WASHINGTON, DC -- Today U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) joined colleagues in sending a letter to Speaker Hastert, asking him to seek an apology for statements made my Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki.  Below is the full statement of U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky:

“Thank you for coming today.

“Tomorrow, the United States Congress is scheduled to give Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki the rare and high honor of addressing a joint session of Congress.

“Unfortunately, it has become clear that the new government in Iraq, which came to power with the blessing of the Bush Administration, does not share the same foreign policy goals of the United States when it comes to the Middle East.

“At a time when all of us are particularly concerned about the well being of our staunch ally Israel, we feel strongly that Speaker Hastert should be working to secure an apology or clarification from Prime Minister Maliki for his recent remarks about Israel and for the vicious anti-Semitic rhetoric of the Speaker of Iraq’s Parliament.

“We are sending a letter to Speaker Hastert and we hope he will successfully convince Mr. Maliki to clarify his remarks in acceptable way. If Prime Minister Maliki is not willing to apologize for his remarks or to clarify them, we do not believe the Congress should be offering him the privileged opportunity to address a joint session. Speaker Hastert should reconsider the invitation is he is not successful.

“The Bush Administration, who conceived this tragic war, believed that regime change in Iraq would result in a number of “benefits” for the region. 

“In fact, in August of 2002, Vice President Cheney said, “Regime change in Iraq would bring about a number of benefits for the region. ...Extremists in the region would have to rethink their strategy of jihad.  Moderates throughout the region would take heart, and our ability to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process would be enhanced.”

The Bush Administration was flat wrong.

“Extremists throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah and Hamas have been empowered.  Moderate voices in the region are not being heard.  And the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is under attack.

“The Speaker’s podium in the United States Congress reflects our nation’s values.  Unfortunately, the current Iraqi leadership does not.

“On July 13th, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament claimed that there was a Jewish conspiracy which was responsible for the insurgency in Iraq.  He was quoted as saying: “Some people say 'we saw you beheading, kidnapping and killing…These acts are not the work of Iraqis.  I am sure that he who does this is a Jew and the son of a Jew.  I can tell you about these Jewish, Israelis and Zionists who are using Iraqi money and oil to frustrate the Islamic movement in Iraq.”

“And on July 19th, in reference to the conflict in Lebanon which was instigated by an Iran-funded and backed Hezbollah, the Iraqi Prime Minister condemned Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, calling Israel’s actions “criminal aggressions”.  Additionally, the Iraqi Parliament voted unanimously to condemn Israel.
 
“The comments made by Mr. Maliki were in stark contrast to other American allies in the region, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, who have strongly condemned the indiscriminate and destabilizing violence brought on by Hezbollah.

“As members of Congress, our concerns go well beyond the statements of the Iraqi Speaker and Prime Minister.  In Iraq, we are seeing the emergence of an Iraqi government who supports the ideals of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.  The United States House of Representatives should not allow an address from any world leader who takes these types of positions.

“For that reason we have asked Speaker Hastert to cancel the Iraqi Prime Minister’s invitation to address a joint session of Congress if he does not secure an apology or satisfactory clarification.  In addition, 50 members of Congress have signed a letter to President Bush, asking that he denounce the hate-filled comments of the Iraqi Speaker.

“The challenges that we face in Iraq are great, and as Members of Congress we are committed to helping rebuild Iraqi society.  However, if we are going to commit the human and financial resources of the United States towards the rebuilding effort, we must know that these resources are not being used to promote hate and anti-Semitism.   And they must not empower those who undermine our interests or our allies in an important region."

► Click here to view the letter sent to Speaker Hastert

► Click here to view the joint press release