This occupation has fueled extremism, spread terrorism, and it has heightened existing crises. Saddam’s regime could have been supplanted and replaced by a democratically popular system in the rich and historic land of Iraq with the active participation of all nations in the region together with other members of the international community. The unfortunate and misguided conceit of American politicians and their failure in assessing the conditions and risks involved has caused enormous material and human loss for the people in the region as well as for the Americans.

Today, the way out of this crisis is, on the one hand, for the occupants to resolve to withdraw, and to explicitly declare this, and then to support the democratic government of Iraq in establishing law and order and rapidly engaging in the country’s reconstruction. Reconstruction is preconditioned by security and the establishment of law and order. The presence of foreign occupants, not only does not foster security, but is in and of itself one of the causes of insecurity. The sooner this shift is made the more immediate results it shall bring. It is a travesty that some politicians try to hide the failure of their ill-informed policies and attempt to justify their wrong-headed blunders before public eyes by fanning the flames of ethnic and religious sectarianism in the region.

I conclude by emphasizing the necessity of turning to justice, ethics and respect for public opinion in the arena of international politics. Human conscience shall be made ever more alert in order to hinder unilateralism, double standards, violence and extremism in all forms and from all sides.