VZCZCXRO6821
OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0437/01 0501413
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191413Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1790
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000437 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/ES-CR, S/ES-O, AND NEA 
NSC FOR LTG LUTE AND NSC/IRAQ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IZ OPDC OVIP PREL
SUBJECT: LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM ACTING PARLIAMENT 
SPEAKER SHEIKH KHALED ATTIEH 
 
Begin Text of Embassy translation: 
 
Republic of Iraq 
Council of Representatives of Iraq 
Office of the First Deputy 
 
2 February 2009 
 
Your Excellency Barack Obama, 
President of the United States of America 
 
I would like to present Your Excellency my warmest 
congratulations on the occasion of your 
taking office as President of the United States of America 
and my best wishes to you and 
our friends in the United States for continued progress and 
prosperity. 
 
A nation that remains faithful to the values and principles 
of justice and equality will 
be able to effectively contribute in advancing human 
civilization and shine as a beacon 
for other nations and will help the entire world overcome the 
hurdles of the past and move 
forward to a brighter future. 
 
Mr. President:  your assuming office comes at a time when 
political, economic and social 
challenges facing humanity take on a universal character, 
which makes it incumbent on all 
nations to cooperate and stand together in facing the 
challenges and providing a secure 
future for our future generations and build a lasting peace. 
 
Both Americans and the Iraqis have faced many common 
challenges over the past five years. 
Together and through the sacrifices of our men and women we 
have overcome the dangers that 
threatened the heart of our nascent democracy.  However, the 
current realities in Iraq have 
changed for the better and we are more hopeful than ever that 
our children will enjoy a brighter 
future. This will require changing the requirements for the 
realities on the ground and rearranging 
the priorities of the decision makers and those who are in 
charge of advancing the current conditions 
in Iraq. Today, we are mindful of the need for development 
and providing better opportunities for a 
free and decent life for the have-nots in all fields in 
parallel with-if not ahead of-our security 
and military requirements. Security is synonymous to 
development and without development one cannot 
speak of security. 
 
The quick succession of events that followed the toppling of 
Saddam's dictatorial regime and the 
mistakes that were made provided an impetus to adopt a 
different strategy. We believe that the same 
Iraqi arena on which the blood of victims was shed is the 
same one that will bear our best features 
of change. Hopefully, this will provide a precious 
opportunity for the United States as a nation to 
rejuvenate the great principles on which it was established 
through its continued contribution in 
building a just and democratic society in Iraq. 
 
Our great ambition and hope for Iraq is to have a strong 
alliance and partnership with the 
free world and for the sons and daughters of the Iraqi people 
to see the importance and usefulness of 
such alliance for the restoration of their sense of openness 
and the intellectual exchange of ideas 
with the free world,of which they had been deprived by former 
tyrannical regimes.  It is for these 
reasons that people in their homes and the poor in their 
villages must share the fruits of the new 
democratic state of affairs in Iraq. I am confident that that 
will go a long way toward uprooting 
the remnants of the seeds of terrorist ideologies that seeped 
into our society in the recent past. 
 
Our democratic experiment will not succeed and take root 
unless the social,economic and cultural 
aspects of life go hand in hand.  This will call for 
continued efforts of all friends and courageous 
nations with which we share common human values and 
Qnations with which we share common human values and 
legitimate interests in supporting our Iraqi 
people to complete their national project, particularly 
 
BAGHDAD 00000437  002 OF 002 
 
 
considering the fact that they have opted 
for partnership rather than conflict and have committed 
themselves to build their homeland and preserve 
their security and prevent the enemies of peace and democracy 
from interfering in their own affairs. 
Today, the future of Iraq is being made by its sons and 
daughters.  Our people that hold its history 
sacred will never forget their friends and those that helped 
us complete the march toward the realization 
of freedom, prosperity and welfare. 
 
Please accept my best wishes for your continued success, 
 
Sheikh Khaled Attieh 
Acting Speaker, the Council of Representatives 
 
End Text. 
BUTENIS