The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 16, 2011

Readout of Vice President Biden's Calls to Iraqi Leaders

Vice President Biden spoke on the phone today with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi to mark the historic end of the U.S. war in Iraq and to discuss the recent visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to Washington. The leaders discussed the current political climate in Baghdad, and the Vice President reiterated the United States’ longstanding support for an inclusive partnership government in Iraq and for a long-term strategic partnership between our nations under the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. The Vice President and President Barzani reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between the American and Kurdish people and discussed the Vice President’s recent visit to Turkey. The Vice President praised Speaker Nujaifi’s responsible stewardship of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.  

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 12, 2011

Remarks of Dr. Jill Biden at the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Awards, As Prepared for Delivery

National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

Good afternoon, everyone.  Thank you, Angie, for your kind introduction.  I always say that I admire my students and you are a perfect example of some of the amazing people who not only choose community college, but excel there. 

First of all:  Congratulations to all the Aspen Prize finalists!  Today is a celebration of all of you and of the important role your schools play in our country. 

On behalf of everyone who believes in the promise of education to change lives, thank you for what you do.

I would like to thank Secretary Duncan for his leadership and my friend Martha Kanter for all her work.  We couldn’t have stronger community college advocates in the Department of Education than Arne and Martha.  It was just over a year ago that we gathered at the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges to share ideas about improving student outcomes. 

That summit showed what we all already knew:  that community colleges are the best kept secret in America. That morning, we announced the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Each of us in this room – students, educators, administrators, experts – knows that excellence happens every day in community college classrooms and campuses across this country.  Student by student….classroom by classroom…paper by paper…you educate…you inspire…you change lives.

The Aspen Prize gives us an opportunity to celebrate community college excellence on a grand scale.  So, thank you to the Aspen Institute, the supporters, and the many people who worked so hard to get to this day.  You have helped these institutions get the recognition they deserve.As I said in October, the summit was an important step in our efforts to meet the President’s goal of having the best-educated, most competitive workforce in the world.  But, I said then that we still had a lot of work to do. So much has been done since then.  On Summit Day, we announced Skills for America’s Future, an initiative to create industry-led partnerships with community colleges. 

Since then, Skills for America’s Future has partnered with companies and community colleges across the country to help students acquire important job skills.  Together, these partners are training hundreds of thousands of community college students for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Immediately after the summit, the Aspen team began its rigorous process culminating in today’s announcement.  The work you have done has the potential to shape policy in the years to come. 

As a teacher, I am fortunate to be in the classroom every week and able to see firsthand the tremendous impact community colleges have on so many students. 

These schools represent an idea that is uniquely ours – if you work hard and get a good education, you can build a better life for you and your family.  And community colleges make that happen, every day. 

We see it in the moms who go back to school for more specific training … in the military veterans returning from service who come back to complete their degrees … and in the high school graduates who continue their education.

We see it in students like Angie – who never thought college was an option.  But, since she found a home at a community college, she hasn’t let anything stop her. 

She’s not just changing her own life, but she is giving back to her community–– serving in student government, tutoring other students, and pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher.

I know all the prize finalists represented here today are as inspired by their students as I am by mine. 

Congratulations to Valencia College – and to all the finalists – on this tremendous achievement.  Your commitment to your students is an inspiration to all of us.

Early next year, I look forward to touring a number of community colleges.  I will highlight more of the innovative job partnerships and student support programs that are really making a difference in peoples’ lives. We will keep our eyes on the important work of community college innovators across the country.

Because as we look to the future, something is becoming more and more clear:  community colleges aren’t just changing lives; they’re changing America.  Community colleges have taken their place alongside our great four-year universities in the battle to compete and win in the 21st century. 

So we need to be ready for this challenge. Because the future we want isn’t going to be built without us.  I look forward to continuing to work with all of you in the coming months. Thank you again for all of your hard work, and congratulations.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2011

Office of the Vice President Announces Staff Changes

Washington, DC – The Office of the Vice President announced today that Courtney O’Donnell, Director of Communications to Second Lady Jill Biden, will leave the White House to move to Berlin, Germany with her family where she plans to work on projects based in Europe. O’Donnell will be succeeded by Melanie Kaye, who most recently worked at a DC-area advertising and communications consulting firm.

Dr. Jill Biden said:  “Since Inauguration Day, Courtney has served as a trusted advisor to me and our entire team.  Her creativity and strategic thinking helped us build campaigns to showcase the strengths of community colleges, support our nation’s military families, fight breast cancer, and draw attention and resources to the issues in the Horn of Africa.   Her expertise, graceful demeanor and tireless work ethic have been invaluable not just to me but to the entire office of the Vice President.  Joe and I are extremely grateful for her tremendous contributions and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

Melanie Kaye comes to the White House from GMMB, where she provided strategic communications counsel on a variety of issues, including public health topics such as cancer, tobacco and obesity, health care reform, workforce and workplace issues, and education, among others. Before that, she served as Press Secretary to former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, both in his office and during his successful 2006 re-election campaign. Melanie also worked as a reporter for several years for publications including The Hill newspaper.  A native of Wisconsin, Kaye received her Bachelors of Arts from St. Norbert College and began work on her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2011

Remarks by Vice President Biden and Greek Prime Minister Papademos at a Lunch Meeting

Prime Minister’s Office
Athens, Greece

 
12:06 P.M. (Local)
 
PRIME MINISTER PAPADEMOS:  (Opening remarks offered in Greek not translated.)
 
Now in today’s meeting, we will have the opportunity to have substantive and productive discussions on important issues of mutual interest, and also we’ll have an opportunity to explore on how we can further strengthen cooperation in the two countries.  We will discuss how we can foster the economic relations between the two countries and also the economic process we being implemented in Greece in order to address the economic challenges we are facing.
 
We will also have an exchange of views on major international and regional issues and on cooperative efforts in these -- and special attention will be paid on developments in Cyprus, the distant Mediterranean, Northern Africa, as well as the Balkans.  These are areas where cooperation between the U.S. and Greece can play an important role in preserving stability and security. 
 
Thank you, Mr. Vice President, for meeting with me.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.  On behalf of the President who -- I know you’ve already spoken to President Obama -- I am here to tell you that we stand with you in solidarity as you meet some very difficult requirements of the IMF and the European Union in this difficult time for Greece.  And we stand prepared to help you in any way we can. 
 
As you pointed out, Mr. Prime Minister, we have been friends for a long time.  We share the same value set.  We’re NATO allies, and it is overwhelmingly in the interest of the United States that Greece work its way through this financial crisis and that it remain a strong and vital part of the European Union.
 
You have a difficult job, but it appears as though all the political parties and the people of Greece have agreed to support you in this difficult time.  And we are pleased with that.
 
But we have many other things in common and many other mutual concerns, and we will discuss them ranging from the Aegean, to the Balkans, to the Middle East, to North Africa and Cyprus. 

And I think that out of difficult times opportunities present themselves.  And with a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck a year from now, we will have not only weathered this crisis but even be in a stronger position.  So let’s get to work.  (Laughter.)
 
END
12:12 P.M. (Local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 03, 2011

Background Briefing by a Senior Administration Official on Vice President Biden's Trip in Turkey

Venus Room, Hilton Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey

6:40 P.M. (Local)
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Welcome to the Venus Room.  (Laughter.)  So let me talk a little bit about the afternoon events, particularly the meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan also the Patriarchate because I think you all saw -- I think this morning’s events, the speech and so forth.
 
So with the Prime Minister, as you know we went to his home.  I’m told this is a rare occurrence.  He does not frequently receive official visitors there, if at all.  So it was incredibly gracious of the Prime Minister to receive us there. 
 
The meeting was scheduled to last 45 minutes.  It lasted two hours.  But it began with the Prime Minister introducing the Vice President and the small group with him to his children and son-in-law -- son and daughter and son-in-law. 
 
And then we sat down.  I might add that we did remove our shoes and put on slippers before going into the house.  And the Prime Minister began by -- I don't want to really characterize what he said, the only I will say to that is he told the Vice President that he had watched his speech this morning and complimented it and expressed appreciation for the very positive remarks that the Vice President made about the relationship between the United States and Turkey and the tremendous development that we’ve seen in Turkey’s economy, as well as in our relationship, overall, steps at the start of the meeting.
 
And then the Prime Minister asked the Vice President if he would talk to him about our trip to Iraq.  And I would say they spent about half of the meeting talking about Iraq.  The Vice President gave them a very detailed readout of the trip, his meetings, the key take-aways. 
 
And the main points that the Vice President conveyed were these:  One, we the United States are not disengaging from Iraq.  This will be a familiar story to most of you.  To the contrary our engagement in many ways will be increasing through the strategic framework agreement. 
 
The Vice President went into some detail about the workings of the Higher Coordination Committee and the work we’d be doing with the Iraqis through the Higher Coordination Committee of the Strategic Framework Agreement.  And he explained that again it’s really the nature of our engagement that's changed in Iraq from the military lead to a civilian lead.  But the Vice President emphasized that we are determined to be engaged and it’s just as important that the Iraqis are extremely desirous of our engagement as evidenced by the Prime Minister hosting the meeting of the Higher Coordination Council.
 
They discussed the role of Iran in Iraq.  The Vice President again expressed his conviction which you’ve heard him talk about that Iranian influence in Iraq is very much overstated, that the Iraqis do not appreciate outside meddling or interference from anyone, starting with Iran.  That, of course, there was going to be a relationship.  They shared a long border and history, and that was perfectly normal.  But in terms of negatively influencing Iraq or acting in any kind of malicious fashion there are very strong Iraqi antibodies to that kind of influence or interference.
 
We also talked about the PKK.  The Vice President made clear our absolute commitment to work closely with Turkey to deal with the serious threat proposed by PKK terrorism.  He also relayed that we heard from the Iraqis that they too -- including the Kurdish leadership, that they too were serious about dealing with this problem, a common problem to Turkey, the United States and Iraq. 
 
So that was the bulk of the discussion on Iraq.  There was also a discussion of Iran more generally.  The Vice President made the case that in our estimation Iranian influence is declining and Iranian isolation is increasing in the region.  And again, some of you heard him talk about this before.
 
He ran through -- the Vice President ran through the litany of recent outrageous acts by Iran that we believe are further isolating the Iranian regime:  thumbing their nose at the nonproliferation treaty and their obligations to the international community on the nuclear program; the assault on the British embassy; the assassination attempt by -- I should say plot -- on the Saudi ambassador in Washington.  All of these things were putting Iran in increasing isolation in the region.
 
The Vice President noted that President Obama and our administration had made serious efforts at outreach to Iran early in the administration that were not reciprocated.  These were necessary also to demonstrate to the world that we were serious about resolving the problems that the international community has with Iran diplomatically, and we still are.  And the fact that the world had seen that outreach and that effort had reversed what had been a problem in the past, which was the United States being isolated instead of Iran because of the perception that we were not trying to engage them.  And the result has been the strongest coalition in recent memory internationally to put pressure on Iran.
 
The Vice President further made the case that we need to sustain the pressure on Iran.  And -- sorry -- and that this was the most likely way to actually modify their behavior.
 
They briefly discussed Syria as well.  And there the conviction expressed by the Vice President that President Asad and people around him are the source of the problem and instability because they're killing their own people, and there was clearly a growing international consensus that Asad needed to leave.  And of course, the Turks have been in the lead on forging that consensus. 
 
The Vice President raised Turkey’s relationship with Israel.  He expressed our hope that both Turks and Israelis would look for opportunities to strengthen their relationship and to get over the recent tensions.  He repeated what he said to President Gul that it pains us to see two of our closest friends and partners not getting along so well, and that we would continue to encourage both to look for opportunities to strengthen their relationship.
 
Then there was a brief discussion of a number of issues:  the Egyptian elections, Libya, the Balkans, Kosovo and Bosnia, and then finally the Vice President raised two final issues with the Prime Minister, first, Cyprus and the Halki seminary.  On Cyprus, the Vice President expressed the hope that we would see real progress in the negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and Ban Ki-moon, and that we remain ready to do what we can to encourage progress.
 
On Halki, the Vice President expressed our hope that the seminary would be reopened and praised the steps that the Prime Minister has taken in terms of the restitution of property in recent months.  These were very important steps forward.  And he also praised the constitutional reform process, including the hope that he had heard speaking to the Speaker that this would only further enhance religious freedom in Turkey.
 
And then finally on Armenia, he said to the Prime Minister what he had raised with President Gul, as well, the hope that now that the protocols for normalization were back on the agenda of the parliament that Turkey would be able to move on those protocols in the months ahead. 
 
And I think that was it.
 
Q    Did the Vice President in the context of saying we need to sustain the pressure on Iran encourage or urge the Prime Minister to have Turkey participate in further sanctions?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  They didn't get -- there was not specific discussion of sanctions other than the -- to say that the Vice President noted that clearly the sanctions were having a demonstrable impact on Iran, and again, the best way to change their behavior and have them come in to -- to respect international norms instead of flaunt them was to sustain that pressure, but that was the extent of the discussion.
 
Q    But did it -- just so I’m very clear on it, would it be fair for us to interpret his strong endorsement of sanctions -- and given Turkey’s role as a country that could be very valuable in such a regard -- that there was clearly a message?  Gee, we think sanctions are a good thing, be great if you were a part of them?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, I would say we don't think sanctions are a good thing, we think unfortunately they're a necessary thing.
 
Q    Right -- of an effective thing in this context.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  And that they're having an impact, and certainly Turkey’s participation -- indeed, they have participated in sanctions -- is an important part of that.  But he didn't say anything beyond that.
 
Q    On Syria, did you talk about what would come next?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, not in this conversation just the conviction that Asad needs to leave and the killing of the Syrian people needs to stop.
 
Q    Do you have any reaction to the reporting that the Syria leader in exile says that a new regime would fundamentally change their relationship and support Hezbollah?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I haven’t seen those reports, so I really don't have a response to that.
 
Q    Can you tell us -- the Vice President seemed to be very pointed in the opening part of his remarks today at the summit.  Can you tell us about --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  He did in what -- about what way?
 
Q    Well, he seemed to be almost responding to some of the things that the Foreign Minister had said in his remarks about Europe and the West in general?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, I -- I don't think --
 
Q    So that was all planned in his speech?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, it was. 
 
Q    He didn't add anything at the last minute?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  There was nothing --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  She’s talking about the top of the speech where he said -- we are -- our economy is three times the size of any other --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Oh, yes, the very beginning.  Actually --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m not here to talk about the American economy.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Right.  No, I actually -- I didn't talk to him about that so I don't know what exactly he was thinking about because I think -- this is speculation -- that because other speakers had been talking about their economies, he wanted to make clear that that wasn’t the focus of his speech but he wanted to say -- get in a few words nonetheless -- but I don't know the --
 
Q    But that was added?  It wasn’t in the original?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think that was -- yes, I believe that was added.  That wasn’t in the text.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  You should ask him.  You should ask him.
 
Q    With regards to the discussion of Iraq, were the uses for the Predators discussed?  Because they're stationed in Incirlik now, but would they be used for striking?  And was there anything that the VP communicated to the Prime Minister about Turkish incursions into northern Iraq and air strikes against PKK camps?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m not going to go into any more detail than I went into other than to say that the Vice President said the United States was committed to help Turkey deal with the problem.  He also said that of course, sovereignty is very important to Iraq, and that obviously the most -- one of the most important things that could happen would be for the Iraqis both at the national level, but particularly the Kurdish regional government to take whatever steps they could take to crack down on the PKK.
 
Excuse me one second.
 
(Interruption to proceedings.)
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Parting shots as we go out the door?
 
Q    I think we’re --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Email me if you --
 
Q    How would you describe -- just very briefly on Israel, you made it sound like almost you spoke in sorry rather than anger, it pains us to see two friends not getting along.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, certainly that's not in anger.
 
Q    So he didn't -- but he didn't sort of say, look, you got to fix this.  It was more, gee, we --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, we’re not in a position to say that.  It was -- again, it was more -- we’re here.  We have two very close friends and partners who are now experiencing some tension in their relationship and just want to see if we can be helpful.  We intend to be, but mostly we’re saying the same thing to the Israelis, we hope you look for every opportunity to strengthen the relationship.
 
Now, there have been steps taken in recent months in terms of the earthquake, in terms of Gilad Shalit, other things where they’ve obviously taken some positive steps forward.  But we ideally want to see them get back to a fully normal relationship, and very positive relationship.
 
Q    And lastly, the buffer zone -- you didn't ask about that?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I know that’s your favorite question.
 
Q    Well, I know -- look, I have my one obsession.  It didn't come up.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  It didn't come up.
 
Q    How was his health?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m not --
 
Q    I mean just did he seem --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  He seemed fine.
 
Q    Was he moving around okay?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Oh, yes.  Yes, I mean --
 
Q    Standing up okay, sitting down?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m not a medical doctor.
 
Q    Sure, but you saw him stand up and sit down.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Hey, I -- stand up, greeted us at the door, walked us to the driveway.
 
Q    Because nobody has seen him move. 
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes.  He --
 
Q    Nobody else who isn’t a Turkish government official.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  They got the photos out there --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, he -- as a non-expert opinion, I watch “E.R.” on television, but that's about the extent of it.  (Laughter.)  I can say he looked very well.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  And just to clarify it was you and the Ambassador?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Me and the ambassador and Anthony Godfrey from the National Security Staff.
 
Q    I’m sorry, if I may, one more question on Iraq.  If Turkish airstrikes continue, will it be problematic with the U.S. withdrawal in terms of --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  What striking --   
 
Q    If Turkish airstrikes and land incursions into northern Iraq continue will it be problematic in terms of stability with Iraq because the national government and the regional government have differing opinions about Turkish incursions into the region?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, if the -- it’s in everyone’s interest -- the national government, the Kurdish region and the Turks -- for the PKK problem to be handled effectively in a way that does not cause further violence against Turks, but also doesn't lead to other problems.
 
Q    Have the Iraqis said anything concrete as to the steps they can take to that?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  They told us that they were committed to dealing with the problem.  All right?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, guys.
 
Q    Thank you.

END
6:55 P.M. (Local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 03, 2011

Remarks by Vice President Joseph Biden at the Entrepreneurship Summit

Istanbul, Turkey

11:45 A.M. (local)

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Good morning.  To my fellow speakers at this conference, particularly with the economic minister of the UAE, thank you for recognizing President Obama’s purpose in suggesting such a conference.  I am not going to spend any time today talking to you about the U.S. economy, but I am going to suggest that we, all nations, are in this together.  The fact that our economy is three and a half times as large as the next largest economy and larger than the next four combined does not make us immune from what’s happening around the world.

And I’m here today to speak to you entrepreneurs.  I’m here today to speak to all of those of you who we look to and will be looking to in each of our countries to assure that we continue to grow and we continue to be open.  So I say hello to everyone here and thank you for being here.  (Applause.)

But before I get to my main topic and the focus of this conference, let me just say that I know we all wish the Prime Minister could join us today.  And I look forward to personally visiting with him after this meeting to wish him a speedy recovery on behalf of President Obama and our entire administration.  (Applause.)

I would also say to our host, particularly to the speaker, that I’ve had a great couple of days here in Turkey.  And I want to thank the Turkish people, and their leaders, for their hospitality.

I’ve had very productive meetings so far.  Yesterday, I met with my old friend, President Gul, as well as the Speaker, who is here today and will be speaking next.  And I want to thank him for arranging a breakfast that he arranged for me yesterday with members of the Parliament.  I hope he found it as useful as I did.

My discussions this week here in Turkey have covered many topics of mutual concern to both our countries.  Our close collaboration in NATO, Afghanistan and Iraq; our joint efforts against the PKK, which continues to launch appalling attacks that claim innocent lives; regional issues from the brutal repression in Syria where Turkey -- where we stand with Turkey and a growing chorus of nations in calling for President Asad to step aside.  And I welcomed the Human Rights Council’s condemnation yesterday of the regime’s violence.

And the constitutional reforms we discussed that are taking place here in Turkey, which we hope and I know all in Turkey hope, will strengthen Turkey’s already strong democracy and respect for human rights.  And President Gul and I discussed my hope that Turkey and Israel, two steadfast American allies, can find opportunities to strengthen their own relationship.

So, ladies and gentlemen, the United States and Turkey have been NATO allies since 1952 and I am pleased to say that today our economic relationship is flourishing as well as our long-term military relationship.  Trade between our nations grew by 45 percent this year alone.  And I think it’s both to the benefit -- I know it’s to the benefit of the American people and I feel certain it’s also to the benefit of the people of Turkey.  And that’s why President Obama was so pleased that Prime Minister Erdogan agreed to host this meeting here in this magnificent city.

And I also want to thank -- as I’ve already done personally -- the United Arab Emirates, which has agreed to host next year’s summit.  As I said to the Sultan, I hope -- I plan on being there assuming I am re-elected.  (Applause.)  And I hope we represent -- but I’m confident whomever is leading my country will be there with the minister of economic affairs.

In June of 2009 in a speech that’s already been referenced given by President Obama in Cairo, the President announced our intent to deepen ties between American entrepreneurs and their counterparts from countries around the world with significant Muslim populations.  And 10 months later, the first Global Entrepreneurship Summit brought to Washington innovators -- many of you are here today -- from 50 nations in five continents.

President Obama said then, and I quote, “We’ve come together today because of what we share, a belief that we are all bound together by certain common aspirations -- to live in dignity, to get an education, to live healthy lives and maybe start a business without having to pay tribute or a bribe to anyone, to speak freely and have a say in how we are governed, to live in peace and security and to give our children a better future.”

So the question might be asked, how does entrepreneurship have anything to do with those larger aspirations?  There was no way at the time the President made that speech that several months later many of these same principles, those aspirational notions about the desire for dignity and freedom of speech and good governance and the chance for a better life would begin to transform the Middle East and North Africa.

I suspect that many of you assembled here in this magnificent hall today, whether or not you’ve ever been politically active, felt some of the same affinity that many of us felt for those in the streets who were seeking to build something far larger than just something for themselves.  That’s because democratic revolutions like the ones in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya -- and the ones still unfolding in Syria and Yemen --are imbued, literally imbued with entrepreneurial spirit, a spirit that requires risk and initiative, steadfast determination, and a unifying idea.

They aim to do more than merely change the government which is in power, but also to end practices like authoritarianism, corruption, the stifling of free expression -- practices that make political and economic freedom impossible.  And they take advantage and have taken advantage of the technologies of their time, whether it was 30 years ago with radio waves that penetrated the Iron Curtain during the Cold War or Twitter feeds that spread the details of Libyan troop movements in an attempt to prevent attacks on civilians.

The revolution that gave birth to my own country was inspired by the same desire for freedom and ensured that from its earliest days America has been hard-wired for innovation.  Back then, it was pamphleteers like Thomas Paine.  Today, it’s modern new technologies that connect us in an instant.

A political system founded on the rule of law and the protection of basic liberties, including the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion provide the truest shield against sectarian strife that too often has afflicted this region and in previous centuries western Europe; an educational system that trains students not merely to learn and accept established orthodoxy, but to be skeptical, to challenge and improve on the ideas that are being presented to them; an economic system that not only encourages fair competition, but richly rewards those who excel.  The foundation -- this foundation has enabled generations of Americans and others to give life to world-changing ideas, in our country ideas from the cotton gin to the airplane to the microchip to the Internet -- world-leading companies like General Electric, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft, Apple, Google and I could go on and list many others.

And breakthroughs in medicine and medical technologies that may not have originally had a profit motive but that held the promise to benefit all of mankind, from the polio vaccine to the human genome project and many others which were started by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health in my country or the mobile phone apps recently developed by a team of graduate students in Florida that can help diagnose malaria anywhere in the world.

America’s experience -- and that of many other nations, including many of yours -- teaches that fostering entrepreneurship is not just about crafting the right economic policy or developing the best educational curriculum.  It’s about creating a free political climate in which ideas and innovation can flourish.

Simply put, governments that protect liberties, embrace transparency allow for vibrant civil societies.  Give women equal opportunity.  They are the ones that pave the way for thriving cultures and entrepreneurs.  (Applause.)  It cannot happen without that.  

Meanwhile, countries that try to have it both ways, for example, making the Internet closed to free expression but open for business, those countries will find that approach is a dead end not because of anything the United States says or any other country, because they are totally inconsistent.  They may try to build walls between these different activities, but there isn’t a separate economic Internet, a political Internet and a social Internet.  There is simply an Internet and it must remain free and open.  (Applause.)  That is your conduit.  That is the conduit of all you brilliant, young minds who I’m looking at now.  That is the conduit through which entrepreneurship will flourish.  

We’re all here because we believe in the power of entrepreneurship to transform lives and lift up entire communities and nations.  It is no coincidence, ladies and gentlemen, that 19 of the top 20 most prosperous countries in the world are also the most entrepreneurial countries in the world, according to leading international indexes.

That’s why it’s so fitting that we meet here in Turkey today.  My old friend, the former foreign minister and now the economic minister spoke to Turkey’s great progress as did the economic minister.  A remarkable economic success story where the economy has tripled in size over the past decade, exports have quadrupled and per capita income has grown dramatically, allowing families to build better lives for themselves and for their children, and a better promise for their grandchildren. 

I understand that our ambassador, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said not too long ago that the next Steve Jobs may be a Turk.  Well, that’s a worthy goal.  (Applause.)  He also may be in the UAE.  He or she may be anywhere in the world.  Already, Turkey is cultivating its own brand of homegrown talents, some of whom are here today.  

In 2007, Mr. Ozturk founded a company called 41-29, named for Istanbul -- the coordinates of the city of Istanbul.  It quickly became Turkey’s leading digital marketing agency specializing in advergames, virtual videos, social media.  And it made Facebook’s exclusive list of 40 “preferred developers.”

Ms. Hulya opened Turkey’s -- the first Turkish chain of women’s workout facilities in 2006.  Already this entrepreneur has opened 45 gyms nationwide, all of them I might add run by female franchisees.

Turkey is now the 17th largest economy in the world.  And, as you heard today, it aspires to be more, one of the world’s top ten economies by 2023, the 100th anniversary I might add of the founding of the Turkish Republic.  With what I know about Turkey’s people and its leaders over the past 35 years and what I’ve seen in the last decade, and what I’ve seen this week, I’d say that’s a pretty good bet.  (Applause.)

To secure the sort of future we all seek, each of us here must do our part -- not just our nations, each of us individually must do our part.  Aspiring entrepreneurs must do what comes naturally to them -- dream, take chances, and in the memorable phrase coined by Steve Jobs -- “think different.”  (Applause.)  For those who think the same do not hold the promise of progress.

Established entrepreneurs and chambers of commerce must mentor the next generation -- as this conference is all about -- share the wisdom gained by their successes and their failures and perhaps just as importantly help them learn from your mistakes.  Universities and corporations must work together through research and internships to nurture and develop entrepreneurial skills of students before they graduate, because the single, most valuable resource on the planet is not what’s in the ground, but what’s in our minds.  That is the most valuable resource that we possess in the minds of individuals, which we all have to work to cultivate.

Investors must occasionally be willing to take a chance on an unknown talent and an unknown and unproven dream.   And governments must unlock the marketplace of ideas, because it’s hard to think different if you’re not free to think and openly express what you’re thinking.  And governments must unlock the commercial marketplace by facilitating access to capital, removing cumbersome regulations and ending corrupt practices like bribes, all of which stifle competition.  Countries that take this path will find ready partners in other nations with thriving entrepreneurial cultures, including my own.

Let me give you a few important examples of how the United States is delivering on the commitments President Obama made in Cairo and at the first entrepreneurial summit, because as was mentioned earlier by the minister, just as in his country, in my country a promise made is a promise kept.

In Egypt, our Overseas Private Investment Corporation is providing financing of up to $1 billion to support public-private partnerships in energy, health, waste-water treatment, as well as facilities for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs for lending and housing and consumer financing.  In Tunisia, we are providing job placement, business entrepreneurial and social entrepreneurship programs for up to 800 youth.

In Iraq, where I just left, 45 percent more college students studied in the United States than the last year.  We are working with the government of Iraq to ensure those numbers will increase.  In Baghdad, the government is wisely funding 10,000 scholarships for its students to study abroad.  And America’s goal is to attract 30 percent of those students -- 3,000 of them -- at America’s universities.

In eight different countries and territories, including Turkey, we have launched a program called Partnership for a New Beginning, which brings together government, private sector and civil society leaders to build and deepen engagement in areas of economic opportunity, science & technology, education and exchange.  Among its diverse programs are life skills training programs for Indonesia’s undergraduates, safe gathering space for Egyptian activists to discuss reform and tele-medicine training for Pakistani health workers.

We’re also promoting and protecting intellectual property rights not just because so much of our intellectual policy -- property is stolen worldwide.  Tens of billions of dollars is stolen every year.  But that’s not the major reason we’re promoting this.  Because without protection of international property in every country, the country that does not protect it, the society that tolerates the theft of innovation will never develop its own indigenous capacity to create, whether in music or film, software or pharmaceuticals.

For you young entrepreneurs, why would you take the risk of your intellectual property being stolen in your own country?  And what incentive is there for a country to develop their own entrepreneurship, their own new ideas if all they have to do is go and steal them.  It’s a self-defeating proposition for the country that does not protect intellectual property.  (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, it will not surprise you, but we are particularly focused on encouraging women entrepreneurs because societies that deny women basic rights are squandering half of their intellectual capital.  The most valuable asset any country has, as I said, are the minds of their people, all of their people.  And in case you haven’t figured it out, women are just as bright as any man.  (Applause.)  

Study after study has shown that those nations that refuse to empower women to participate in economic affairs will be and have been left behind.  Their societies have not developed.  Already, in the developing world, almost half of the businesses, half of the new businesses are women-owned.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, we launched The African Women's Entrepreneurship Program,  which brings businesswomen to the United States for training related to trade and advocacy, and opportunities to meet U.S. political and business leaders, industrial associations and non-profit organizations.  Almost two-fifths of the participants who came have reported already that their businesses expanded upon their return, including a Tanzanian textile producer who signed a deal with a major American fashion designer Rachel Roy, assuring that she will make a great deal of money and employ a lot of her own people.

We’re also fulfilling a pledge President Obama made in Cairo to build networks of entrepreneurs and expand exchanges in education and to foster cooperation in science and technology.  We have led delegations of businesspeople and investors to Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Indonesia, Morocco, and Algeria.

And lest you misunderstand me, we also understand in these exchanges we stand -- we, the United States stands -- to learn something.  We stand to benefit, because we are fully aware that the seed of innovation, change, technology and science does not rest in the United States alone.  And starting next year, the Global Entrepreneurship Summit will partner with the Kauffman Foundation and Global Entrepreneurship Week, the world’s largest celebration of business innovation will participate in 123 countries to expand the reach of this summit in the years to come, because we believe in you.  We believe in your capacity.  (Applause.) 

Ladies and gentlemen, as the great inventor Thomas Edison said, “To have a great idea, you need to have a lot of ideas."  And he was right.  This is the premise on which the Global Entrepreneurship Summit is based.  Once, the wealth of a nation was primarily measured by the abundance of its natural resources, the expanse of its landmass, the size of its population and the power of its armies.

Today, the true wealth of a nation is found in the creative minds of its people and their freedom and ability to bring those ideas to life -- to develop not only new products, but the technologies that will create entirely new industries, entire new markets, entire new opportunities.  We cannot prosper in the 21st century built on the industries of the 20th century.  But let me state it again, none of this can happen without governments that guarantee the right to “think different,” as Steve Jobs said.  Our presence at this Summit is a testament to our shared belief in this notion.

Despite these difficult economic times, when I look out at the talent assembled here in this great hall, I’m optimistic.  And I really mean this, I am optimistic about the future more than I have ever been in my entire 39-year career.  The spirit and the drive that brought all of you here today are the engines that will help build a better tomorrow for our families, for your families, for our neighbors, for your fellow citizens.

Therein lies the U.S. objective in sponsoring this.  We benefit when nations grow.  We benefit when you are secure.  We benefit when people can provide for themselves.  We benefit when democracies flourish.  And democracies flourish when entrepreneurs are part of the engine of that democratic instinct one idea at a time.  One idea at a time is what is going to build the 20th century -- the 21st century in a better and more coherent and less conflictual state than the 20th century.

Let me conclude by thanking all of you for being here. Thank you for your skill.  (Applause.)  Thank you for your passion, your passion and your self confidence to believe in yourselves and the hard work it takes to bring an idea to life.  I’m inspired to be here among you and I look forward to seeing how you reshape this world of ours.  The promise is amazing.  The promise is amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a quote I often use -- and if you excuse me for quoting an Irish poet.  I quoted this to the speaker when we had breakfast.  It was an Irish poet named William Butler Yeats who describing the transition taking place in his Ireland in 1916 wrote a poem that had the following line in it, a line that was intended to describe his Ireland at the moment.  But I would respectfully suggest it describes the Middle East and the world today even better than it described his country at the moment.  And here’s the line from that poem.  He said, “All has changed, changed utterly.  A terrible beauty has been born.”

All has changed not only in the Middle East in the last 20 years, but in the world at large.  We are at a inflection point in world history, a point at which my physics professor used to say, an inflection point is when you sit behind the wheel of an automobile that is going 60 miles an hour and abruptly you turn it five degrees in one direction.  It means you will never be back on the path you once were.  It is impossible to return to that path.

We are at one of those inflection points in world history.  But the good news is the reason for my optimism is you, you entrepreneurs.  You’re the ones that have your hand on the wheel.  And you have a chance like no other generation of entrepreneurs to direct the world, to steer it, to bend the curve in the direction of progress, openness, humanity.

So we’re relying on you more than just for your business acumen.  We’re relying on you for your passion and your understanding that only through a free exchange of ideas, the ability to think different, can the world be made better.  God bless you all.  (Applause.)

END           
12:16 P.M. (local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 02, 2011

Background Briefing by a Senior Administration Official on Vice President Biden's Trip to Turkey

Aboard Air Force Two
En Route Istanbul, Turkey

 
3:21 P.M. (Local)
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So if this is helpful, I’ll give you a quick readout of the Vice President’s morning, some of which you saw, some of which you didn't at the meetings.
 
We started as you know at the breakfast with the Speaker.  And the conversation focused in some detail on the constitutional reform process in Turkey that the Speaker is helping to lead.  And the Vice President expressed his support for and our admiration for the very inclusive transparent process the Turks are engaged in to reform the constitution with many different stakeholders involved, including Kurdish parliamentarians, civil society, but mostly he listened to the Speaker explain the process and how they were going about it.
 
The Vice President noted that not only was this a historic opportunity for Turkey and for Turkey’s citizens, but it also offered the possibility of making Turkey an even stronger example for countries in transition in the region, many of whom look to Turkey.  And so there was an opportunity not only to change the lives of the Turkish people, but to influence the transition of many other -- many other peoples in the region.
 
And the Vice President noted some of the concerns that we’ve had with the judicial system and the desirability of reform there, as well as concerns about the detention of journalists and others, and the hope that the Turks would be addressing these issues through their reform efforts.
 
That was the bulk of the discussion.  Really quite fascinating to hear the Speaker talk in detail about how they were going about it. 
 
The only other issue that came up during the breakfast that the Vice President brought up was Armenia, and in particular, he expressed our hope that -- first of all, he applauded the fact that the protocols for normalization with Armenia were back on the agenda of the parliament.  And he expressed his hope that the parliament will be able to act those protocols in the months ahead.
 
So that was the breakfast.  I might add it featured an excellent selection of cheese, bread, pancakes -- really good.  (Laughter.)
 
Then we went, as you all saw and took part in, to the Ataturk Memorial Mausoleum, and the Vice President laid the wreath, wrote in the book.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  We gave them that.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I see -- oh, you have the statement -- his written statement. 
 
And from there it was on to President Gul, and they covered a lot of ground.  The meeting went significantly over the planned time.  I think we allotted an hour for the meeting, and I believe it went close to two.  And that was a reflection of both the depth and breadth of the conversation that they had.
 
The Vice President has known President Gul for a number of years.  They’ve met several times before.  He has great appreciation for his wisdom and approach to problems.  So in that meeting as I said they covered a lot of ground.  They spent a lot of time on Iraq, mostly because, of course, we’d just come from there.  And Gul and his colleagues were certainly interested to hear the Vice President’s impressions.
 
The Vice President relayed some of the key points and take-aways from the trip, from his meetings.  He made it very clear to the Turks that we are not disengaging from Iraq.  The nature of our engagement is changing from military lead to civilian lead, but in many ways we were actually deepening our engagement. 
 
He talked about the session of the High Coordinating Committee of the Strategic Framework Agreement, and the fact that we were working in a very comprehensive way with the Iraqi government to help it build and strengthen its institutions.
 
They discussed the PKK, and the Vice President reiterated our commitment to help the Turks deal with this problem, which is a common problem.  He also conveyed that he had heard from Iraqis their commitment to do more to deal with the problem posed by PKK terrorism.
 
There was some discussion of Iran and Iranian influence in Iraq.  The Vice President conveyed his view that the Iraqis have very strong antibodies to interference by anyone, starting with Iran.  He noted the polling that shows that Iraqis of all persuasions do not abide by Iranian influence, and noted that Iranian efforts to dictate the outcome of the election and the government had failed.
 
They talked a little bit about prospects for the hydrocarbons law.  The Vice President noted that several of his Iraqi interlocutors had told him that they thought there was a chance that this long delayed law could move forward in the weeks ahead.
 
They also touched on Arab-Kurd relations in Iraq, and that was pretty much it for the Iraq discussion.  But it was lengthy. 
 
They turned to Syria.  The Vice President said he understood that the concern that some in the region had for the uncertainty about what might follow the Assad regime, but also underscored his conviction which the Turks share that Assad and his regime are the source of instability in Syria now and pose the greatest danger to fanning flames of sectarian conflict not only in Syria but beyond.  And the number one objective was to get the regime to stop killing its people and for Assad to leave power.
 
There was discussion of Iran more broadly.  The Vice President stated -- the Vice President said it was his assessment that Iranian influence in the region was declining and Iranian isolation was increasing as a result of its outrageous actions across the board from its refusal to come clean on its nuclear program and its violations of the nonproliferation treat, the attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, the assault on the British embassy in Tehran, the threat to Turkey and the NATO radar system and so forth.
 
And then just very quickly three other things came up in the meeting.  Cyprus -- the Vice President expressed our hope that real progress can be made in the months ahead led by the United Nations and its efforts.  They discussed Israel and its relationship with Turkey.  The Vice President said that it is important to the United States that two of our closest friends and partners work to repair the damage to their relationship and the existing tensions, that that would be good for Turkey, good for Israel and good for us and expressed the hope that they would both work to seize any opportunities to do that.
 
And finally, he also raised with President Gul the same subject he’d raised with the Speaker, the Armenian protocols saying that again he was pleased to note that the protocols were back on the agenda of the parliament and hoped the parliament might be able to act on them. 
 
That's it.
 
Q    Did the Vice President get clarity from the President on that issue of the international buffer zone, whether that was --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  It did not come up.
 
Q    It did not come up.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Did not come up.
 
Q    Did they talk about tougher sanctions on Iran?  He called in the Q&A that we saw in the newspaper for Iran to adopt tougher sanctions -- for Turkey to adopt tougher --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, it did not.  That specifically did not come up in the meeting.  It was a broader discussion of Iran:  where it was going and the need to keep the pressure on to encourage them to change their behavior.  But there was no specific reference to sanctions.
 
Q    Did you get any sense at all that the Turks might even want the U.S. to chill out a little bit on Iran?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, that certainly wasn’t expressed.
 
Q    And you said that the Vice President expressed understanding for fears of instability after Assad.  Did the President --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Not --
 
Q    The possible instability --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, but not -- and I’m not attributing that to the Turks.
 
Q    That's what I was about to ask you.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes.
 
Q    Is it possible to get a few words, a read-out on the Barzani meeting?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  We can do that.  I think we’re going to land.  I don't know maybe we can do that --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Do it at the hotel.  Let’s get to the hotel, figure things out.
 
Q    Thanks.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, guys.
 
END
3:33 P.M. (Local)
 

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 01, 2011

Remarks by Vice President Biden at Event to Honor U.S. and Iraqi Servicemembers

Aw-Fal Palace, Baghdad, Iraq

12:42 P.M. AST

        VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  It’s an honor to stand here with President Talabani and Prime Minister Maliki.  All of us are gathered here for the same reason.  We’re gathered here to thank the armed forces of Iraqi and America and to honor your sacrifice, to honor your success as well as your commitment.

        I also want to say to my colleagues that not only have we worked together, but I consider each of you a friend.  We have spent more time together than either of you ever anticipated, I expect.  And I’ve come to respect you both and all my interlocutors here in Iraq.  

        I also know you gentlemen will acknowledge that America sent you the very best our country has to offer -- our young men and women, about whom I'll say more in a moment, but also their leaders.  Not only are Ambassador Jim Jeffrey and General Lloyd Austin outstanding diplomats and an outstanding warrior, but they’re outstanding men, and our country is extremely proud of you both.  And I want to thank you both.

        I wish everyone out there watching this on television could see the view from this stage where I stand right now.  This palace, a grotesque monument to a dictator’s greed, is totally filled with American and Iraqi warriors who are bound together by a shared sacrifice in the service of both their countries -- an appropriate use of this palace today.  Here in Iraq, you warriors became partners and friends, and now, undeniably, brothers-in-arms.  All of you sitting before me today have laid the foundation for a long-term, strategic partnership between our nations and also for an Iraq that, against all odds, can serve as a source of stability not only for its people, but here in the region, and for years to come.

        I think it’s fair to say almost no one thought that was possible a few years ago.  So, on behalf of President Obama and the American people, let me say to both our armed forces today, thank you.  Thank you for your heroic work that each one of you has done to bring about this moment.  Because of you -- and it’s no exaggeration to say that -- because of you and the work those of you in uniform have done -- we are now able to end this war.

        This journey began, as referenced by the Prime Minister and the President, more than eight-and-a-half years ago.  March 19, 2003 was a very uncertain time in both our countries.  As a result of our joint efforts, we toppled a murderous dictator, and after a grave struggle, gave Iraq both the time and the space for a society that has long suffered, long been stifled.  We gave it the time and the space to reconstitute, and a political culture based on free elections and the rule of law to take hold.

        Today we come together at another moment of transition.  In America, and in Iraq, the tide of war is receding.  And our relationship, borne on the battlefield and long defined by the imperative of security alone, is now giving way to a new, more normal partnership between sovereign nations seeking to build a future together.

        President Obama and I came to office absolutely determined to bring this war to a responsible end, and to keep the promise we made to the American people and the people of Iraq that we would meet our commitments.  Mr. Prime Minister, as you have seen, we are doing just that.

        We kept our promise to remove all American troops from Iraq -- Iraqi cities.  We kept our promise to end our combat mission last August and to reduce our forces in Iraq to 50,000.  At the end of this month, we will keep our promise to remove our remaining troops from Iraq, which, when we came to office, numbered 140,000 American forces.  Where I come from, where the President comes from, a promise made is a promise kept.  And we are keeping our promise.

        At every step along the way, as the Prime Minister pointed out, there were skeptics -- skeptics who said, don’t move too fast; what if the Iraqis aren’t ready to take on this responsibility?  But the Iraq security forces proved to be more than ready.  You met the challenge.  Throughout the downturn of United States forces and coalition forces, you kept your people safe.  And violence has remained at its lowest level since 2003  -- because of you.

        So when President Obama and Prime Minister Maliki spoke this October 21st, they were in total agreement on the way forward. They agreed that the end of this phase of our relationship would be marked by the start of a new chapter -- a fresh start that the Iraqi people and the American people want, and so richly deserve.

        I think the medal the Prime Minister is going to unveil later today has a perfect name:  The Commitment Medal.  Because it speaks to our nations' enduring commitment to one another, even as the nature of our mutual relationship evolves.  It commemorates our cooperation under the security agreement, which expires at the end of this month.  But it also reflects our mutual desire to embrace a new stage of our relationship, one that will be guided by the Strategic Framework Agreement -- again, referenced by my colleagues -- the Strategic Framework Agreement, which calls for broad cooperation across a wide range of areas of policy, including democratic institutions and diplomatic relations, trade and finance, energy, services, law enforcement and the judiciary, and culture and education -- and which, unlike our security agreement, does not expire.

        The significance of this agreement lies not in just what it states, but what it stands for.  It stands for a fundamentally different type of relationship, grounded in civilian cooperation between equal sovereigns.  It means an opportunity to help a new Iraqi democracy secure its place in the community of responsible nations.  It means America will remain deeply engaged here in Iraq, and throughout the region; a comprehensive relationship which we are building that will include security cooperation, a standard feature of our relations with many countries, including the training on the military equipment that we will sell to this sovereign nation.  

        In that effort, we’ll be building on a strong foundation:  the deep ties that were forged in battle that made Iraq one of the 10 largest purchasers of U.S. military equipment, and the fourth largest in the region.  And we'll continue to assist Iraq in other areas -- when asked -- where we've made commitments, such as helping those displaced by war inside Iraq and in neighboring countries.  

        Yesterday, Prime Minister Maliki and I chaired a meeting of the Higher Coordinating Committee, a body created by the Strategic Framework Agreement, and charged with overseeing the important work of bringing this new relationship to life.

        This is a young population in Iraq.  Over 50 percent of Iraq’s population is under the age of 20.  And I say to you, American warriors, and to you, Iraqi soldiers, because of the progress that you have made, that young generation will not have to suffer the same indignities and depravations that plagued their parents and their grandparents.  That is an incredible accomplishment, and is due to the work of so many of you in this room, and also the hundreds of thousands of others who've walked in your boots and in your shoes.

        I've been coming here for a long time -- close to 20.  The change has been stark since my first visit.  I don’t need to remind any of you assembled in this palace that it was only a few years ago that hundreds of bodies a day piled up in the morgue in Baghdad -- that a bullet slipped in an envelope and slid under the door became an unmistakable signal to abandon your home, or else; that highways had become minefields and the daily commute was a test of your faith.  If you knew Iraq back then, as so many of you in this room did, and as I saw on my so many visits here, then you'd know how incredibly far we have come, and why the cynics should not doubt how much further you will move.

        One statistic illustrates this progress:  In 2007, Iraqis suffered 1,600 violent incidents per week.  Today, because of your work, that number is under 100 incidences per week -- more than there should be, but more than a tenfold decrease.  And it wasn't luck.  It wasn't an accident.  It was the sacrifice and bravery and professionalism of all of you assembled before me in uniform that made it possible.  And it will not and should not be forgotten -- either in Iraq, or in my home country of the United States of America.

        What you all know is that it doesn’t mean that the threats are over.  Far from it.  Violent extremists continue to launch appalling attacks against innocent civilians, fire deadly rockets at diplomats merely trying to do their job, and threaten Iraqi troops and police who are sworn to protect their own people.  But Iraqi security forces have been well trained, prepared, and you are fully capable of meeting the challenge.  And Iraq’s emerging, inclusive political culture will be the ultimate guarantor -- the ultimate guarantor -- of this stability.

        When we announced this way forward in October, there were those who charged that America was abandoning Iraq and that one of two outcomes would result -- you’ve heard it and I’ve heard it -- either Iraq would slide back into ethnic or sectarian war, or that other countries in the region would unwelcomingly fill the vacuum.  In my view, in the President’s view, those arguments not only misunderstand the Iraqi politics, but they underestimate the Iraqi people.

        First, the lesson of the last few years in Iraq is that, while there remain strong disagreements over matters of policy, Iraq’s leaders are opting for political solutions, not violence. I’ve said many times -- and some of my friends in the front row have heard me say it time and again, and it’s often overlooked, an overlooked development in Iraq -- politics has broken out.  Politics has become the dominant means of settling disputes and advancing interest.  And as you've all learned, in all democracies, politics is sometimes messy -- not just in Iraq. And as President Obama and I have said early in our administration, the pursuit of perfection should not stand in the way of advancing achievable goals, continually.  Disputes are now settled within the bounds of acceptable give-and-take.  And that’s a huge and necessary step forward.

        The second point is that we learned over more than eight years in Iraq that this country’s independent, patriotic spirit is stitched into its national fabric.  The Iraqi people will not, have not, and will not again yield to any external domination.  And they would never abide another nation violating their sovereignty by funding or directing militias that use Iraqi terrain for proxy battles that kill innocent Iraqi civilians.  That’s why I’m confident.  

        President Harry Truman once described the end of war -- and I quote -- as a “solemn but glorious hour.”  Honoring those who fought this war also requires us to remember all that was lost.  More than one million Americans -- and if you’ll excuse the personal reference -- including my son -- served on this soil -- 4,486 of your comrades, 4,486 fallen angels have made the ultimate sacrifice.  And more than 30,000 were wounded, many of whom, because of the advanced medical care, survived trauma that would have killed men and women in the earlier wars of this nation, and now live a life with horrific injuries.  Others bear scars, invisible scars, for all that they’ve experienced.  

        We honor their sacrifice, as well as yours -- and we take immense pride and success in what you have done.  And we owe you. We owe you.  And the only sacred obligation our nation has is to care for those who we send to war, and care for them when they come home.  

        With all due respect for those who came before you, I strongly believe that America’s forces today, including those of you in this room, are truly the finest forces that our nation has ever produced -- ever.  And if you forgive me, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. President, I think they’re the finest in the world.

        In Iraq, American fighting men and women were given a mission as complicated and as challenging as any in our history. Your troops were steeped in military doctrine, but you were asked to deal with vagaries of local politics and issues ranging from electricity to unemployment, currency exchange to trash collection.  You adapted.  You succeeded.  You defeated a tyrant -- you helped defeat a tyrant, helped beat back violent extremists, and enabled the rise of a new democratic nation, and gave the Iraqi people a chance, at long last, for a better future -- a future they deserve.

        And now, in the finest tradition -- the finest American tradition -- having carried out your mission, you’re leaving.  Taking nothing with you but your experiences, your achievements, and the pride associated with a hard job well done.

        And for you Iraqis, the cost of war was still greater.  Hundreds of thousands of your fellow citizens lost their lives.  National bonds stretched to the breaking point.  You have known more than 30 years of sustained trauma -- dictatorship, economic isolation, and extended periods of war and terror.  And from the ashes of so much turmoil, you raised an army that all of Iraq and the world can be proud of, so that you can keep your people safe. And even more remarkable, you've forged a political culture based on free elections and the rule of law.

        After all you’ve been through, this is what Iraq deserves.  You're the heirs to a civilization that was once the cultural beacon for all humanity, and you're also the heirs to a vast natural bounty on which a modern society can be built.

        What stands before you now is nothing less than the prospect of a normal and a prosperous life for your people.  A life where you can kiss your children goodbye each morning without wondering if that kiss will be the last.  A life where ordinary citizens need not live in fear of their government or their neighbors.  A life where this country’s vast natural and human resources can fuel an economy which can provide abundance for all.  Normal life may not yet be a reality for every Iraqi, but, God willing, it is within your reach.

        Eight years ago, on the eve of war, an art critic in this storied capital of Baghdad told a foreign journalist that he did not fear the future because he took solace in the past.  And here is what he said:  "So many crises have visited Baghdad, and we have faced all of them.  The soul of Baghdad,” he said, “will remain.”  

        The tide of war is receding, and the soul of Baghdad remains.  The soul of Iraq remains.  And you in this room -- the political leadership and military leadership, and the American forces -- helped make the possible.  And your fellow citizens owe all of you a debt that I don’t believe can ever be fully repaid.

        I want to thank you all for allowing me to be here on this historic day, an historic day for both the United States and for Iraq.  Our forces are leaving, with their heads held high.  But the hard-won ties between our two nations, pray God, will live on.  

        May God be with the people of Iraq on this new journey, and may God bless America.  (Applause.)

END 1:09 P.M. AST

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Background Briefing by a Senior Administration Official to Journalists Traveling with Vice President Biden

U.S. Embassy, Annex 1, Baghdad, Iraq

7:27 P.M. (Local)

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So this is on background, senior administration officials.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Can I just start by I think clearing up something that's very important to understand because I think there’s been some misunderstanding, and that's reflected in some of the early stories we’ve seen?  There is no discussion, no plan, no thought of U.S. troops returning to Iraq.

        The discussion today regarding U.S. training in Iraq is something entirely different, and let me explain what we’re talking about.  It’s already agreed that as we do in embassies around the world, we will have and we, indeed, already have what’s called an Office of Security Cooperation.  And its purpose is to help Iraqis acquire and then learn how to use military equipment that they buy from the United States.  And in Iraq that office will have -- and these people are under the authority of the ambassador -- but it will include about 157 people assigned to the embassy, some of whom are military.  And then it will also include people who come in on an individual contract for two or three months at a time to again help the Iraqis train on the equipment they bought, and then they leave.  And again, this is what we do in embassies around the world in countries where we have a military sales relationship, and that's already established and is up and running.

        What we’re talking about going forward as possibilities of training beyond the Office of Security Cooperation includes things like the possibility of doing ongoing training of Iraqis outside of Iraq in other countries, integrating Iraqis into regional exercises, possibly rotational training where people could come in for a short period of time, but even that is unlikely.  None of this involves the deployment of U.S. forces to Iraq to be stationed here.  So I just want to make sure that that's clear because it seems like there’s some confusion about that based on some of the things that we’ve seen.  And of course, I’m happy to take questions on that.

        Let me just say a few things at the top and then open it to questions on anything.  I think what you’ve seen today and what you’ll see tomorrow really is a pivotal moment.  The Vice President’s visit marks I think an important moment in both the life of the United States and our relationship with Iraq.  It’s the end of nearly a decade of war and the start of a new relationship with a sovereign Iraq.  

        And to sort of put this in perspective, more than a million American soldiers have come to Iraq since 2003.  A quarter of Iraq’s population was born after 2003 and has only experienced in their short lives this conflict.  And indeed, the country of Iraq has defined itself for more than 50 years basically in opposition to the West.  And today what you witnessed with the meeting of the Higher Coordination Committee of the Strategic Framework Agreement is an Iraq that's seeking to build with the United States a comprehensive new relationship based on trade, education, culture, science, security and many other things, so this is really -- as the Vice President said repeatedly -- a promise kept, a promise fulfilled.

        The President and Vice President came to office committed to ending the war in Iraq responsibly, and that's exactly what we’re marking now with the end of the military mission in Iraq and the start of this new relationship.  And again, today’s meeting I think marked that transition very well and as you heard already lots has been achieved in these different areas, and there’s a very significant agenda going forward.

        The Vice President today also held meetings with Prime Minister Maliki, President Talabani, Speaker Nujafi.  They covered a broad array of issues in these meetings, including this transition to a civilian lead in Iraq for the United States, the security relationship going forward.  They talked about the resolution of some of Iraq’s remaining international issues; its Chapter Seven obligations, including its relationship with Kuwait.  They talked about regional issues including Syria, Turkey, for example.  They talked about internal security, especially the need to keep the pressure on violent extremist groups, and they talked about outstanding political issues in Iraq including Arab-Kurd relations, hydrocarbons, et cetera.  And of course, they discussed the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to Washington where he will see President Obama.

        All of this is very powerful evidence that the United States is not disengaging from Iraq, rather the nature of our engagement is changing from what has been a military lead to a civilian lead.  We’ve moved, as the Vice President put it, from the security agreement that governed our military operations in Iraq to the strategic framework agreement, which is the basis for this comprehensive new relationship.

        Let me end it there and invite any questions.

        Q    Can you talk a little bit about what they discussed on Syria and Turkey?  Given what’s happening in Syria at the moment, a source a great concern for the Iraqis?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, it is a source of concern and it’s understandable because -- and I don't want to over-characterize the Iraq position.  You should really get that from them, but I think it’s been clear from comments that they’ve made in the past that they are concerned about the situation in Syria and sectarian conflict that spills over to Iraq and causes or helps spark that kind of tension here.

        One, we don't see any signs of that actually happening in Iraq.  But two, to the extent that's a concern what the Vice President said is the source of instability in Syria right now is President Asad.  And if he is allowed to continue killing his own people then there is a danger that what’s happening in Syria does turn into sectarian conflict, exactly what the Iraqis fear.  And so the answer to this is to see that President Asad follows through on the calls of his own people and the international people to leave office.

        Q    But if Asad stepped down, do you think the tensions and the factional splits that are coming to the surface now are going to just die down?  I mean the cat’s kind of out of the bag there.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, you can't know -- no one can know for sure what’s going to happen.  What we do know is that what is causing these tensions to come to the surface now is the fact that there is a government in place in Syria that is killing its own people on a daily basis, and that has to stop.  That we know.  And beyond that you can't predict.  All you can do is know what the basis of the situation now is a government that's killing and repressing its own people.  That is the cause of instability in Syria.

        Q    Can -- go back to the troops for a second.  Prime Minister Maliki said no doubt there is a role for U.S. troops in providing training for Iraqi forces.  As far as you can read into what he’s saying is that the limited definition that you’re talking about?  Or did that strike you as a more broad interpretation of what might be possible --

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  It’s the limited definition of what I talked about earlier.  Again there is no discussion, no contemplation, no thought of returning U.S. troops to Iraq.  But it was exactly the opposite.  What the Vice President said repeatedly, what we have said repeatedly is that we’re making good on the commitment to remove our troops from Iraq by the end of this year as we promised to do.  That's what we’re doing.

        And so when the -- when the Prime Minister talks about a training relationship, he’s talking about these limited functions that I talked about earlier, that is the training that's already been agreed to as part of the Office of Security Cooperation to help Iraqis acquire and learn how to use American weapons systems and the possibility -- none of which is agreed -- but the kinds of things we’re discussing about ongoing training outside of Iraq, integration into regional exercises, technical assistance and expert level assistance on things like counterterrorism intelligence which can be done by people who are assigned to the embassy working with Iraqis.  But nothing about redeploying U.S. forces to be stationed here to train Iraqis.  That is not part at all of any discussion.

        Q    To what extent did Iran come up today?  And can you give me a sense for what message the Vice President may have brought relative to Iran’s role and whether Maliki said something -- anything to you about the role he saw Iran playing?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, Iran was discussed in -- I think it came up in most of the meetings.  The Vice President made clear something that we’ve made clear repeatedly which is, one, we fully expect Iraq to have a relationship with Iran.  There’s a long border and a long history.  And that is fully understood.  But what is not acceptable and not understood would be to in any way allow Iran to use our presence in Iraq as a target.  

        We’ve committed in the past not to use Iraq as any kind of staging ground to act against other countries.  That would include Iran.  Reciprocally, it is fully our expectation that the government of Iraq not allow Iraq to be used as an area to target U.S. personal.  And so we were very gratified this summer when -- after there had been an uptick in militia attacks against U.S. personnel that Prime Minister Maliki had his forces go on the offensive in Maysan.   

        Also the Iraqis told Tehran that they had to stop their support for extremist militias and that Iraq considered an attack on Americans in Iraq to be an attack on Iraq and its own sovereignty.  And we’ve seen since a significant decrease in these actions.  But that's something that needs to be sustained going forward, and so there was discussion of that.

        Q    Did they talk about air support for Iraq --

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Air support in what sense?  I’m sorry --

        Q    Like Iraq would have (inaudible) --

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Oh, well, one -- yes, one of the things they talked about was the fact that Iraq is buying American F-16s.

        Q    (Inaudible.)

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, it will take time, but we will have again as part of the Office of Security Cooperation, American experts here to help Iraq acquire those planes an train on them.  Before that -- this was not discussed, but there may be things that can be done before that regionally and outside of Iraq to build up Iraqi capacity in the air, but there was no discussion of that today.

        Q    Over the short-term how can Iraqi air space be defended -- lack of fighter aircrafts, surface-to-air missiles, et cetera?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, in the first instance, it’s not at all clear to me where any threat -- external threat to Iraq is coming from.  The security challenges in Iraq now are internal, and it’s our assessment that Iraqi security forces are very much capable of dealing with those threats.  We have -- as the Vice President said today, we have spent many years and many resources helping Iraq build up its capacity of its security forces -- army, police and others and special forces.  And they’ve demonstrated significant effectiveness.  I think it’s worth noting that while tragically Iraq continues to be plagued by violent incidents and extremist attacks, overall what is striking is that those incidents are at an historic low and have remained so for almost two years.

        In 2007, 2008 at the height of insecurity in Iraq, there were about 1,600 violent incidents every week.  Now there are fewer than 100 violent incidents a week, and so you’ve seen a more than tenfold decrease in violent incidents.  And again, this has been constant over the last couple of years.  And that's I think for two -- primarily for two reasons:  one, because of the capabilities and capacities of the Iraqi security forces, but two, because politics has emerged as the basic way of doing business in Iraq.  All of the major stakeholders are finding that they can protect their interests and advance their interests through the political process, and so that's extremely encouraging.

        Q    You mentioned hydrocarbons.  Did the Exxon contract with the Kurdish regional government get discussed?  And what can you tell us about that?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I don't -- I’ll ask my colleague.  I don't recall that being discussed.  Hydrocarbons were discussed, and we heard from the Iraqis today some confidence that the long-awaited hydrocarbons law would actually come up and be --

        Q    How many years has that been?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, 2007 I think.

        Q    I was here.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  What we heard today from a couple people was that it would come up to the Council of Representatives before the end of the year.  Now hope springs eternal.  This has been going on for a while, but there was some optimism expressed about the prospects of actually getting that done, and that would be a very significant step forward because what you see when you look at both the reality and the potential for oil production in this country is extraordinary but not yet realized.  A tremendous amount of investment has already been made, but a much greater amount of investment still needs to be made if Iraq is to realize its potential.

        And that investment while some of it’s happening is itself not going to be fully realized until there is certainty about the legal aspects of hydrocarbons.  And if this law gets done and creates that kind of certainty, it creates a much greater prospect for the kind of investment that's needed to help Iraq realize its production capacity.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  My colleague is right in terms of the necessity of the hydrocarbons law to really unlock this full potential.  In the interim, over the last year, oil production has increased because some of the contracts that have been signed related to existing oil fields to improve their output, so it has gone up by about 500,000 barrels a day in the past year, and it’s anticipated to increase by another 500,000 over the next year.

        So while this doesn't fully realize what Iraq is capable of here, it does show that some demonstrable progress has been made.

        Q    Can I just follow up on this?  Exxon -- I mean the Exxon issue got a lot of attention.  The central government actually threatened Exxon with sanctions, and it’s been asked about and talked about in a number of different venues.  I’m just interested why you don't think it came up.  I mean you obviously chose not to raise it, but then they chose not to raise it either.  Is it because there was a desire not to get involved in what is a business negotiation?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  You have to ask the Iraqis about that.  From our perspective, this is a private transaction.  We’re not in the business of telling companies what to do and what not to do.  Obviously, when they ask us or consult with us, we lay out for them how we see the situation in a particular country, what the obstacles or concerns might be, but we’re not in the business of telling them what to do.  They have to make their own decisions and their own judgments.

        And again as to the Iraqi perspective, you’d have to ask them.

        Q    As you mentioned violence is down compared to the peak in ’06, ’07, but in the past six, seven, eight days, there’s been a number of fairly major attacks:  19 dead in Basra; at least 13, 14 in Taji, bombings in Abu Ghraib, Baghdad.  It’s a fairly high tempo of significant attacks in recent days.  What is your assessment of this? And is this kind of a last challenge to the U.S. here?  Or how do you assess it?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  A couple things.  What we’ve seen in the past is particularly al Qaeda in Iraq is unfortunately able to conduct occasional spectacular attacks.  And typically it takes it some weeks or even months between attacks to essentially rearm and be able to conduct another, so I think what we’ve seen in the last few days reflects another spasm from them.

        Second, for sure there are groups that are -- that would like to create the impression through violent attacks now, create the narrative that they're responsible for chasing us out Iraq or forcing us to leave, which, of course, is fundamentally wrong.  But that is probably an objective.

        Again, what’s important to emphasize here is that these attacks are tragic.  They're terrible.  They take innocent Iraqi lives, which is why they're in such total revulsion in Iraq in all communities against the violent extremists.

        But in the larger context, the trends remain as they’ve been for the last two years which is violent incidents remain at historic lows, and we don't see that changing.

        Q    Do you have any plans for the Iraqi (inaudible) --

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, we have several programs that would allow Iraqis to seek to immigrate to the United States, including programs for those who have worked directly with us.  And so there are avenues for that.  We are constantly looking at those programs to make sure that they are as effective as they can be.  And obviously, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to people who put their lives on the line in very difficult moments to work with us and work for a better Iraq, so it’s something we’re constantly looking at and thinking about and making sure that we’re doing the best job that we can in meeting any demand that exists.

        Q    But it’s taking a long time --

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, these things --

        Q    (Inaudible) asking about myself.  I’ve been waiting for two years.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  And these programs across the board unfortunately when it comes to immigration take time.  Again, we’re constantly looking to see if we can improve and move things more quickly.  But these are -- as you know apparently from personal experience -- complicated matters, and we keep working on it.

        Q    Let’s go to Turkey.  The Turks talked about creating a buffer zone potentially in northern Syria.  What’s the administration’s view on the advisability of something like that?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I haven’t heard that, and I also don't want to get into non-Iraq-related subjects for now.  So I’d leave that to Washington.

        Q    Ask a kind of a processy question?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.

        Q    The Vice President talked about that there was going to be a sort of a joint defense and security coordinating committee under auspices of the higher committee.  Why didn't that already exist?  Or was it handled differently?  And what significance does it have that a separate subcommittee is being organized?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think to understand this committee it’s going to start up operations early next year as we transition into this new civilian phase.  And this committee, just like all the others, is going to fall within this structure.  And it will have civilian leadership.  It will be led by State and Defense Department civilians, and so very much underscoring that the security and defense relationship will be much like it is managed with other countries with which we have normal relations and robust security and defense partnerships.

        And so beforehand, you could say that those aspects were governed under the security agreement.  With the expiration of the security agreement, as we go toward a more normal relationship, it’s going to come under the strategic framework agreement with this defense and security commission.  Does that --

        Q    Yes, I think that makes sense.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think it was deceptive today the way they announced it that it was something that they have launched when it was part of the process all along and just wasn’t -- is now coming into fruition because of circumstances.

        Q    Right.  But with SOFA expiring you need to have some kind of a formal structure.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Because the strategic framework agreement always included a security relationship.  That was part of the understanding of what a comprehensive relationship would be between the United States and Iraq.  But as my colleague just said, up until -- or until December 31st that security aspect was governed by the security agreement, separate from the strategic framework agreement.

        Q    One of the things -- just to follow up something you said at the top, which was Arab-Kurd relations were raised.  There’s been this concern about secession.  What was sort of said on that in private discussions today that you can share?

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Again, don't want to characterize what the Iraqis said.  The Vice President in his meetings and in the many conversations he’s had over the months with Iraq’s leaders has continued to talk about the importance of resolving the outstanding issues in that relationship:  the disputed -- boundaries; the status of Kirkuk; hydrocarbons also fits into an Arab-Kurd relationship; the integration of the Pesh Merga into the Iraqi security forces.

        And by the way on the latter, there’s been -- there was some significant progress in that the central government has now agreed to put a significantly greater number of Pesh Merga on the security payroll, so that's encouraging.  But this is just something that is a regular part of the conversation asking -- basically asking the Iraqis for their assessment of progress, outstanding issues and how they want to be handling these.

        I should add that we’ve also had discussion and the Vice President talked to the head of the United Nations mission here.  And one of the U.N.’s functions here is to help deal with those issues, so that was also part of the discussion.

        Q    I mean Salahuddin recently declared some degree of autonomy, which is potentially a flashpoint.  Was that discussed in terms of a trigger?  

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  It wasn’t, but the Iraqi constitution provides mechanisms for the various governments to form regions if they choose.  There’s a whole process for that.  So there are -- discussions about that come up from time to time as they have recently.  But that's an internal Iraqi matter.

        SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  That's going to be it, guys.  Thanks, guys.

END 7:55 P.M. (Local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

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

Governmental Palace
Baghdad, Iraq

 11:47 A.M. (Local)
 
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.
 
We are here for one reason and only one reason:  to assist in the development of the capacity of this great nation.  Because as you develop, as you reach your potential which has been stinted by -- stunted by Saddam and terror following it, it is good for the whole world, it will bring stability to this region.  That is our sole interest in Iraq.  Period.  End of story.
 
And so in the coming months, the various joint coordinating committees in order to implement what we’ve set out here, as the Foreign Minister said earlier, is going to require some traditional, normal written agreements that accommodate all of the people we have here.  And we appreciate that cooperation.  We appreciate that is not -- that's what normally occurs where we have these bilateral relationships.  But it just is bigger here because the need is greater and the request is more consequential.
 
As we have seen today our relationship continues to evolve in a positive way, notwithstanding the naysayers in your country and the naysayers in our country.  Every year, every visit I have made here, the cooperation evolves -- is more positive.  It has.  It’s difficult.  But it is constantly moving in a direction that is forward.
 
We’ve in both our countries had to overcome certain misperceptions in both our countries, and we’ll continue to have to do that.  In my country some question, is this worth it?  Why are we continuing to expend so much energy and money?  In your country I’m sure it’s the same thing you hear.  Why do you need these guys?  Why do you want them around? 
 
The truth of the matter is -- the truth of the matter is I think you have demonstrated and we have demonstrated jointly that it’s worth it.  It is worth it as costly and as difficult and sometimes as controversial as it is. 
 
An example, the first meeting of this joint committee, this high committee was one that took place in January of 2009 at the time the SOFA was put forward.  If I’m not mistaken, you and your colleagues suggested, Mr. Prime Minister, that it couldn’t just be about security.  It had to be more.  And so we set this committee up -- not this committee, we agreed on having a long-term, strategic agreement that went well beyond security.  So the first meeting took place in January of 2009.  The number of committees that existed under this umbrella committee were relatively small.  It met then again in July of 2009 in a new administration. 
 
If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Prime Minister, it was your suggestion and a very good one that we increase -- we increase the interchange that this committee had, increase the areas of -- that this committee was going to cover.  It was suggested that we talk about student visas.  It was suggested that we expand and have a committee relating to trade and commerce, et cetera.  It continued to grow.  It continued to expand as the needs became apparent and the help was available.
 
Today, in this meeting, the Foreign Minister and our ambassador agreed that, well, we should have another committee -- another committee within this committee based on security.
 
The point I’m trying to make is both our people should understand that this is of the mutual benefit to each of us and to the region, and as it continues to grow, the opportunities -- we stand ready to the extent that you want assistance.  We stand ready to be of assistance with expertise that we have.  Had you not been under the thumb of Saddam Hussein for so long and the victim of terror for so long, you would not need this help.  You all have the capacity.  You all have the capacity to do everything that need be done here.  But as one of you said today, you’re kind of starting from scratch.  There has not been the availability of these institutions to have developed and changed and grown over the past half a century as they have in our country.  We have no doubt that your capacity is as unlimited as your natural resources. 
 
As was pointed out here today, already a great deal has been done.  Most people in both -- I’ll speak for my country.  Most people in our country think that bulk of what we’ve done relates to security.  Well, as was pointed out by our colleagues today, the United States has completed nearly 1,800 projects in Iraq’s health sector valued at over $800 million -- close to $1 billion -- renovating 133 primary health care centers; providing critical emergency maternity care, along with medical and dental equipment.  With the government of Iraq, we’ve jointly built, renovated and expanded hospitals in Basra, Baku [sic] and so on throughout this country.  We’ve just launched a $74 million project to improve primary health care at 360 clinics in over 18 provinces.  That has nothing to do with self-interest.  It has to do with the needs of the people of Iraq because for you to reach your potential, you not only need an educated population but a healthy population.  So I admit most of this is directed -- what I’m saying today -- toward my citizens. 
 
The United States government has invested over $100 million in Iraq’s transportation infrastructure, helping update regulations and standards in Iraq’s civilian aviation authority.  Iraq’s civilian air traffic controllers -- $60 million; dispatching systems for the Iraqi railways, et cetera. 
 
So the generic point that I want to make is the one you all have made, and we’ve it made in private, but the press should know -- the press should know that this is about developing a people’s capacity, it’s about developing what every people in the world are entitled to, the opportunity to choose their own future and have a chance to realize their great potential.
 
So I want to thank everyone involved in preparing for this meeting.  It’s clear that a lot of work remains to be done to make it a success.  I’ve been impressed as I’ve just outlined by the progress that has been made to date, and I expect even greater progress to come.  Now it’s time for us to get to work in the coming months the various joint coordinating committees are going to meet and meet more regularly in order to implement the plans we’ve discussed here today.  The menu is very large, very large.  The opportunities are immense.
 
As you’ve heard we have big plans.  Just to cite a few.  We’re going to continue to expand our trade engagement, working hard to connect U.S. and Iraqi businesses in order to benefit the economies of both our countries, as well as connecting the rest of the world’s businesses with Iraq.  We don't look at this as an opportunity for the United States to have business opportunities.  Again, everyone will benefit the more engaged, the more countries, the more Arab, as well as non-Arab countries that are engaged in -- and European countries engaged with Iraq.
 
The fact is that we are demonstrating our commitment, 85 American companies are going to -- with a market capitalization of $1 trillion recently participated in a trade fair here in Baghdad.   We’re going to expand exchange opportunities to connect agro-entrepreneurs with U.S. counterparts to improve agriculture as was mentioned here earlier today.  We’re going to collaborate to improve, as was your idea in 2009, Mr. Prime Minister, that we should have a joint committee on local law enforcement and police training.  We’re going to launch a new security, defense and joint coordinating committee to serve as an important forum for determining the future contours of our security relationship, made jointly and made as equal sovereigns.
 
As I stated before, our nations are embarking on a new phase of our relationship.  Our military forces are going to draw down.  There will still be security concerns, but we are confident your government is fully capable of handling those internal security concerns.  And by far from leaving Iraq, the United States is going to deepen our engagement with you as we  build a comprehensive relationship with a sovereign power.
 
And under the leadership of our able ambassador, in my view one of the best ambassadors -- I mean this sincerely, I’ve been doing this a long time, Mr. Prime Minister, you have gotten our best, our very best in Ambassador Jeffrey; and you know you got our best in General Austin.
 
And under their leadership, under Jeffrey’s leadership now, his mission as I said is going to be staffed by serious, serious, serious civilian experts at his disposal and at your disposal as you wish them -- only if you wish them. 
 
The next milestone in what will be a historic month in our relationship will come in less than two weeks when you and President Obama and I -- when President Obama and I welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister, and your delegation to Washington.
 
Mr. Prime Minister, the President and I -- and I speak for the President -- we very much look forward to your visit.  And we thank you and the Iraq government for your leadership.  And we look forward -- we look forward to building a mature 21st century relationship with a nation that has much, much to contribute to the world and to the region.
 
Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister.
 
END
12:03 P.M. (Local)