Head of Iraqi Council Lauds Bush for Aid
abcnews.go.com
BAGHDAD, Iraq Nov. 6 — Iraq's Governing Council praised President Bush on Thursday for signing a massive Iraqi aid bill, saying the billions in funding showed the U.S. commitment to a "democratic, secure and prosperous Iraq." The bill includes $51 billion for the U.S. military in Iraq and $18.6 billion to restore the country's oil industry, train police officers and rebuild the economy and government.
In a letter to Bush, the current council president, Jalal Talabani, said the interim Iraqi administration expresses "our profound gratitude to you, the United States Congress and the American people, for the Iraq aid package that you have enacted into law."
The 24-member council was chosen by U.S. authorities and is headed by a rotating presidency.
"This timely and critical economic assistance reaffirms the commitment of the United States to a democratic, secure and prosperous Iraq that can become a beacon of hope for the entire Middle East," Talabani wrote. "It is through this partnership, and in spite of the joint efforts of terrorists and former Saddam loyalists, the quality of life for the Iraqi people continues to steadily improve."
Talabani controlled part of an autonomous region of northern Iraq before the war, and his militiamen backed U.S. soldiers during the fighting. The Kurdish north is one of the most stable areas of the country.
Talabani's letter also honored American and coalition soldiers who have been killed fighting in Iraq.
"To them, and to the countless Iraqis who lost their lives in confronting tyranny, we owe relentless determination to building a secure democratic Iraq that will be anchored in peace with the civilized community of nations," he wrote. |
