Meeting of Iraqi Opposition Leaders

The Iraqi leaders attending the meeting were: Sharif Ali bin Hussein of the Constitutional Monarchy Movement; Iyad Allawi of the Iraqi National Accord, Abdelaziz al Hakim (representing Muhammad Bakr Al-Hakim) of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Hoshyar Zebari (representing Masoud Barzani) of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress, and Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

The group had a productive discussion focusing on coordination of the U.S. government's work with the Iraqi opposition and enhancing cooperation among Iraqi opposition groups. The meeting addressed prospects of holding a larger, broad -based political conference of the Iraqi opposition in the next few months.

The United States and the Iraqi opposition share a vision of a better future for the Iraqi people after the departure of Saddam Hussein and his regime. Our vision is for a democratic Iraq with a government that respects the rights of its citizens and the rule of law, no longer threatens its neighbors, renounces the development and possession of weapons of mass destruction, and maintains the territorial integrity of the country. We believe this is a goal shared by the international community. The U.S. will continue to work with those who seek political change in Iraq and with the international community to make progress towards this common goal.