today. thank you. >> thank you. thank you mr. chairman. it is a tremendous honor to appear before you today as president obama's nominee to be u.s. ambassador to iraq. i am grateful for the confidence placed in me. i look forward to working close with all of you. i have had the privilege of serving along side each of the last five u.s. ambassadors to iraq. in july 2004 raised the american flag to open the embassy in baghdad for the first time since 1991. eight years later i was with jeffrey as he led for the first time since the topping. i have served along side our military commanders. the opportunities that are now before us in iraq exist only

because of the leadership of these individuals and more than 1 million americans who have served there including nearly 4,500 who have paid the ultimate price. like too many americans i have lost friends in iraq. if confirmed i will do everything in my power drawing all the tools of our foreign policy to build a lasting policy with iraq worthy of their memory and sacrifice. i believe such a partnership is possible and i believe we are not there yet. there is so much the u.s. must do to mitigate risks and increase prospects for consolidating the many gains we have seen. iraq today is slowly emerging from decades of war, isolation and dictatorship. more recently a war that left tens of thousands of iraqis dead and millions displaced. the violence threatened to collapse and reduce many citizens to the most basic

identities. this legacy is felt most acutely in the political process. politics is now the primary arena for engagement. that is the good news. the bad news is that their vast differences threaten to ov overwhelm for framework. iraq's constitution envisions a united, federal and democratic state in which all citizens enjoy fair representation. this vision remains an aspiration. fear, mistrust and score settling still dominate political discourse. as a result iraqis have sought to supplement the design with additional accommodations. i have often been one of the few americans in the room when such agreements were being developed. i encourage respect for prior

agreements and constitutional rangements that guarantee a meaningful partnership. these efforts would be guided by the 2008 strategic guide agreement. with respect to the political process it calls on the u.s. to health strengthen. if confirmed my mission is clear. to establish an enduring partnership with the united, federal and democratic iraq. as one of the lead negotiators i would be honored to carry out the charge together with leaders and colleagues many of whom i worked with over a number of years. going forward if confirmed i will seek to organize the mission around four lines of operation, defense and security,

political and diplomatic, energy and economics, rule of law and human rights. in the defense and security area i look forward to working with our office of security cooperation to ensure that we are doing everything possible to deepen our military defense partnership in iraq. in the diplomatic area if confirmed i look forward to working with our ambassadors most of whom i have worked with and admired for many years. in the political area iraq is scheduled to hold elections 20i7b 13 and national elections in 2014. if confirmed it will be a central focus of our mission to ensure these elections are held freely, fairly and on time. energy and economics priorities. it will be among my highest priorities to connect u.s. businesses with emerging opportunities in iraq and focus iraqi leaders on the urgent

necessity of diversifying their economy. as the u.s. pursues its interest in iraq we must never lose sight of our values. this is an ambitious agenda but should not require an unsustainable resource base. i shall work -- a focused u.s. mission with prioritized information can enhance our influence and ensure the agility we will need. i will also ensure that precious taxpayer resources are applied effectively, transparently. i have tried to touch upon a number of issues that i will soon confront. for me there is no more important mission in the world. i served across two

administrations over eight years developing u.s. policy in washington or executing u.s. policy in iraq. i was with president bush when we planned a surge of 30,000 u.s. troops under a new strategy. i was with general petraeus when we worked to implement that strategy. i later helped manage the tradition of iraq policy under two binding international agreements. over the past two years i have answered repeated calls to return to iraq and public service at times of crisis. my eyes are wide open to the risks and challenges ahead. i close from where i started. for every challenge there is also opportunity and obligation. to honor those lost in this war or forever changed by it we must do everything in our power to build a partnership in iraq and its people. if confirmed that is what i will seek to do.

thank you and i look forward to answering your questions. thank you. ms. elliot. >> thank you mr. chairman. as a chairman pointed out i do have strong ties to the state of pennsylvania having been born there and my son is a student at the university of pennsylvania. i also have strong ties to indiana having been a graduate of indiana university. it is an honor for me to be here in front of you today. i don't have any to idaho. i am very honored to be president obama's nominee to become the ambassador to the republic of tajikstan. if confirmed with will work closely with you, the commit skpae the congress to advance americas goals and interests. i would like to thank my

wonderful colleagues, friends and family who have supported me over my 22-year career at the state department. since recognizing independence 20 years ago the united states has supported the sovereignty and encouraged development as a more prosperous and democratic society. shortly after its independence when i first begain working on central asia policy it was in the midst of a civil war. today they enjoy peace and stability. as deputy assistant secretary of state for central asia i developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for the importance of tajikistan. it shares a long border with afghanistan. although the terrain is mountainous and the infrastructure is not well developed it plays an important role the distribution network.

also provides vital air transit routes. the government recently co hosted with the government of afghanistan a successful regional economic cooperation conference on afghanistan. the conference achieved consensus on a concrete set of achievement that can advance regional integration and allow new opportunities. if confirmed i will encourage it to maintain and expand where possible this important support. narcotics trafficking and terrorism plague the neighborhood. over the years u.s. cooperation has grown in addressing this and other trans national challenges through engagement, assistance and training. currently we are working with the government to develop and expand our narcotics counter operation with a goal of

targeting organized traffickers, bringing them to justice and decreasing the flow of narcotics. i will work to combat the flow of narcotics and other goods. it is also the poorest country in central asia. the people in the government are working to improve their economy and aspire to become members of the world health organization. i will work to develop agricultural sector and improve the regulatory environment. if confirmed i will also continue encouraging it to take steps necessary to attract u.s. companies to help develop and diversify its economy with american goods, expertise and services. secretary clinton visited in october of 2011. during her visit she met with the citizens from all spectrums of society from human rights

activists to members of the media. stressed the importance to provide space necessary for citizens to have a voice in their governments and promote their ideas. she also emphasized the belief that an open democratic tolerant society provides a firm foundation for a stable, secure and prosperous nation. i will work with the government to take concrete steps. i will engage the government and people to increase our security and economic engagement and continue our dialogue on human rights allowing freedom of the press and religion and belief. i know that success depends on my taking a leadership role in encouraging and supporting a strong dedicated embassy staff that kwoerdinates closely with the administration, members of

congress. if confirmed i look forward to continuing this active dialogue with you as we seek to advance america's interest. thank you and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you ms. elliot. befr i get to my questions we are joined by ranking member of our foreign relations committee and the ranking member of our subcommittee. i think there is a statement. >> why don't you go ahead? >> okay. thanks very much. let me start with iraq. i have a couple of questions on this first round. we'll do as many rounds as we can probably it looks like five minute rounds. i want to ask you about leadership which is of central concern in any confirmation process but maybe especially so for the position that you have been nominated for. there will be those who say and

i want to have your response to this, that you have based upon your record broad experience in iraq. several time periods within which you have served and been called back for service as i indicated under two administrations. but they will also say you haven't had the leadership position that would lend itself to the kind of experience that would prepare you for such a substantial assignment. and i want you to answer that question because i think it is an important one in terms of demonstrating in this confirmation process your ability to lead not just an embassy but an embassy and a mission of this size and consequence. >> thank you for allowing me to address that. i would like to do it in really

three ways. leadership starts at home at the embassy. i have served with all five of our prior ambassadors to iraq and i have seen every permianitation of the embassy. i have learned and seen and been involved in what it takes to lead in iraq. and to lead in iraq you need a really finger tip understanding of the operational tempo of knowing when something is a crisis and when it is not, managing morale and keeping people focused on the goals. it also takes a team. if i'm fortunate enough to be confirmed i will be inheriting a team in depth. i have worked with every member of the country team in iraq. one of them happens to be sitting to my left. that team incorporates individuals from across the u.s.

government, the whole government approach from commerce to the defense community and the intelligence community. i have been gratified to learn that key members of the team have volunteered to stay on for another year and would serve with me. as ambassador the puck would stop with me. i have a very clear vision in coordination with the president's and the secretary of where to take this mission. i would be working with a very strong team. i have worked with him for a number of years. i think we would make a unique leadership team. the regional security office has done an extraordinary job under difficult circumstances. leadership also in this context i have to look at inner agency experience. as a senior director for president bush particularly at one of the most intense periods of the war from the time of planning and implementing the

surge and the end of his administration i was at point for organizing the whole of government effort to implement the surge. i developed extremely strong relationships. i was involved in setting goals such as negotiating strategic framework agreement, organizing the u.s. government, getting the right people in place and the right inputs in place and having an operational plan and leading it through to fruition. finally i think one of the most important criterion for the ambassador is the relationship with the rairaqis. one reason i have been called back is due to my unique relationships with the iraqis. i have been working with these individuals since 2004. i was involved in the negotiation of the traditional administrative law. it dealt with a lot of the same

issues we are dealing with now and a lot of the same individuals we are dealing with now. i have deep relationships across the board. it is not -- a lot of it is politics and personal. one of the key jobs is making sure that the iraqis were working seamlessly so we can run an effect sk mission and that requires daily interaction and contact at the highest levels. that's something i have done for a number of years. >> thanks very much. i'm almost out of time in this round. madam ambassador i will come back to you to ask especially about what i would assert as the lack of progress after the llrc work that was done. i will pick up with that. >> thank you. first of all let me say that i don't think anyone can question

your knowledge and understanding of what's happened in iraq. you have had incredible amount of experience there. in fact, i would be hard pressed to find someone who would have a resume like you would as far as dealing with that. having said that iraq is in a volatile post conflict situation. it's one in probably the most unstable region of the world. it's the largest embassy that we have anywhere in the world. last year the united states spent about $6.5 billion there and this year about $4 billion there. very substantial amounts, more than my state had when i was governor as an entire annual budget. also given the lack of representation that we don't have today the ambassador in baghdad is going to be responsible for and have the

responsibility for a much larger regional context. and the ability to navigate all of these issues with the right balance and the right leadership and right management will certainly be critical to the success of our ambassador there. again, recognizing the experience you have had in iraq i appreciate that. you are going to be challenged i think in as much as the size and the complexity of this operation confronts you never having been an ambassador before. i wish you well in that and certainly the administration recognized your understanding and abilities to pick you for the ambassador there. as ambassador your responsibilities would be substantially larger and much broader than what you have done there before. so i wish you well. ms. elliot i want to talk briefly about tajikistan. one of the things you did not

mention is the relationship with iran. i think that is a concern to all of us particularly when it comes to the purchase of crude oil what are your thoughts in that regard? >> thank you. that's an important question. the people of tajikistan have close cultural ties with the people of iran and of course, they're in the same neighborhood. i will say in terms of sanctions that we have been working very closely with the government of tajikistan on the recent iran sanctions act. we discussed on high levels. tt treasury department visited to talk with the government about this. we feel that from our discussions that they are very supportive and will be in compliance with the sanctions. and we look forward to

continuing that discussion with them. >> they are not in compliance with the sanctions now. did they give you any time frame as to when they would comply with the sanctions? >> we've been talking with them and they've been working on, especially in their banking structure, working on improving those. so we look forward, that will be a priority of mine to work with them to make sure they do stay and come in compliance with them. >> have they given you a timetable? >> i have not given them. >> have you requested a timetable? >> i believe we have, but i can get back to you on the specifics of the timetable. since the final we built the

embassy in baghdad there's been discussion about the size and scope of that embassy. it was in a very secure situation. perhaps we had ambitions that the embassy might be a fulcrum of activities throughout the area. almost a headquarters for the united states ambitions for democracy and human rights and so forth throughout the middle east. however, we still have that embassy. it's huge. maybe as many as 16,000 people are affiliated with it. it's a station that doesn't have the security of our troops on

the ground in the numbers that they were. i'm simply wondering about your reflections have been served through five ambassadors and so forth. how do you plan to administer? this is a several chapter answer, i appreciate. but have you given thought really to giving security like wise, more hostility on the part of the iraqis to our participation. how do you plan to manage this? >> senator, thank you very much. i gave a great deal of thought to this. i participated in almost every internal conversation about how not only to plan the transition after our troops were withdrawing, but also how to get

the sides down. quite frankly, our presence in iraq right now is too large. there's no proportionality also between our size and our influence. in fact, we spent a lot of diplomatic capital simply to sustain our presence. so there's a process under way now to cut our presence by about 25% by next fall. i fully agree with that approach and i think we can do more. it's important to keep in mind the reason we're so big now is the transition was -- it was all contingency planning. the department wasn't quite sure what we would face in the err will uh months of this year. so we planned for every possible contingen contingency. are we secure? are people safe? is it strategic? that means is it a core priority to advance our national interest. we're institutionalizing our long-term presence now.

is it effective? are programs getting rumts? that is, do they have adequate buy-in by the iraqis and is is sustainable? if i'm confirmed, i will put everything to that test. in terms of managing the day to day operations of the embassy, i'm involved in this. it's not just the internal management, we need to discuss something with the iraqi national security adviser, with the prime ministers, and i am often doing that shuttling. as i mentioned in my earlier answer, i have a very strong team in iraq. i've worked with him for a number of years. we would sit next to each other. offices would be next to each other. the buck would stop with me for every single decision. but steve is a terrific day to day manager of the operation. i think we would make a very strong team, but i cannot discount the challenges ahead. >> i appreciate that answer very much and the very specifics of

each and every program. and the expense of this is enormous. and all of these impact on the whole state department budget as you know. i appreciate that managerial idea. let me ask. how are you going to advise the prime minister maliki under the current circumstance in which he's not getting along well with the opposition, to say the least, and the kurds are lifting off by themselves. what are the what are the challenges for our diplomacy here? >> thank you, sir. it's a critically important point. i have worked with the prime minister maliki for a number of years and all the iraqi leaders. i've worked with him in his capacity as the prime minister. i said in the written same. i try to focus on dealing with the iraqis in an constitutional

way. dealing with maliki as a prime minister now. if there was a new prime minister tomorrow, i would have the same close working relationship with him. i've worked with four speakers of the parliament. we need to focus on the institutions. when in iraq and dealing with all sides, there are different narratives to the political process. the government put in place in 2010 took eight months to put in place. it represents 89% of the council of representatives who are represented in the cabinet. that naturally leads to a lot of inefficiency, a lot of rivalry, a lot of intrigue. and that's certainly going on now. maliki will say that his opposition figure who is are in

his cabinet won't share responsibility for governing. the opposition figures say maliki is consolidating power. they're all right. and we need to work with all of them to live up to the prior agreements and to work within the constitutional system to change the process. you mentioned the kurds. i would like to be up the there, if i'm confirmed, at least once a week. it's the personal interaction between the iraqi leader and u.s. ambassador so important to keeping everything stable and bridging the gaps. the kurds are having some difficulties with the baghdad government right now. the baghdad government is having difficulty with the kurds. the real rivalry is between with the prime minister. we have to play an important role in mediating that effort. i would just leave it as there's a constitutional system in place now. this is the third iraqi

government. this is the second parliament. the iraqis are going to fight through their politics under the constitutional rules that they themselves have devised. we cannot direct outcomes through the process. we can help build bridges. we can be constantly engaged. that's what i intend to do if i'm confirmed. >> thank you for thoughtful and comprehensive answers. i appreciate it. >> thank you, senator. >> thank you, chairman casey and ranking members that are here. good to see you. and thank you for the panel being here and very much appreciate all of your service to our country. in april of 2012, special general found in his report there was a record low amount of casualties for the month of march, and a drop in violence overall in the last few months. and specifically reported that 112 iraqis died as a result of violent attacks in the month of march. the lowest toll since the united states evaded in 2003. based on such improvements, do you think that the iraqi government is on the right track to secure its government? and how has the fact that iraq is accountable for its own security change the security calculus in the country and the relationship, the u.s.