“In the coming months, we will work together with Iraqi leaders as our partnership continues its transition to a primarily civilian focus, with the goal of building a long-term, multidimensional relationship between our two nations,” Secretary Clinton said in a statement released on Sunday by the US Department of State.
The Secretary of State also pointed out that this relationship “will contribute to stability in the Middle East and growing peace and prosperity in Iraq.”
And while congratulating all the people of Iraq who participated in the national elections, Clinton declared that “there is no better rebuke to the violent extremists who seek to derail Iraq’s progress.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost friends and loved ones, and we salute the determination of the Iraqi people to reaffirm their commitment to democracy and to chart their own future free of fear and intimidation.”
She praised the efforts of the Iraq High Electoral Commission and the Iraqi Security Forces, which she observed had organized the voting and ensured security at thousands of polling sites throughout the country so “men and women from all parts of Iraq were able to go to the polls and choose their leaders freely.”
Clinton also commended US Ambassador Hill, General Odierno and all the US civilian and military personnel who supported what she described as a “historic effort.”
