Hoshyar Zebari

These statements are extremely regrettable... coming from a colleague of ours in government, ... a bedouin on a camel.

left to the Kuwaiti government itself and its estimation about the situation in Iraq.

Everybody is waiting. They haven't made up their minds whether this Iraqi project will succeed or not, ... Everybody is apprehensive and some of them, to be honest, want it to fail so they can keep away from this pressure to reform.

The situation in Iraq is now not just local any more, but it is regional and international and the role of this mission will help Iraqis pass through this phase.

to protect the freedoms of the rest of the civilized world.

talking about relations with the outside world and of handling them.

This in my view and the view of the Iraqi government has set a bad precedent and sent all the wrong messages, ... Terrorists should not be rewarded. Otherwise, this could repeat itself.

ideas (he has presented) for some practical steps which can help boost morale on the domestic Iraqi scene.

Make no mistake. We are here to stay, ... We are not temporary or interim leaders. After Saddam's topple, you have to live with these faces, whether you like them or you dislike them.

I think this project of democracy-building in Iraq has alarmed many authoritarian autocratic regimes in the region, ... Many of them are counting on our failure, and they have not been helpful.

They and others are frightened really of this experiment to succeed. This is the bottom line. They don't want these values, these ideas to take root in a country like Iraq. This may affect them.

successes we are making in some parts of the country.

We feel strongly that there is a lack of political will in Syria towards its commitments to Iraq. Regrettably, the bulk of foreign fighters and terrorists are infiltrating from Syria, and the Syrian government has not demonstrated any serious cooperation to help us stop their transit.

We want a good, solid constitution. We don't want to force a deal on any group that they're uncomfortable with.

We need these forces. It is an Iraqi need, more than an American or coalition need. The consequences would be catastrophic.

Nowhere are the goals of freedom, democracy and progress more at stake, ... We know our clear way forward, but we need your help. We need the help of every member nation and this organization to win this fight. We stick together, or we lose together.

Iraq is proud to stand with the nations of the world as a country that upholds the core values of the UN charter, ... But Iraq also provides the test case for success or failure. We know our clear way forward, but we need your help. We need the help of every member nation and this organization to win this fight. We stick together or we lose together.

This would cause a humanitarian crisis and provide a foothold for terrorists to launch their evil campaign in our country and beyond our borders.

We have warned our neighbors - our Arab brothers, our Islamic brothers - that the new Iraq is going to be a different one, ... It's always been taken by those who oppose change in Iraq that Iraq has been hijacked - by the Americans, by the Israelis, by the Kurds, by the Shiites - to strip it from its Arab womb. ... If you care so much, why don't you have embassies Why don't you send ambassadors

the need for an effective and influential Arab role in Iraq, particularly at this transitional stage.

They fear Iraq is drifting from the Arabs, being divorced from the Arab world, and the increased influence of another neighboring country. This time, we are seeing some positive moves by the Arab League toward more realization of the situation on Iraq.

This is the first visit of a foreign minister, Arab or Islamic, from any of Iraq's neighboring countries to Iraq since the change of the regime and since the elections of the Iraqi people... ... This is proof of their respect for this authority and for the Iraqi people.

Efforts to rebuild and stabilize the country are being challenged at every step, ... and we expect terrorists to step up their attempts to create civil tensions and prevent national unity ahead of the constitutional referendum.

Talks are continuing. They are not bogged down. They are not gridlocked, ... We believe we will reach an agreement very soon.

We reached the final agreement with the Kuwaiti government to resume our diplomatic activities and we will reopen our embassy within the few coming weeks.