Florida Republican Congressman Tom Rooney joined U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and a congressional delegation over the weekend and Monday to meet with political leaders in Iraq and Pakistan, and with American servicemen stationed there.
The delegation included Boehner, Rooney, Texas Republicans Mac Thornberry and Mike Conaway, Nevada Republican Joe Heck and Oklahoma Democrat Dan Boren.
In Iraq, Boehner and the congressmen met with the troops, military officials and U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey.
They also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom Rooney addessed positively in remarks made over the weekend.
Prime Minister Maliki hopes that Iraq will serve as an example to the Middle East and the world that democracy can work in the region, Rooney said. During our meeting with the prime minister, we discussed how the U.S. and Iraq can work together through more traditional diplomatic means after our troop withdrawal, which is scheduled for December.For example, Prime Minister Maliki was very interested in my position on the House Agriculture Committee, and we discussed how we can move from a military dialogue like we're having now toward efforts to advance agriculture in Iraq.
Rooney also praised the American servicemen stationed in Iraq.
The brave American men and women in uniform who have served in Iraq deserve tremendous credit for providing the security that the Iraqi people and government needed to transition to a functioning democracy, Rooney said. Thanks to the dedication and sacrifice of our troops and the strategy developed by General Petraeus, democracy is taking root in Iraq. This weekend I was able to see that progress firsthand.
Rooney was less optimistic on Pakistan and urged continued American support for that nation after meetings with Prime Minister Yousaf Gillani, U.S Ambassador Cameron Munter and Pakistani military personnel.
Pakistan is extremely volatile, Rooney said on Monday.With their historical issues with India coupled with the new fights on their western front with the Taliban and al-Qaida, the Pakistani military is stretched. As an ally, Pakistan is as important in the fight against terror as any country in the world.Maintaining a strong relationship is vital to both of our national interests.
A strong U.S.-Pakistan relationship is vital to the interests of both of our countries, said Boehner. We had frank and productive discussions with Pakistans civilian and military leaders.While the relationship between our two countries has seen its challenges, we discussed the importance of working through these issues and renewing our partnership based on mutual interests and mutual respect.
We recognize that the Pakistani military and the Pakistani people have made great sacrifices in recent years in the struggle against extremism and terrorism, continued Boehner. Al-Qaida and its extremist allies have made Pakistan a target, and the Pakistani nation has suffered deeply as a result.We appreciate the efforts of the Pakistani military and the sacrifices of those troops and the Pakistani people.We also appreciated the hospitality of Prime Minister Gillani and pledge to continue working together on behalf of our countries.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
