to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He even recommended a book for Americans to read "UThe Rogue StateU," apparently a book of the same title by American author William Blum. He said it offers the path to peace that America must apologize to victims of the wars and promise never to "interfere" in other nations though it was not clear if these were conditions for the truce. Cheney said the tape showed that Al Qaeda has been hobbled, because "they didn't have the ability to do anything on video" and because it had been so long since bin Laden had been heard from. Still, "I think we have to assume that the threat is going to continue for a considerable period of time." the vice president said. "Even if bin Laden were no longer to be a factor, I still think we'd have problems with Al Qaeda." Homeland Security officials alerted states about bin Laden's comments in a routine call Thursday morning, Petrovich said. In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said city police deployed additional resources at their airport and "posted signage indicating that bomb sniffing dogs and searches will occur frequently." He described the measures as precautionary. Sharon Gang, a spokeswoman for District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams, said the capital was not raising its terror alert level.
Iraq vote turnout over 75 pct - official REUTERS BAGHDAD, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Turnout in last month's Iraqi election was much higher than originally estimated, electoral data indicated on Friday, and one senior official confirmed it was more than 75 percent. Shortly after the Dec. 15 vote, the Electoral Commission estimated turnout at 70 percent. On Friday, Commission chief Hussein al-hendawi told Reuters a final turnout figure was not yet ready but that it would be at least 75 percent. Results issued on Friday put the total number of votes cast at 12.4 million, including 0.21 million spoiled or blank ballots. That would put turnout at more than 78 percent on the basis of registered voters numbering 15.8 million, Hendawi said. Turnout in the previous election on Jan. 30 last year, when many Sunni Arabs boycotted the vote, was 58 percent. Short Biographies UStephen Hadley Stephen J. Hadley was sworn in as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor) on January 26, 2005. During President George W. Bush's first term, Mr. Hadley served as the Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor. Mr. Hadley served as a senior foreign and defense policy advisor to then-governor Bush during the 2000 Presidential Campaign and worked in the Bush-Cheney Transition on the National Security Council. Previous to this position, he was a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Shea & Gardner and a principal in The Scowcroft Group, Inc., an international consulting firm. UGeneral Casey s Biography General Casey became the 30th Vice Chief of Staff, United States Army, on October 17, 2003. General Casey was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1970. Throughout his career, he has served in operational assignments in Germany, Italy, Egypt and the United States. He has commanded at every level from platoon to Division. His most recent assignment was as the Director, Joint Staff.
UAmbassador Zalmay Khalilzad Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad was nominated Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Iraq by President Bush on April 5, 2005. Dr. Khalilzad was sworn in on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 in Baghdad and presented his credentials to President Talabani the same day. Dr. Khalilzad served as Ambassador to Afghanistan from November 2003 to June 2005, during which time he continued as the Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan. For his service in Afghanistan Secretary Rumsfeld awarded Dr. Khalilzad the Defense Department medal for outstanding public service. President Karzai awarded him the King Ghazi Ammanullah Medal, Afghanistan s highest medal. Earlier he served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Islamic Outreach and Southwest Asia Initiatives at the National Security Council. Prior to that, Dr. Khalilzad was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Southwest Asia, Near East, and North African Affairs at the National Security Council. He was also a Special Presidential Envoy and Ambassador at Large for the Free Iraqis. Dr. Khalilzad headed the Bush-Cheney transition team for the Department of Defense and has been a Counselor to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.