UN General Assembly
2004

It is with pleasure that I congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency at the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly. It is also a pleasure to speak to the Assembly today as the Prime Minister of a fully sovereign State that seeks to recover its place among the community of nations. Iraq has been isolated from the international community for a very long time. It was deprived of the very important role it should play in the community of nations. The Iraqi people aspire to recover that role today. Iraq is a nation rich in cultural heritage and history, as the cradle of civilization. But the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein cast a long, sinister shadow over Iraq. It traumatized and suppressed the people of Iraq for decades. With the fall of Saddam Hussein’s 11 oppressive regime, our country and the world have been made safer. New horizons for fruitful and constructive cooperation with the world have emerged. A new situation has emerged in Iraq, which is now experiencing a conflict of far-reaching