Conciliation is not capitulation, nor is compromise to be deemed equivalent to imbalanced concession.

We must acknowledge that for scores of years the Iraqis have offered martyrs and victims but have not been able to change the regime.

Rather, it is through conciliation and compromise that we are building a fair Iraq, a just state for all its peoples.

Wishful thinking is one thing, and reality another.

As president of Iraq, I shall strive to represent the diversity of a country that has too often in the past denied difference.

A military coup needs a sacrifice and courage that you can't find in an army without morale.

A greater international role is important to lift some of the burden from the shoulders of the United States.