[…] By the end of the U.S. government’s fiscal year on September 30, 13,823 Iraqi refugees had arrived for resettlement in the United States, surpassing the target of 12,000. This figure represents a more than eightfold increase over the 1608 Iraqis admitted in the previous year. Most of the Iraqis who arrived in the U.S. – over 9,000 – came from Jordan and Syria, the two countries hosting the most Iraqi refugees. Smaller groups came from Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt.

[…] Nothing is more central to a functioning democracy than free and fair elections. Today's action demonstrates the ability of Iraq's leaders to work together for the good of the Iraqi people and represents further progress on political reconciliation. I congratulate the members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives for coming together to pass this significant legislation.

[…] Thanks, everyone. Welcome. We have for you today the Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugees, Ambassador James Foley; and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security for Iraqi Refugees, Lori Scialabba. Ambassador Foley will give some opening remarks and then turn to Ms. Scialabba, and then Mr. Foley will come – Ambassador Foley will come back and give a few more remarks and then take your questions.

[…] Moreover, U.S. Government humanitarian aid for Iraqi refugees, conflict victims and internally displaced persons has risen to more than $318 million for this fiscal year (from October 1, 2007 until today).

The United States has been the largest contributor to programs assisting displaced Iraqis since 2003, funding programs for food, health, education, water and sanitation, emergency shelter and protection.

[…] PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, welcome. First of all, I am so pleased to see that you're looking good. The President's health is strong, and that's going to be very important for the people of Iraq. After all, there's been no stronger defender of a free Iraq than President Talabani. I've known him for a long time. He cares deeply about the Iraqi people, and he has been a strong defender of human liberty.

[…] Mr. President, welcome. First of all, I am so pleased to see that you're looking good. The President's health is strong, and that's going to be very important for the people of Iraq. After all, there's been no stronger defender of a free Iraq than President Talabani. I've known him for a long time. He cares deeply about the Iraqi people, and he has been a strong defender of human liberty.

[…] After receiving a detailed assessment of troop levels and the improving security situation in Iraq from U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and coalition forces commander General David Petraeus earlier this month, Bush said the United States will withdraw 3,400 combat support personnel over the next several months. That drawdown will include personnel assigned to aviation units.

[…] Coalition forces have returned security responsibilities for Iraq’s Anbar province to Iraqi authorities, says President Bush, who added that the region’s dramatic turnaround is a testament to the Iraqi people’s commitment to confront extremism and build democracy. “Not long ago, Anbar was one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq,” Bush said in a September 1 statement. “Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people.”

[…] Today, Iraqi authorities took the lead in all security operations for Anbar province. From this day forward, the people of Anbar will be in charge of their own security. American troops will leave the major cities and return to bases where they will stand ready to assist their Iraqi counterparts if needed. This achievement in Anbar province is a credit to the courage of our troops and the many brave Iraqis who fought alongside our forces against Al Qaeda.

[…] President Bush welcomed Iraq’s continued security gains and political progress, which he said could lead to further troop reductions during his final six months in office. “Violence is down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004,” Bush said at the White House July 31. While “progress is still reversible,” he cautioned, Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and the coalition commander, U.S. Army General David Petraeus, report that “there now appears to be a degree of durability in gains.”

[…] The United States and Iraq share the goal of improving security and strengthening Iraq’s fledgling democracy to the point where U.S.-led coalition forces can leave the country, President Bush says. “Return on success has been the strategy of this administration. And our troops are coming home,” Bush said in a July 15 press conference. Bush’s remarks follow the July 10 departure of the last of five U.S. brigades deployed as part of this year’s surge strategy.

[…] Most of Iraq’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in homes rather than refugee camps, says Denise Herbol, the deputy mission director in Iraq for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). “There are approximately 2.7 million displaced persons in Iraq,” Herbol told reporters during a June 27 press conference at the U.S. Department of State. “An estimated 80 percent of Iraqi IDPs live in rented housing or with host families while the remaining 20 percent have found shelter in public buildings or other informal settlements.”

[…] He is the President of a free Iraq. He is a man who's been on the front lines of helping to unify Iraq and to help Iraq recover from a brutal regime -- that of Saddam Hussein. I complimented the President on the progress that the government has made. I complimented the President on the fact that as security has improved, he and his fellow officials are reaching out to all aspects of society to help people realize the blessings of a free life.

[…] He, as Italian Contingent Commander, guided 70 units among officials of the Italian Army and of Carabinieri Corp in the NATO Training Mission-Iraq Headquarter, at Camp Dublin Base and at Ar Rustamiyah Academy Base.
At the last All Hands update, General Pompegnani was publicised that he has been awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal issued by the NATO International Military Staff. The medal will be delivered to him in the next few weeks for the great achievements during his appointment for NATO in Baghdad, Iraq.

[…] It is my honor to report to the Security Council today on behalf of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, or, MNF-I. I would like to begin by warmly welcoming His Excellency, the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshyar Zebari, to the Security Council. I also want to welcome Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari and Assistant Secretary-General Controller Warren Sach and thank them for their participation in today's discussion.

[…] The United States is negotiating a new agreement with the Iraqi government about the future presence and makeup of U.S. forces in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at the end of 2008. "I think we'll end up with a strategic agreement with Iraq," President Bush said. "I strongly support the agreement because I think it helps send a clear message to the people of Iraq that ... that security you're now seeing will continue."

[…] Boy, that’s a full briefing room. How about that? Well, I could say we have the man who needs no introduction, but I’ll give him an introduction anyway. We’re very pleased to have with us this morning Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who’s back on some consultations from Baghdad. We wanted to give him an opportunity to give you a little bit of an update.

[…] The United States is not seeking to build permanent military bases in Iraq under a new agreement currently being negotiated between the two governments. “There isn’t going to be an agreement that infringes on Iraq’s sovereignty," U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker says. “Iraq mid-2008 is a very different Iraq in terms of its capabilities than Iraq a year ago. And I expect that Iraq 2009 will be far further advanced,” Crocker says.

[…] Iraq’s improving security conditions are creating an opportunity for nations to help Iraqis make further progress in rebuilding their economy and developing democratic political institutions, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “There is still a lot of work to do, but this is a fundamentally different situation than a year ago," Rice said en route to Stockholm, Sweden, May 28. “The international community, the region, perhaps most importantly Iraqis themselves, I think, recognize that this is a state that is here to stay.”

[…] Petraeus, who has served nearly four years in Iraq, also told committee members that the provincial elections scheduled for Iraq in October probably will be delayed until November. If he is confirmed, Petraeus’ main focus at CENTCOM will be on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Afghanistan, in particular, will require substantial assistance from the international community for a number of years, Petraeus said, especially in offering alternative employment to poppy farmers.

[…] I took this action to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq.
I modified the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and amended the steps taken pursuant to it.