qaeda groups. he saw it as a chance to reduce the impact and the attractiveness of the radical islamic theology and he did it in a very step by step process. he spent a lot of time through the qaddafi endowment organization and interviewed these people. they found out what was at the core, or why they became radicals. systematically, they tore down the theology by having moderate sheiks come in and talk about islam. he methodically went at the political tenets that they tend

to the spouse -- tend to espouse. this resulted in the first wave of releases last year and the most recent of about 214 people which was highly publicized. several scholars from around the world attended it. the question is what will be the fall of. is there a follow-up to make sure that there is no recidivism? how do they insure that they get good jobs? how do they ensure that the rehabilitation that they have undergone sticks for the future. it was a very well received -- to the extent as to how it will

be applied, the jury is still out. it was a very positive development. with respect to counter terrorism in general, we had one of the strongest tenets, which was the weapons of mass destruction program as well as a very robust counter-terrorism program with united states. -- with the united states. >> i am not sure how much i can add to that. what happened with libya, dealing with libyan concerns, neutralizing the fighting group

was the most important take away. i am not sure how applicable the libyan experience is outside of libya. i think that that still has to be seen. it has been extremely difficult to get information about what the process was that happened inside libya. what strikes me is that the post important thing will be the follow-through. letting people out of prison is the easy part. trying to provide the after care programs to make sure that people do not return to behavior that you do not want them to return to, that is the most important part. we have to wait to see what happens. i think that several former militants have said that if jobs are not provided, people will return to what they were doing before. the most important part is >> mr. ambassador, the dialogue

between the groups -- one of my colleagues was a former leader of the group. the question now, the question that has been politicized, they are out in the open. in a country where political indiscretion is denied, everybody knows that the revolutionary committees are planning for security. do you see, in your observation and in your feedback that there is a willingness to open up the

political system? because if there is no opening up of the political system, the incorporation of these people will be a difficult thing. then the jury is out. even though three days ago, in tripoli, there was a meeting with scholars from outside the country who were discussed in -- who are discussing the principles of the fighting group and so wanted a got a very good reception -- the fighting group and so on. it got a very good reception. what do you think it will be? maybe they will follow suit in algeria? >> if the question is about

reform or the potential of reform, again, i think that there are people in libya that a spouse or form a little more -- that a spouespouse perform a lie more. -- reform a little more. point, it seems to lie exclusively in his hands. safe is the one that has pushed it. he has pushed it at times and at times he has been successful and at times he has been pushed aside. he is the one that we look to as a gauge. we look to them as the gauge as to whether the reform movement

is going up or going down. >> could i try to return to that? i have been falling libyan reform for a few years. to or three years ago, people thought -- two or three years ago, people thought that the process was not only ineffective, but was widely seen to be ineffective. people were thinking a few years ago that that action was going to stop. do you still see the same forms of these local councils and direct democracy being pursued with the same level of engagement as in several years past? in a sense that there is not so much going on, but it is now

being replaced with something. in terms of seeing something that looks like elections and governments that people can touch, is it going behind closed doors or is it continuing to be a public theater that people are exposed to? >> my own personal sense is exactly as you as described it. i think that there is a lot of media attention and a lot of government promotion of the idea that these people's congresses are reflective of the people's will. they need, -- meet, they seem to be given some role in terms of decision making.

it is highly publicized. i think that at the end of the day, decisions are made by a very small group of people. i do not think that that concept that has begun 40 years ago and has been constantly shaken up, in my opinion, from what i have seen, has led to any great movement towards a concept of a real people's democracy. >> one of the things that is really difficult for most of us is how the process of political transformation is for to take place. this is a system that is probably not going to survive --

i cannot predict for how long. but how they recognize that this does not work. do you see anything happening that suggests this is the way that there will be the beginning of the debate? >> i have to be honest. i do not hear a lot about it. the political context is a repressive one. i hate to keep coming back to the fact that islam is the symbol of what ever kind of political debate or what passes for debate goes on in the

country. we see very little discussion about what the future libya would will look like. as we say, there is talk of reform, but i have not seen anything that would pass for a real analytical debate or discussion about the forms of government that would replace the current system as of right now. >> mr. ambassador, say the qaddafi called for freedom, -- the television was confiscated

and the newspapers were not publishing. he called for ridicule of opinion. he called for the establishment got the permission and then it was closed down. he called for a justice center of human rights and then it was closed down. even though he is still surviving and say that he does not want to play a political role, as you have seen, the country is not used to being a closed society. all of this could have led to a better informed -- some degree of reform. >> i think that the answer is clear. there is a very powerful, vested group. >> from the leader himself or from the group around him?

>> i cannot pointed out. the revolutionary command is still a very powerful group. they remain very much invested in the status quo. when any attempt is made to change it in the slightest way, they have been able to gather enough influence, power to stop it. the state has tried several things and has gotten a little further each time, but then they basically get slapped down when it crosses what is considered a red line of sorts. >> [unintelligible] >> so, it is a tough road. it is a very difficult issue to

talk about because it is not talked about a lot. >> even behind doors? >> i do not hear a lot. there is a lot of concern about talking to us as american diplomats as well. there is still lot of sensitivities about the issue. >> i am going to redirect the discussion a little bit. in some respects, it is the idea of civic action. i was curious, in a lot of other middle eastern and north african countries, there are gender empowerment initiatives and you have seen some successes and setbacks in that respect. i get the impression that it is considered a peripheral attempt

at promoting civic action and in some places is controversial and the in some places it is accepted. do you have initiatives on the ground in libya and do you have plans to promote something along those grounds? >> i would not call them for liberals. i would call them pragmatic. when we talk about them and issues specifically -- >> talking about incorporating women into the political process eventually. i know it is problematic because the political process itself as problematic. you mentioned the people initiative. have there been other pragmatic ways that the state deeartment has tried to incorporate women

into more of a political awareness if nothing else? >> there is a liberal woman that is trying to do exactly that. she is trying to form ngo, though that word is not accepted widely in libya. it would raise women's awareness and get them to participate more in whatever fields that they could. we have asked for a proposal. if we get that, we will see if we can fund a project like that. we are on the lookout and trying to think of what kind of projects we could do with the organizations that are there right now on the ground as well as looking for new opportunities. >> it seems that you have some

progress in promoting economic initiatives, would it be something in the economic arena to incorporate bunning into the labour force through theestate department? >> we have made some progress looking towards in power and women on an doors -- toward empowering women entrepreneurs. that is another area that offers some potential to get women from the homes into the workplace. >> thank you. >> i had some comments about what my friend said.

they have been making the statements for six or seven years. whenever a statement is made publicly and the great leader would come and contra victim completely. i do not think it is the combined members for the they have no power, really. the leader is contradicting his son. the television station and the newspapers, the orders came from him personally. nothing is happening in libya without the involvement of

colonel qaddafi. i do not think that he truly wants to make a reform in libya. if he is sincere enough, why does e draw the red line that my friend mentioned? he is above everything. this is the problem. if they sincerely want to make reforms, he will start doing reforms himself. stop spending the libyan money

that he has not earned. for example, he pays someone in london to make a speech 1.5 billion sterling. what i got from that speech is the last payment that was made by his professor. you need to come back here to school to take a course in the rule of law and the ability of the people to elect and change the president. that was the last statement said by his professor. it did not say anything about that in egypt.

we know that that is just talk. also, when some people said there was a lot of improvement in the economy, do you know who controls everything in libya? it is qaddafi himself, his wife, his children. these are the big companies. they own everything. we don't. i lived in america. i am an american citizen. i know, i am not on the field. but we still have family and friends there. there is no real change.

thank you. >> i will take the last few questions since we are out of time. i do not know if there are any more. >> actually, mine will just be an observation, picking up on what ms. will board -- and this wellborn -- ms. wellborn said. i arrived in 1969. i was three years in the country and i never met a single libyan woman, not one, that did not go out of the home. when i went back to libya, one change that i noticed which was

clearly a change for the better, was the presence of women in government offices, businesses. i spoke twice before public groups, once at the university and once at the green book center. when men got up and ask questions. they were very assertive. they seemed to be accepted as equals in the political/public marketplace. when i was at the university, about 40% of the people in the audience were either women faculty or when students. -- four women students. -- or women students. to me, it seemed dramatic.

i do not know what all the reasons were for that, maybe it would have happened anyway, and maybe qaddafi had a little something to do about it, but i think that many are coming to terms with it. i do not think they are going to be guided too much by us. who knows, it may be another one of these countries where there are more women involved in their parliament at some point when they have one. there may be a higher percentage of women representatives then there are in the united states. this is a dramatic change, and a change for the better credit >> thank you. any other questions or comments before i turn it over to the ambassador? yes? >> [inaudible]

try to figure it out. i do agree with the ambassador. i say that because i know that it is his job and his mission. i would like to emphasize what he referred to, and he mentioned the engagement. he mentioned judges training and other programs. i believe that that is what will bring change in the future. i hope that there will be more programs in other fields with a

little bit of bush -- push. i hope you will succeed. >> thank-you for all the questions. i have a lot of homework to do to go back and know how to better answer the question on reform. we have a lot of work to do on this relationship. the only thing that i can say is that with 30 years of estrangement, that is a long time. it is a lot to overcome, not only in the way that we do not understand each other but that we do not understand each other's systems, but we are making slow and steady progress. that takes engagement. i know that there is still a very difficult situation here in washington and certainly in the

united states with respect to dealing with qaddafi because of the past. any comments that i make in public say that the past is something that we cannot afford given that we cannot afford it. but at the same time, this is a population that offers low panging fruit in terms of being pro-american. even on the governmental level, they want a relationship with us. to the extent of the past continues to be a major factor, that will be what will keep us from moving ahead too quickly. i assure you that we respect the past in the state department

trevino that it exists. we take into account. we do not go into these discussions with libya blindly. i think that there is a national interest to be pursued. it will be difficult and we will try to give to all the kinds of concerns that people have raised here in terms of human rights, reform and women's empowerment and all the issues you have raised, but it will be a slow process by virtue of the fact that we are new back into libya. i do not want to give you the sense that we have short shifted in the of the issues that you have risen here. they are very suspicious of us. we have to tread carefully in the hope that we will play a role in the future of libya when the environment is more right --

ripe. that is not to say that we will not do everything we can within the context and with and the resources that we have at the current time. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> before you all run away, there are some people at this meeting why do not count among the usual suspects that come to our meetings. if you are interested in receiving more invitations, please let me have your business card before you disappear and we will make sure -- [inaudible]

>> >> , president obama this is the gulf coast and discusses the latest on the oil spill. then, c-span cameras follow louisiana representative charles melancon. later, general re odierno has the latest on security in iraq. . .

>> to order, go to c-span.org /books. each one also a great gift idea for father's day. >> c-span. our public affairs content is available on television, radio, and on line. you can also connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube.

signup for our schedule alerts e-mail's at c-span.org. >> president obama has made his third trip to the gulf coast that began with an explosion 35 days ago. he was briefed by coast guard and other officials and met with the louisiana congressional delegation. the president later told the news media there had been some progress, but a lot of work still remains to be done. [no audio] >> i know that a lot of the press might be curious. about what is happening withhe intent to cap the well.

i don't want to go into technical detail here. til we get a chance to talk directly with command-and- control about what is happening there. it does appear that the cap at least for now is holding. they are slowly ratcheting up the amount of oil that is being extracted andeing caref that they do not dislodge or disrupt thcap. we will kw more within the next4r 48 hours. it is way too early to be optimistic. we will give you more thorough briefing when we know more. we spent a lot of me you are just talking about the logisticof the respoe on the shore as oil begins to comen.

everybody here has partular concerns because weave limited resources. we are trying to get more booms into the places where we need. some in alabama was not whereeit was supposed to be. the governor was appropriately concerned. that is a mild way to put it, about what is being done with respect to alabama. i told him that we would be meeting with him individually. over the course of th weeken he will call a meeting and we will need to sort th out. here in louisiana, there are still areashere for example, the mayor was talking to fishermen. they want to try to build up so barriers in the estuaries

and areas that are particularly vulnerab. th allen be following with eachof the parh presidents to determine what is going on. we want to make sure that organizationally, things are working the way they should. we now have a coastguard offl is stationed [unintelligible] and we also have a bp officia crustaan with each parish presidt to me sure they have direct access and can respond quickly. that isrue in louisiana, alabama, as well as in florida. we want to have that same nd of representation and rapid response.

my understanding is that bp has contracted for $5million wort of tv advertising to manage their imaae during the cour of this disaster. in addition, there are reports that bp will be paying $10.50 billnn dividend payments this quarter. i don't have a problem with bp fulfilling its legal obligation, but i want bp to be very clear, that have moral and legal obligations here in the gulf for the mage that has been done. what i don'want to hear is, when they are spendg that kind of mey on their shareholders and spending that kind of money on tv advertising, that they are nickel-and-diming fisherman or small businesses here in the gulf who are having a hard time.

we havessigned federal folks to look over because the shoulder and work with state and local officials to make sure that planes are being processed quickly and fairly and that bp is not lawyerrng up, essentially. they say they want to make it right. that is part of their advertising campaign. we want them to make itht. what that means i if a fisherman got a $5,000 check and the next time it goes in, bp is saying they need documentation and it may take 60 days or 30 days to process, that fisherman, with all his money tied up in that boat, thiy not be able to hang on for another 60 ds. he may lose his boat and his livelihood. we just heard from onef the

parish residents about the shrimp processing plant. ey have a bunch of shrimp on ice that they are sellin in the stores, but they are not bringing any new product in. bsays to them that their sales do not seem to have declined. they have to explain that they have had to lay off older workers because they are not bringing in anyew shrimp and the coverage will be there in the next few weeks.+ bp has to be able to anticipate that. the key point i am making here is, this has been a disasteror this regn. ople are understandably frightened and concerned about what the next f months and years may hold. i am solutely confident about the resilienc of this area long term, but if weecan make sure that pp ithe key is doing the rt thing on the front in, it will make it easier to cover it on

the back in. it will end up being cheaper for b p. my adminiration is emphasizing this. i want to hear it directly from me and i want the public to hear from me, they need to make sure that they are following through on these aims in an expedious, fair way. if they are not, then we will stay on them about it. we have already submitted one bill, and they are not saying they are not paying it. ido not want to anticipate problems but we are starting to see on the local level folks experiencing problems. we n want those problems to build up. the fact that bp could pay $10.5 billion dividend payment is indicative of how much moy these folks have bn making.

given the fact that they did not fully account fo the risks, don't wantomeone else bearing the cost of those risks that they took. i want to make sure of that. the last point i want to make is, we did lk about what the internal quality is down here right now. lisa jackson s been down here all week, and she went all across the state of louisiana. she will be monitoring what is going on in alaba and florida as well. so far, the air quality, water quality is continually being tested. it does not seem to be much elevated from normal levvls, but i want to emphasize something that she just told us. people who are on side involved in cleanup, they have to be

mindful of the fact that we are dealing with toxi here. thiscould make people very sick if they are not careful. they have to get the appropriate training and the the appropriate equipment. if they getick, we now have held centers stationed at each of these points. >> we have health d safety, officers and stations at each muster point. if someone comes nd deals thhey have been exposed, the first thing to do is reported so that we have a record and can track it down and ensure that they are not in any way penalized for reporting and making sure they put their help first. -- put their health first. >> i just want to emphasize that everyone down here, from the local officis and state officials, are working as hard as they can. our federal teams are working as hard as they can.

there will still be glitches, arguments, and disagreements between local and state, state and federal, but wheeverybody had beat the and states in terms of how they are allocati some of the resources. thad allen has committed to meet and the people of the gulf that we are going to t through the bureauctic red tape, any problems we have, and we will fix problems that have been identified. that was the commitment i ma last week. some of t problems have been fixed, and some new ones have surfaced. we will keep coming back until we have dealt with an unprecedented crisis. i am very thankful to everybody for e constructive meeting and the constructive approach everyone is taking in terms of solving this problem.

>> what about the economic difficulties from the drilling moratorium? >> we had a conversation about that as well. what i told them was very simple. when i made the decision to issue the moratorium, we knew that would have an economic impact. what i also knew is that there was no way that we can go about business as usual when we discovered that companies like be peaking who had provided assurances -- companies like bp that had provided assurances that they had faed savings, but find out that had no idea what to do when the failsas failed. we will be examining over the next six months what went wrong, but more important, how do we

increase domtic oil production without having the kind of disasters we are witnessing day in and day out. the governor expressed concerns about the immediate economic pact. if theyan front load some of the analysis of what went wrong and how you would solve what has happened and what can happen, and you can do that more quickly than six months, then let me know. don't hold the results of your review for six months and then tell me. tell me when you find out. what i told folks in th room was, i am not going to cut corners and not press them to move faster thait would take

to do an accurate, independence job base on sound findings. i do not want to see this thing repeated again, and the american peopleo not. i promise you, the people of the gulf do not want to see it eier. as difficult as it may be, it is important for us to do this ri if we do not do it rht, we could end sayinseeing an even worseimpact the region down here. i think everybody here, i did not hear anybody here say that they what unsafe operations on these rs, and they certainly do not wt to see a repeat of this disaster. they did ask that we do it faster. what i said was, do it as fast as it takes to do it right. thank you, everybody.

the folks in alaba and orida, i want them to abide by their obligations to the shareholders. >> following his remarks to the news media, thpresident toured parts of grd isle, louisiana. he met with the mayor and other residents to discuss the impact of the oil spill. >> the whole worlds watching. everybody knows the mayor.

he has gathered up a group of local business people. but, for example, owns a marina. terry owns a string of both. -- terry owns a shrimp boat. chris is the owner of this bait shop. we were just talking about the economic impact this is having. just to give you some perspective, terry has been shrimping out here for 46 years. his grandfather did it before him. right now, ings are completely shut off. floyd it leases the oyster beds from the state. the state now has said you cannot be pulling aeafood and out of these waters right now. he has oil that is staing to n to the oyster -- starting to

seep into the oyster beds. floyd is trying to figure out how long his business is going to last. >> i am fourth generation. some of thleases have been in the family for 100 years. >> butch is talking about the marina andaking the point that these three or four months are basically when all his business comes down. normally all of his slip would be full right now. right now, only about one-third of them are full, and it could get worse from now. >> he makes living off taking peop fishing. >> pattie owns a convenience store. obviously, that store is

dependent on these guys, fol coming in, filling up with gas, buying ice and soft drinks. she is down 85% on her business right now. so thiis just a sampling of what is happening out here. part of what we talked about wa what we n do to prevent oil from cing into these areas. part of what we talked about, in terms of the relief effort, we deployed folks here to help save their livelihood is right where they are. i will ask adral allen to make sure he is looking at where people are being deployed, where vessels are being deployed, to makeure he people who know the waters best are being hired there. the final thing is, what we

talked about in new orleans, or making sure that claims are being procesd effectively? right now, after that initial $5,000 check that bp wrote the clms center has been taking in claims, but it sounds, based on what i am hearing, that there is a lot of process, but not that much actu action. we are wrong to see if we can do something better on that. the main point i want to make is, these are communitieshat have had a way of life for generations. what people are concerned about right now is not just the damage done in the short term, because these are some tough folks. they have been through hurricanes, low prices, the high st of fuel.

a hurricane comes, you wash out the mud, and a week later, everyone is back in business. these folks are used to hardship and know how to deal with it. what they are concerned about right now is a lasting effect they cannot recover from. that is why the federal team is so committed to making surehat everything that cane done will be done. this is going to be bad, no matter what we do. but we can hopefully minimize the damage. it requires good coordinion between the state, federal, and locals, and requires bp to make sure that folks are not getting nickel-and-dimed. an that we are doing what we need to do early torevent the worseninworst case scenario from

happening. >> the barges are avaible all along the coast from the then is to harvey canal, all the way ck to houma. we can put some barges there temporarily to block these passes socan save over neighboring b.g.e. save our neighboring parishes. in jefferson parh where we live, if we can block five sses right now, these fishermen can tell you that we can save the re of the 2 million acres of ster leases. wead $2 billion worth of seafood that comes out behind me write it ithis estuary. -- right in this estuary.

this woman here with the convenience store, if we lose estuaries in the back, we are history. they will tell you, our grandfathers, we were born and raised and make our living right here. we need to make sure we can block the oil until we put these booms. >> last week and i was talking to the mayor, he started choking up just talking about the fact that o of his own pocket, he was having to provide some help and some loans to fishermen and votes in the area. that is what we should be able to prevent. people can help each other. the company that is responsible,

to make sure it is responding quickly and effectively. when the mayor told me that story, i think it waa a exampl ofhat is happening all across the gulf coast. it will be multiplied in alabama, mississippi, florida, in small communities like this all across the gulf. we have got to make sure that their voice is being heard day in and day out. i know they have a fierce advocate in thad allen, but i wanted you to know that behind him stands the president of the united states. >> the coast guard is unbelievle. you guys are working 24 hours a day.

i am very emotional because i am still feeling exiit. i am not going to cut their water off or cut their electricity off. one of the companies has a $5200 electricity bill. pattie can tell you, like it -- not before last i told her, i am going to keep you strong. he is fighting to save his oysters. i am trying to keep grand isle alive. i op the beach sunday, memorialay. watching the oil, across the shore -- i live right down the

street. i have been averaging two hours of sleep, just worrying about what is one to happen tomorrow, and prayg to god that no more oil comes on the beach. erry's wife is sick. harboring sevecable a dafor oxygen to new orleans. putting gas in the drug to make sure we can keep it up -- we help each other. if we do not have any money, it does not matter. we help each other. >> that is suos to b what the entire unitedstates does. >> exactly. >> we are not bitter at the oil companies for what is ppening. >> we thrive on the oil companies down here. we support them.

>> i think the point with the oil companies this, they have got to support you the same way you support them. they have to make sure, because there are a lot of folks in the oil business who did the right thing in who are notutting corners. we just have to make sure refined out what happened and that those who are respoible are held respoible, that they fix whatever is wrong. production, but we have to ma sure that we do it in the right way, because we cannot have a situation like this. >> you have to follow the rules. ju tell the truth. [unintelligible] just tell the people the truth.

that is all we want. >>he biggest shrimp dock in america is right here. he is completely shut down. the boats are tied u he has close to 100 votes, just tied up. the vietnamese families, you have the true cajun people he. they are just waiting on the opportunity. they are trying. since you left, they made a big change. we are just worried, we not know what is going to h h h h hh >> on wednesday, c-span crew traveled with charlie melancon

to discuss the response to the oil spill. the coast guard admiral and epa and administrator are among those with whom he met. this is about 25 minutes. >> right now, we are having problems. it was coming off of the mouth of the mississippi and through these passes that are coming through the inner waters right here. we were having trouble pulling assets from the eastern side of the mississippi to the western side. it was too late of a response in order to get all this done at that time. now, thankfully, they have deployed people in this area. the response is substantially better. it is done substantially better. the manpower and assets deployed, that has gone significantly better over the last two or three weeks.

>> what were the effects of it being slow in the first couple of weeks? >> the response was way too slow. we saw some oil coming into our parish one day, and it was the next day that anyone responded to look at it. they didn't have the assets or people to actually do the response, if we see one and they send skimmers and other teams in order to actually make certain that we are being protected -- we like people that know how to close the whole, people that know how to disperse the oil, people that know how to save the march. trust me, we have not lacked for that, have we? >> not at all. the problem we run into is the implementation. it is a matter of connecting the

right people with the right resources. what the congressman says is exactly correct. >> are you content with the government's response? >> this is for me, not for the congressmen. what works right now is a moratorium and the ban on drilling. please understand that terrebonne has worked with the seafood industry for years. right now, the economic impact on the fishing industry is survivable. bp has been coming in and making claims. we believe that the response is better, and we think at least if they can capet, there might be some hope for the future for our

fishing industry. our biggest problem is the ban where they have discontinued drilling. 500 feet is the maximum that they let them, and we had somebody at a thousand feet of water the other day. they were told to cease and desist. these rigs are very expensive. the horizon was $500 -- $500,000 a day. it can't sit around for six months. they're going to have been good at other countries. they're not going to move back after six months, it will be a tremendous impact. right now, it easily, we're going to have many thousands of people that will be impacted.

i would bet that 60% of my parish, and i have 120,000 people, they are directly affected. >> meaning employees? >> understand they have people that work on riggs, both companies, catering companies, machine shops, all of this is going to come to a screeching halt. and this is the critical thing. it was bp or the spill, they have the resources to go to on this moratorium. it is not consent double by anybody. this is the law we are going to pay. and the oil-field drilling is without question, such a significant problem that it will affect my community more at this

time than the spill will. >> we just left, and we're over here. we're going south on highway 56. this is the end of their road in the parish and the coastal marchland. there are a couple of marinas, and gas service industry companies. and also down here is louisiana university marine consortium facility that is ready for yet to the end of the road down here.

>> can you point out the areas that were hardest hit? >> grand isle has been getting oil on the beach. right next to it is the port, and they are starting to get oil showing up on the islands that are out there. of course, we're getting some over the mouth of the river. you can see it is not very far. >> how many miles as that? >> i don't know the exact mileage, probably to the mouth of the river, 12 miles as a guess. >> when you hear about oil trading in the marshes, where is that at? >> >> it is in the bay up

toward here. you see that is no longer there. you talk about coastal erosion. they are putting booms out in the interior march where the fish lay their eggs. this is from terrebonne into saint bernard. the lake is still open to fishing, but as you see, that oil is collecting on the island. if it keeps going like that, it will go to the north and, and it will get into lakes from the backside. you don't know where the tide is going to take this stuff.

new orleans is right here on the north end. >> thank you. >> she is in charge on the coast guard side, the administrator should be here in the next 10 minutes. >> we're headed to where the shares are up there. >> i believe the sun is here. [unintelligible] >> lead the way. >> how are you doing? >> making it. >> [unintelligible] >> how're we doing?

>> thank you for coming over. >> it will be a week now. >> how is it going? >> here is what i am interested in. over the last weekend half, we made a number of significant changes dealing with the parishes, trying to push the authority and be more responsive. >> i think we have a great relationship with the eeoc right now. they're working with us. with the boom operations, we are

considering alternate booming strategies to make sure that what we're doing is right on. some of the exclusion booming is now pershing to diversion and collection. we get trucks every day. >> [unintelligible] >> de you have a requirement for a larger bloom? >> we're thinking about requesting some of the larger ones and pushing it out to the islands. we do it every single day. >> how are you? >> said down. >> we are going to try to go down and give it to work, the

crews are looking for -- and give a tour, crews are looking -- >> how goes it here? >> trying to get caught up. what i am getting from the parish, i haven't been down since last friday. [unintelligible] what they are concerned about is over here. what i am hearing from the parish, i tell them that it looks like the kind of got caught up and are moving quite well. >> [unintelligible] that is pretty good. they had some lined up. [unintelligible]

>> you can have a snare boom pretty effectively. is of the most effective pieces i have ever seen. -- it is one of the most effective use is i have ever seen -- uses i have ever seen. >> the green stuff? >> is all different colors, but it soaks it up. >> at waste removal, when you see that stuff, all of the sea is the brown. you can't even see it. it is just to the fibers. -- it is just the fibers. [unintelligible] [talking over each other]

>> talking on the phone, did you want to come back to us? >> absolutely. i feel comfortable knowing [unintelligible] we have been doing a lot more burning. we have been doing a lot more containment. they are losing less than 15,000 gallons a day. we are monitoring it very closely. everything there looks good. >> how do you see it going down? >> all the way down. [talking over each other]

[indistinct conversations] >> i could use a little bit of rest. >> you look a little stressed. [indistinct conversations]

>> is connected by rope. and you string it down the beach. sometimes, it becomes embedded or buried. you read it up. you have to go to the disposal site. >> there is a waste ddsposal plan that i have looked at this morning. they take that, they pick it all up. >> it is considered hazardous waste. >> the actual oil we can put into a special -- the state has been really clear. [unintelligible]

[indistinct conversations] >> we need to go to room we can get all of the staff and. >> where are you guys all from? >> but the see you. power we doing? -- how are we doing? good to see you. lisa, why don't we come down here? just a second. >> these are the islands we are going to right now, every day. all of our sites are right here. as of right now, we have kind of an east operation going all the

way up here. we have skimmers between the islands every day that have a set course today coming there and back. we're also working now, right up in here. >> [unintelligible] >> i would say it is combination. >> one of the important things i saw yesterday, all of the pre- assessment work that happens on the shoreline to get ready. not only are responding to what happened whennthe oil reaches the shore, but we think about it before so we know what we are doing. >> the other thing i have seen out there is people picking up debris. >> that is good.

very good, this connects over to the people -- ok. when you are changing the watches, how many people are at night? >> we change every day at 0600. >> it is about 6:00 with the shift change. 12 on, 12 off. the night shift, we have about their redressing the vessels, putting boom on, all the captain has to do is check the vote -- boat and away they go. >> that is the whole thing. i want to make sure everybody understands, reducing the cycle times to achieve the effect.

it moves people close to the problem and gives people down here the ability to do what they need to do. you think you got it? >> i think we do. we are going. >> all right. [indistinct conversations]

>> it is not for me to ask. if one of the parish tells me, that i haven't asked any to make. when i told charlotte, michelle, billy, gregg, if you have something in your not feeling you are getting a response, call me. i did call and i talked to rahm emanuel at the white house. now that i have had a meeting with pat allen and lisa jackson, i am trying to find a balance on deepwater drilling between that spill, baby still and a drill, baby drill. we need to make their -- make sure there is a conscious effort for safety.

i think it will devastate louisiana's economy. it has been the lowest unemployment rate in the country for how long? probably two years. with the fishermen, marinas, tramp processors, -- shrimp processors, i don't think johnny's location is doing better than the rest of them. it is like a ghost town. from memorial day onward as when they usually make good money. you have shrimpers' not making money, restaurants are not making money, the grocery stores. >> all right, congressman. we have got to go. >> what about thad allen?

>> is mostly getting updated on the way they are. i need to know that he is feeling better. if he is feeling better, i am feeling good. it is not a perfect world. we are not getting everything that we would like. but this right now, we are in response mode. the oil has not come into this area. we are watching for it. once they see it, then they deployed. right now, they are deploying where they need to or where they feel they need to. we have to continue to make sure that the integrity of the boom is there were ever is put up. it is going to be an ongoing process. as long as the thing is pumping oil, who knows how long it will go? >> [unintelligible] >> keep your chin up. if you're out there working, i

know you're doing it because your heart is in it, not because you're getting a check rom it. it is about saving an area that we love. i grew up hunting and fishing down here. all of my life, i have fished out of the marina. johnny and i served in the state legislature together. one thing we do agree on is the saltwater marshes, preservation of the coastal wetlands, the conservation of the fisheries. we don't get one iota on any of that. -- dip one iota on any of that. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

>> now, president obama and a vice-president biden tore a dealership in maryland. following the tour, the president talked about the monthly job numbers. the numbers show that the economy added 431,000 jobs last month, and that the unemployment numbers were down .2% to 9.7%. this is about 15 minutes. [applause] >> good morning, everybody. let me just -- please, everybody. have a seat. it is wonderful to be here. i wanted to make a couple of quick acknowledgments. this guy behind me, you might know him. he is the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause]

maryland's lieutenant governor is here. [applause] the mayor of hyattsville, william gardner. [applause] and, wof course, we have to acknowledge the big man here. he is big. owner of the k. neal international. steven neal. [applause] i want to thank k. neal for having us here today and giving us a quick tour, having us look at all of these trucks. this is a business that has been selling commercial trucks for over 40 years. this company employs workers from all over the greater

washington area. after two years of recession that caused some much pain in sell many communities, this is also an example of a company that is starting to see business picked up again. stephen told me that rental and lease sales have improv, that nd out there for new equipment, and you ve added workers over the last few months. steven says that if things keep on going well, he will add more in the months ahead. we are hearing more and more stories like that all across america. a lot of businesses were hit hard durg this downturn, but they are arting to hire again. workers who were laid off are starting to get their jobs back. companies that were forced to close their doors are making plans to expand and invest in new equipment. this progress was reflected in the monthly jobs report that we

get each month. we received one today. the economy added 431,000 jobs. [applause] this is the fifth month in a row that we have seen a drop gains -- job gains. while we recognize the recovery is still in the early stages and there will be ups and downs in the months ahead, they never go completely in a smooth line. this report is a sign that our economy is getting stronger by the day. i want to emphasize that most of the jobs this month that we are seeing any statistics represent workers that have been hired to complete the 2010 census. these are temporary jobs that will only last until the fall. that might be reflected in future jobs reports. even if you put those jobs

aside, there is another month of job growth in the private sector. that is critical, because when businesses are hiring again, people start spending again. that gives businesses more and more incentive to grow. this does not mean that the recession is over for the millions of americans that are still out of work. or those that are still struggling to make ends meet. no statistics can take away the paint or anxiety a family feels because of the downturn. it can only be relieved with a steady paycheck. the numbers do mean that we are moving in the right direction. the policies we have put in place are working. when i was sworn in as president, it has been growing for three consecutive quarters.

we are losing 750,000 jobs a month during winter last year. we are adding jobs six out of the last seven months. the auto industry is being repaid. it was the right thing to do, both gm and chrysler -- [applause] both gm and chrysler are adding shifts and pulling in a profit. how do we keep adding jobs, raising incomes, growing our economy and our middle-class? in the short term, we have to create conditions for companies like k. neal to succeed. businesses are eligible for tax

cuts for hiring unemployed workers. companies can write off more of their investments in new equipment. as part of health reform, 4 million small businesses received a letter telling them they would be eligible for health care tax cuts this year. and those tax cuts can be worth tens of thousands of dollars from those companies. [applause] i also urged congress to cut taxes for small businesses so that they can get the incentives and the credit that they need to create jobs and growth. i believe it is absolutely critical that we extend unemployment insurance for several months so that americans that have been laid off through no fault of their road get the support they need to provide for their families and they can maintain health insurance until they are rehired. and we need to improve support so that states are noo cutting back on vital services as well

have -- as incentives for clean energy. that is still part of the emergency effort to help build the economy, growing out of the recession. in the long run, we need to invest in the technology and innovation that will lead to the jobs and industries of tomorrow. i wanted to introduce to everybody who his here, we have the president of [unintelligible] stand up. [applause] navastar is a company that does business with k. neal international. for months, there indiana manufacturing plant has been working on electric delivery truck that is fueled entirely by plug-in power. . .

plants before it hadeduced its very first truck. my understanding then is that we are ready to go. thanks to the investments we made in the recovery act, it just delivered its first truck a few weeks ago. this is a plant that gave job to unemployed factory workers, and they are now part of a cuttingdge industry that will create even more jobs and businesses in the months and years ahea that is what the future can look like. if we keep on making investments in research and development in technology and clean energy, produc, and industries that we have not even imagined yet, can find a home run. the united states of america. if we provide our citizens with the education and training they need to do these jobs, we are going to see rising incomes and a growing middle class. . .

>> it helped him to keep the business at least stable. [applause] it kept people on the job. deserves a lot of credit for that. give joe biden a big roond of applause. [applause] joe says he is able to drive. well we cannot do is go back now

that we are starting to climb out of this whole. we cannot go back to the same policies. they led us into that whole for. -- hole. we are trlready tried to scale back. americans and the ggest corporations. that did not work. we already tried putting industry insiders in chge of oversight. it did not work. we already tried stripping away rules and regulations that kept companies in bounds. we let them play by their own rules instead. it did not work. we know where these ideas to lead us, and we are going to have a choice as a nation moving forward. we are going to be able to return to the failed economic policies of the past, policies

that give us record deficits, declining income, and sluggish job growth even before the recession. policies that led to us almost going into a depression. we can take that road again, or we can decide we want to move forward. we can keep building a stronger economy. we can keep pursuing the policies that have started to crte jobs again, policies that have helped companies like this, policies that invest in companies, policies that invvst in our people and in our future. so, i do not know about you. i do notant to go back. i want to move forward. and i believe that the american people want to move forward well. [applause] now, this economy has not return torosperity yet, but we are headed in the right diction. there are going to be some ups and downs. there are going to be some months or people start worrying that maybe we are not out f the whole yet.

-- out of the hole yet. but if we remain detmined, if we stick to it, if we stay the course of investing in the people who are the heart and soul of america tn i am absolutely positive that we can succeed. with your help and help -- with yourrhelp, and the hard work and continuity of of rainier's -- of entrepreneurs and workers like the ones at ts company, we can do it. i mrateful to joe biden for all of his hard work. i am grateful to all of you. god bless you and god bless amera. [applause] ♪

>> after that, eric holder talks about civil rights protections for arab americans. then remarks by the u.s. libya.ador to th tomorrow, steven cook discusses turkey's relationship with israel. john hofmeister talks about his book, "why we hate the oil companies." we discuss of the economy is affecting 401ks and other

employee benefits. >> everyone has an agenda. long as you know, that is something you can write about. brody has written about lawmakers' overseas trips paid by lawmakers. >> now ray odierno breeze the media on security operations in iraq and the evolving relationship between the u.s. and iraqi forces. this is about 40 minutes. the media on security operations in iraq. >> always my pleasure to welcome back to the briefing room to general ray odierno, the

commander of u.s. forces in iraq. he has been ere since september of 2009. excuse me, september of 2008. i am cutting off a year. i am sure you ask him about that too. how much longer he will be there. that. would like him to answer%- he is back in town and is gracious enough with his time to give you a brief update and answer some of your questions about the mission in iraq. general, thank you very mu for joining usoday. >> i have a fancy, a prepared statement today. i do want to just say a couple of things. i want to start out by talking about the fact that obviously, the election results were certified on the first, which to my mind,s an extremely important first step in the political process in iraq. it has taken a little longer than we all would have liked. butrankly, we have gone

through the process the way the constitution dictates we go through it, and in my mind, it is gng very positively. there was a recount in baghdad. the re-count was conduct cleanly. 1% was the difference in that the vote, which clearlyabeled its it a legitimate election -- it a legitimate election. we are starting to move forward. only about 20% of the incumbents e coming back to the new parliament that will be seated in the next 10 days or so. that i64 out of 325. there wille a lot of new members, a lot of newarties, a new party is being developed, and new people will be involved in the government of iraq. we think that is very important

moving forward. in terms of security, security continues to move forward at a very good pace. i judges to carry on a couple of things. i looked at a number of incident, casualty's to civilians, high-profile attacks. all of those statistics for the first five months of 2010re the lowest we have had on rerd. there have been some losses and me bad days in iraq, statistics continue to go in the right diction. what is especially important to us now is tt the iraqi security forces have continued to take more and more responsibility, and in fact, are in the lead across the country inraq for security. they have been now for the last couple of months. in addition to that, over the last 90 days or so, we have picked up or killed 34 out of

the top 42 al-qaeda in iraq leaders. they are clearly now working to reorganize themselves. there are struggling. they are broken. they have lost connections in afghanistan. they will tempt to regenere themselves. they are finding it more difficult. these operations going after the top al-qaeda in iraq leaders have been a trulyartnered effort between the u.s.ecurity forces and the iraqi security forces. they have continued to develop the ability to colle intelligence and then action that intelligence. they're getting bter at that every day. the other important point that i would like to talk about, that i was very impressed with, has be the iraqi military leaders during this time of vulnerability, as we a getting ready to see to the governmen the iraqi security forces have

performed extremely wl. the leaders have remained neutral. they hav shown professionalism in enforcing the constitution, not showing favorism toward certain parties. they have continued to execute their operations across the cotry. i think it has proven a lot to us that they are getting more and more rea to take over full control of the security. today in iraq, we are at 80 troops in on the ground -- we are at 88,000 troops on the ground. we are on track to be at 60,000 in september. we have removed 18,000 rolling stock vehicles out of the country. we have over 600,000, what we call, container items out of the country.

we started about a year ago with 500 basis. today we have 124 basis, excuse me, 126 bases inside iraq. we will be at 94 by the first of septemr. we are ahead of schedule. most of the bases that remain are ready to turn over. is now between us d the government of iraq. on many of thhse, they will take over the bes. we remain ahead schedule. the next three to four months or so are very important to the government of iraq as they form -- as they go through the formation process. we all believe this will set the tone for the next few years. we were encouraged by the talk that they a agreed that they need to have a government that has full participation of all political parties, participating in elections.

they are talking about establishing institutional control as they ook at forming the government. i think all of those things are extremely positive signs as we move forward. there will still be b days in iraq. there is sll violent elements that operate inside iraq. their violence is less than it was before, but it is still violence. we will continue to work with the iraqi security rces to continue to improve their capacity and capability to deal with the violence, and to continue to increase stability inside of iraq, and to continue to increase their capabilities going forward. those are the main point i wanted to talk about. i look forward to your questions. >> it sounds like you are going to be withdrawing about 12,500 oops every month for the next three months. do you have any capability to increase or reducehat if you

need to? >> i do. the bottom line is, we are acally doing different numrs in different months. we will do a little bit more in august than we do in the aegean. we have done several diffent exercises to -- than we do in in june. we have done several different exercises to walk through this. we have made sure not to overstressed the system in a way that would cause some problems getting out. we have what our way through all of that. -- we have walked our w through all of that. >> wre you stand on meeting iraq pose a request for f-16 requestsets -- iraq's fo f-16 fighter jets? >> an assessment wasiven to

the government of iraq. it talked about a need to develop some sort of air capability as we moved forward. they submitted to us a letter saying that they are interested in and want to purchase at- sixteens. that is now in our -- want to 16's.ase at16f- thats now in our sysm to look at. >> are you saying that if this is going to take years at the u.s. will not be abl to meet that request? >> the airorce has the capability to continue to build non- bair aircraft. the fire aircraft will come metime after 2011. >> will they be new or

refurbished? >> we are l working our way through that, but they will probably be refurbished. ther are many gates that have to be gone through before we make a finaa decision. >> the 50,000 nber, does that include troops who will be in the process of redeploying? >> my goal is that by the first of september e will be at 50,000 inside iraq. could there be a few over because they are getting out? maybe. but my goal is to be a 50,000 by september 1st. >> to that point, you said the next three months are absolutely critical for the government of iraq. at the same time, you have to pull out 40,000 troops over the next three months. u are meeting with obama this will you reassessed that

deadline at all? >> what i said was pepper -- what i said was that the governmental transition process was going to be essential over the next three or four months. i believe the security situation will be sustained. we continue to see improveme in the iraqi security forces. i believe the 50,000 u.s. troops on the ground, along with 250,000 iraqi army and 500,000 iraqi police will be able to prove the security necessary for them to form a government. what is different today than one year ago is that the iraqis have taken over the lead. what we are doing now is training, advising and assisting. we continue to support the reconstruction teams in several capacities. that is what we do tooay and that is what weill do onhe first of september.

we are there. i think it is the right time to go to 50,000. i believe, it is my assessment, that they can provide the governmental formation to be completed. >> is there a danger in doing it so quickly. if you can pull out 50,000 in four weeks, is that the way you want to do it? do not want to take a longer time? >> again, i have been looking at this for a very long time. we have done an awful lot of work. i feel very comfortable with what we are doing. i would argue that we might wa tootake out a few more in april and may. but because the elections were not certified, we decided to push a few more to the right. i feel very comfortable with what we are doing. >> how many contractors and does

the u.s. and sll maintain in iraq? >> we're down to 85,000 or 90,000 contractors. by ptembe1st we will be down to ,000 or 65,000 contractors. we will then go down further as we continue to reduce our size. it wl pbably be behind us by about one or two months. a lot of the contractors are returning to iraqis part of those contracts. they're helping us to do some of the things we have to do in order to sustain ourselves. the 50,000 number is a lot of what we call trainers and advisers. it is heavy on the trainerand advisers. it is a little bit later on

combat servicemen. need contractors to continue to help us. if that number comes down, the contractor number will come down as well. >> what is your assessment of the resiliency of al qaeda in iraq right now? are they a future threat? what would you say to the new mmander general of the security risks are looking ahead? >> obviously, they will attempt to reconstitute. the issue i that they have lost a lot of top ldership very quickly. they're going to have to develop some new leadership. we are not sure if there are ople behind the names they have named. theyave named very common namein the arabic world. we're not sure there are actually people behd those names. we do believe they will attempt to recstitute. we believe it will take them a

while, if they are able to. we continue to t pressure on the iraqi security forces to make it more difficult for them toome back. i think as time moves on, most of the security issues will come from what starts out of the political realm. that is why it is important to have unity to begin with. we d not want any group to feel it has been disenfranchised and moveack to end -- move back to an insurgency. we do not want to see shia extremists come back because they do not feel they are part of the government. that is why the politicians want to ensure that everyone is involved moving forward. those are the threatshat i would say that we have. i would ner take my eyes off of al-qaeda. we will always watch them. we are helping to build the capacityn iraqi special

operations forces that when we leave 2011, they will have the capability to continue to go after the extremist element inside iraq. we're working very hard on that moving forward. >> are you keeping your qrs somewhere handy? >> it depend on the timing. i would say, 50,000 soldiers, i feel pretty comfortable that at is enough for me to do. again, i cannot stress enough how much the iraqi security forces have improved, how much better they are, how much more they do. that is what is different between now and 2006, 2007, 2008, theontinued development. >> b there will not be u.s. combat troops after the first of september? >> the bottom line is, our

missio to train and advise. i need to train and advise iraqi combat troops, i need combat troops to train and advise. so, they will be in that role. if there is a terrorism operation, there will be combat capability. >> you have talked repeatedly about how comfortableou are with 50,000. do you think it should be lower than 50,000 at that time? >> because of the formation of the vernmentcause of us moving through t certification of the elections, i believe that the structure we have developed of and 50,000 allows mto cover and train and mobilized in key areas of iraq. it gives me theecapability to

continue to keep in contact and work with the iraqi security foes. to go lower than that, we would have to break contact summer, and i am not ready to do that. that is a decision probably for e beginning of next year. the other thing is, as we reduce from 50,000 and turn it over to civilian ctrol, the state depament has to regulate it. we have to do it i sync not only with the security forces but as we turn over more and more responsibilities to the state department. they will be ready to do that in the middle of 2011, towards the end of 2011. >> you are approaching what i think is safe to assume is your last command in iraq. as you look back on your tenure, can you talk about what

has gone easier or better than you thought, and also what you are leaving wh thayou are disappointed in not having gone to? >> first, the implementation of the security that started in january 2009, i think that has gone extremely well. it has gone better than i think anybody expected. the cooperation that we have had the iraqi government, with the leaders, both civilian and military leaders, has gone very, very weel. i am very confident that we have maintained a strong partnep that has enabled us to continue to go after the threat, but turned over more and more responsibility. i think that job has gonvery we. in terms of things that, over the last couple of yrs, i would just saying -- i would just say, we could have done a little bit better, it is always

about infrastructure. i think that the iraqi people and economic development of infrastructure, we haveenot done not quite as fast as i would have liked to have seen it. now, the iraqi governmen obviously has a large in our helping them do that, i think it continueso be really important. the state department and the u.s. embassy need to continue to move forward with this. the other thing is, we still do not uly have complete reconciliation in iraq. they are clor today than they were before, but we still have some issues that have to be worked through from the reconciliation standpoint. its the ethnic-sectarian issues up in t disputed areas. it is still some issues with the

old army. we're still working our way through that. it is not done yet. but we're headed in the right direction. is just not where we would like to b >> what are your plans? when will the transition happen out of iraq, and when you get there, what lessons will you bring from iraq that you think are important to transform the broader force tough that role? along with that, what are yo telling your colague in general the crystal about what you fi it be theekeys i -- general mccchrystal about what you find it to be the keys in iraq that perhaps could apply in afghanistan? >> first of all, my time frame will be determined by the

secretary of defense. we will figure that out some time here in the next few weeks. i expect it will be sometime in the next three, four,ive mentor so. -- months or so. as i look into going into a joint command, i have not thought a lot about it to be honest, because i am very focused on ir. there are an awful lot of lessons. we have learned the importance of understanding your environment, and how do we get the whole government approach in executing our missions. there is a lot more we can do that is not military. how do we get that integrated? what we have learned about intelligence collection, "we have learned about conventional special operations -- a what we have learned about conventional special operations forces workin together, it is about looking ahead on how we get the

mamum use out of our armed forces, and how we ntinue to maximize each other's capabilities. i think ere still some work to be done in that. how do we manage the force in order to meet all of these needs that we have in the future? those are things i will think about. general mcchrystal and i are very closeriends. we have worked together for a long time. i have nothing but respect f him. afghanistan, on issues, when asked, i think they undetand what was done in iraq. thought i think they understand what they can do. as you alluded to, it is not an easy -- because the environment in iraq is very different from the environment in afghanistan. the economic environment is just so much different.

but ere are some basic lesns that i think they ve taken over, you know, protecting the population, holding ground on you get it, having afgn forces be part of everything they do like what we started with iraqi security forces. ihink they have started working with that. i am not an f -- i am not an expert on afghantan. i have spent most of my time in iraq. i have the utmost confidence that the team over there will make this work. they now have the resources they asked for in the beginning. they will make it work. >> what evidence do you have and

that -- what evidence do you have that al-qaeda in iraq will maintain its motivation to reestablish its power? >> they want comple failure of the vernment in iraq. th want failed oicy in iraq. at looks less likely for them and then it it it did in 2005 or 2006, but they still -- that looks less likely for them than it did in 2005 or 2006. what they want to have is a piece of uncovered territory inside iraq so that they can take it. that is what they will continue to look for. believe that they will have a ry difficult te in iraq, but they will certainly continue to try for power. >> is there now or will there be

an iraqi lead a mission, and what do you see as the u.s. role in that, going forward? >> it is today an iraqi-led mission. everything we in iraq today is approved by the government of iraq. we do know independent operations in iraq. no have not -- we d m independent operations in iraq. we have not for a long time. we are helping them to develop between now and the end of 2011 a way to g after networks, understandinand network, targeting a network, and having a way to go after them. they are ver good at establishing human intelligence.

what we are helping them to do is use some of the technical intelligence available to them and use that to go after this and network. the government will go to a process of developing targe and target approval. execution is not the issue. it is really about target development and approv. that is what we are with -- that is what we a working with them on over time. they're getting better, and i feel confident we will be le to transition this in the next 16 months or so. >> you said you captured 34 of the top 42 al-qaeda leaders in the last 90 days. that is pretty dramatic. did something happen? >> we have been nibbling away at this for a vy long time. ck in december, january, february time frame, we found

out where their headquarters was. we picked up several of their leader that did financing, planning, recruiting, did some of their lawyers. we were able to get inside of this network and pick a lot of them up. over time, through hard work, we were able to get inside the organization. we have t stopped. we will continue with our iraqi security force partners to go after them. there are still some very dangerous people out there. there are some low-level leaders of that we do not want to develop into senior leadership, and that is what we areorking towards now. >> you said early on that al- qaeda is attempting to

reorganize itself even still. how is that manifesting? are you seeing any influence from iran? >> al-qaeda, what they are attemptingo do now is, they just have to keep attention on themselves inside of iraq. you will see a lot of nouncents made about things that they did or maybe did not do, but they wanto announce any house ofhe people will think they are still legitimate. i think they wi try to go after softer targets just to make news. that has no impact except fo killing innocent civilians. we're working very hard to ensure that does not happen. i think they are struggling now. i think it could be difficult for them to continue to recruit. we have had reports over the last six to eight month that they have had trouble recruiting.

the iraqi people reject the ideology of al-qaeda, t large majority, about 99.9% have rejected it. we want to make a very difficult for them to continue. but they will continue. it is their life style. there is also some money and power involved with it. although some might be ideologues, there are many o are opportunists. in terms of iran, they continue to bvery much involved in side by iraq. we understand that they are and neighbor, and we want them to have a positive influence on i iraq, not one that we believe to be negive. we know that their goals are that they do not want to see the u.s. have a lonterm relationship with i iraq. they do not want to see that, so

ey will continue to fund a surrogate and others who will iraqi security forces. just yesterday, ere was a rocket attack were they killed three iraqi security foes. they are not attacking u.s. forces. they continue to infiltrate some of their secity architecture into iraq. i iraqis are stepping up to work at the borders. they continue to try to infiltrate so that they can continue to try to influence outcomes in iraq. we are for iraq moving forward. behind the scenes, if they continue to interfere, in my mind, both from a political, milita, and economic

perspective. >> can you quantify the iraan involvement? is it more or less and then it was say, a year ago? >> it is different. i think, as everyone does, they continue to change their strategy. from to belsen 7 and 2008, they have clearly moved -- from 2007 to $2.80they have clearly moved away from a heavy -- to 2008 they have clearly moved away from a heavy legal rategy. they have tri to gain monopolies on at some areas and have a security and collection influence in iraq.

they are still there. the are still rockets that have been made in iran that are being launched in iraq. they are still training the sarah gets the come out of iraq. -- the sarah gets -- rrogates that come outf iraq. >> year withdrawal will involve -- your withdrawl involves reducing assets. how are you going to be able to hold on to the assets thatou need? >> we have a very good process where every month we review our needs in afghanistan iraq, and

throughout central command. we determine where asss are needed. i have a lot of influence in at process. i have a lot of confidence in how that process is working. we will have enough helicopters in iraq. we had 175,000, we're now down to 88,000, and we will get down to 50,000. we have ground cleaace teams. we have to continue to work that. but i feel confident that the system we have -- the good part is, we continue to bring more and more isr into the fce. that has made it easier for us as we work our way thrrugh this. i am not saying -- i couldrgue

that i could probably use a little bore than i have today, but i feel thsk has been negated. >> tre is an e-mail scam going out purportedly from the command sergeant major, but some peoe y actually take it seriously. have you put o any guidance telling people not to trusttthis e-mail >> yes, and people have been skimming money using my name as well. i have sen had several people use my face on the facebook -- i have had several people use my face on facebook to try to get money. we are going after these scam artists. we are very aware of all of the things going on. we are very are of the

capability and the attempt to take money. on my facebook page it's as if anybody asks you for money in my name, do not believe it. it is a problem. since you brought that subject up, i will just say, one of the things that we have to really continue to work on hard is the change that has occurred in terms of global communications and access to global communications. it impacts symmetric warfare and counterinsurgency. we just put up a cyber-command which i fully support. i think it is extremely imrtant. it is absolutely esntial that we start taking a hard look at how we are going to deal with these very difficult issues. we have to figure out how to

deal with this issue and still sustain the rights that we want of a freedom of expression and information. these are very tough issues, but we have to continue to work for them. what i've found, and was frustrated me sometimes inside of iraq, is that we are doing things on at the grod, but if you look on the website, what they are telling the people is completely different than what is happening. they have at video footage that is year-old and they continue replaying id replaying it then replaying it. they sayhey are being successful and they need you to contribute money to the al-qaeda organization. these are all the kind of things that go on. those are real challenges for us that we will have to address, as well as abscam's and other things that go on. >> -- as well as scams and other

things that go on. >> do you anticipate having reinforcements? >> we have reinforcements now that are helping to train iraqi navy forces as wel as iraqi police fces? >> thank you, general odierno for doing this. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp2010] >> the schedule for it to withdraw and the evolving relationship between u.s. and iraqi forces project this is about 40 minutes. >> this weekend, mark gearan

nussbaum -- margaret nussbaum who is contributed to more than 20 books on liberal education and medical -- legal justice. it does lead sunday and in eastern. >> new british prime minister david cameron field questions from members of parliament in this first prime minister's question as the head of the code listed the coalition government. >> we have three new c-span books for you. each has a unique, contemporary perspective and something new about lincoln, the nation's highest court. .o order host: guesgo to a c-spg

>> not eric holder a speech at the american air of anti- discrimination committee annual meeting in weston, d.c. he discusses the commitment to finding the bomber. this is aboutt20 minutes fro. >> i is my pleasure to did -- to introduce to to civil rights, attorney-general -- [unintelligible] >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. thank you for coming here from coast to coast to help us celebrate our 30th anniversary.

we have to do something special for this. with us today is a person who is very special to our hearts and to our country. i do not want to introduce him by reading his bio. everybody knows who he is. i am going to tell you something which is a bio that i know about him. [laughter] of course, i have known him for so many years, i have bee honored to know him for so many years. mr. holder has proven to be a man of extraordinary intelligence, integrity, commitnt, and an eterna friend of the truth. ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you at eric holder, attorney general of the united

states of america. [applause] >> thank you. ias just telling him, i have known him for a good number of arr. in fact, i think i knew him before i wasarried. i was wondering where he was going to go with that. i am happily married now. but thank you for those very kind words, a doctor, and for this tremendous honor. i am grateful to you and for the ard and staff members for this wonderful opportunity to speak withou, and appreciate the opportunity, at the start of this miles down convention, to share some thoughts with you about the justice department post a commitment to promoting safety, peace and opportunity i especially want to thank your

extraordinary president for her leadership. we also thank and congratulate the other awardees here this afternoon for their achiements in the cause of justice. above all, and want to congratulate you for your 30th anniversary. i think that deserves a round of applause. [applause] i do not know exactly what you get for its 3h anniversary. i just passed my 20th. you deserve what ever the wonderful prize is. the reality is that for decades you have advanced the promise of

civil rights for all america. you have educated citizens of all nationalities, backgrounds and faiths, and you have omoted the basic principles of dignity that defined this country and bring out the best in all of our communities. it is a special honor to be a part of this anniversary, and to continue one of our nation pose a most important conversations, mostcrucial, -- nation's important conversations, the crucial dialogue with arab- american communities. this is a top priority for my department of justice and for the obama administration as well. i would be happy to spe to you any day of the year, but i am especially pleas to be scheduled today, june 4th. exactly one year ago in cairo egypt, president barack obama addressed the arab and muslim world in a landmark speech that

in heartfelt terms captured the importance of our discussion today. he said scott -- he said, "america holds within her the truth that regardless of re, religion, or station in life, all of us share a common aspiration to ve in peace and security, to get an education and work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our god. so long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who s hatred rather than peace, and in gender conflict rather than cooperation. this is a cycle of suspicion and discord must end." president barack obama may have been addressing another region of the world, but his words are

as much as a guide for american 's dirse communities today as they were for communities around the globe last year. the special relationships between arabs and americans and non-arab americans shoulnot be dined by fferences. everyone here knows, we cannot and we will not allow that to happen. [applause] since becomingttory general last february, i have heard from arab americans to say that they feel uneasy about their relationship with the united states government. have spoken with ara americans who fe they have not been afforded the fault rights or responsibilities of their -- the full rights or responsibilities otheir citizenship. they feel that it is us versus

them. i have had a very frank conversations. that is intolerable, and it is inconsistent with what america is about. in this nation,ur many faiths, origins and appearances must bind us together, not bre us apart. in this nation, at the document that sets forth a lot of our land, the constitution, is meant to empower, not to exclude. in this nation, security and liberty are partners, not enemies,n ensuring safety and opportunity for all. [applause] the communities that we serve it must -- the communities that we serve must see that the federal government is committedo the impartial implementation of our gover's clause. th must know th we will do all we can to enforce our civil

rights laws with the same vigor that we used to enforce public safety. these are not mutually exclusiv goals. the justice department will do both. under our leadership, that is the commitme of the justice partment and of every united states attney throuout this nation. that is also my personal pledge to each and every one of you. what exactly havwe done to ensure the equal enforcement of our nation's laws? first, we have restored the civil rights division to its rightful place as our country's preeminent civil rights agency. [applause] i understand that tom press is here with us and sunday -- here with us -- either understand that tom perez is here today?

he has made it a priority to tackle theivil rights challenges of the 21st century. desires to make substantial and meaningful progrestowaad providinggequal opportunity to all americans. it is not enough to say that the division will simply mean more active. the real question is, to what end will it dedicate its resources and its energy? as long as in attorney general, that answer is prett simple. we will dedate our resources and energy to enforcing the law neutrally, fairly, into working to provide all americans with an equal portunity to pursue their dreams. that is was civil rights are all about. one of the division's many calls it -- many goals is ensuring that housing,

educational opptunity, and other rights are dealt with. one issue that i know is particularly of interest to you is combating hate crimes. e prosecution of hate crimes is aop priority. we are employing new tools that have been afforded to us by the matthew shepard hate crimes prevtion act of 2008 to address and eliminate hate- filled crimes around the nation. we are working with attorneys and law enforcement officers in its aggressive enforcement.. i want you all to know that we are currently worng with local law enforcement investigate the recent attacks on a florida moscow. this case -- on a florida mosque. this cases a top concern to

the fbi. [applause] that is not all we are doing. we are committed to religious freedom, a foundation of our democracy. state of oregon to repeal a longstanding law, passed 0 years ago, that bars catholic nuns from teaching at public schools. the law effectively forced these women to choose between their careers and their faith. they could not wear religious part in the classroom. following a letter from our civil rights division, the governor acted to repeal the law in april. [applause] the bottom line is depth -- the bottom line is that the justice department post a commitment to civil rights has never been stronger.

- justice deptment's coitment to civil rights has never been stronger. we are working to bring together commity leaders with various federal agencies. the department has engaged in a critical effort to end racial profiling in the united states once and for all. [applause] as many of you know, the guidancet's current about the us of a race by federal law-enforcement agencies was issued in 2003. it has been the subject of some criticism. i am committed to ensuring this. department policy allows us to rform our responsibilities with legitimacy, accountability and transparency. i initiated an internal review to evaluate that 2003 guidance

coming into recommend any changes that may be warranted. today i want to be clear about something. i want to be very clear about something. racial profiling is wrong. [applause] it can leave a lasting scar on communities and individuals, and it is, quite simply, bad policing, whatever city, whatever state. years ago as a college student, i was driving from new york city to washington, d.c. an officer stopped me on the highway. he said he wanted to search my car for weapons. opened the trunk of that car. i had done nothing wrong. i had not done anying that might have aroused suspicion. in the years since that day, i can still remember how humiliated and how ang i fel as i opened the trunk of my car. my story is not unique.

noroes it represent a worst- case scenario. we have all seeneart wrenching stories of misguided racial profiling in the past few months alone. t we must always rememr that virtually all of our nation's law enforcement officers serve their communities honorably, and risk t personal safety every day. their work includes all of our lives, and the justice department will not stand idly by as the discrimination by a few and fairly tarnishes the outstanding work being done by so many. nor will we stand idly by as isolated law-enforcement departments engaged discrimitory policing of any kind. our nation is better than that. [applause] third, and finally, in addition to prosecution, we have made a commitment

expect keeping lines of communation open and by engaging the community that we serve. in addition to the civil rights efforts, many other justice department components have launched promising initiatives. the fbi often hold conference calls with local community aders and each district office employs a communi outreach specialist to engage through town hall meetings, public speaking, youth initiatives and psittacine acadees. likewise, the fbi specializes in community outreach and is working to strengthen engagement between the fbi field offices and communities of everythnic background. j and componen of d now reaches tohe arab-american community. the response to tension and conflict related to allegations of discriminatory treatment

based by arab, muslim and sikh communities across the country. there have been events sponsored that emphasize community engagement. u.s. attorneys across the nation are actively engaging arab and muslim communities to confront the challenges of the 21st century together. this is only anapshot of our efforts and we are working constantly to improve them and to build stronger relationships wihe community that we serve. our efforts are currently being reviewed and coordinated by the arab-muslim group which i established last year. i launched that advisory group th the goal of protectg our common security while preserving the values that we all share. th same values andatriotism that died adc's work also -- adc's work.

let us not forget that it was a muslim man who first alerted poce to a smoking car in times square. the visuals of -- the heroics of batman doubtless saved many lives. he did his part to avert tragedy just as millions of the other party millions of other arab americans are doing and bradley for filling their responsibilities of citizenship. the contributions of arab americans have helped us build this nation into what iis today. the have served as police officers, teachers, and civic leaders, strengthening their local community and country. we must remember this, we must also remember the wisdom of the engraving on a statute that sits next to the department of justice and in front of th national archives. it reads what is past is prologue. our past reminds us that we are a nation of immigrants.

our past remindss that when we band together across the traditional tree -- divisionof identitynd background, we can promote safer communities. our pasteminds us that if we aspire togeeher, then we must start working together. we have no otherhoice. the era of us versus them that some of you have experienced must and. at long last, i believe that it is ending. together, we can make sure that it is replaced by a new era, and everett that recognizes the truth reflected in this organization's name, that regardless of our faith, regardless of our bkground, we are all americans. i am grateful forhis --o this committee and to all of you for your three decades ofork, your advocacy and above all, your partnership in helping

bring us to this point in our history. i am looking forward to our continued collaboration and support of a more perfect union d a more peaceful existence for all americans. [applause] very much. [applause] >> if everybody from the table will come up. we appreciate the attorney general. roughout -- on behalf of the ab committees that the united states, it is my deep privilege

to present the attorney general with the special award from us for his outstanding leadership, for his dedication and commitment to civiluman rights anjustice and the re of law. we are very proud of you and we thank you so much for being with us. [laughter] [applause]

>> ambassador has been in the middle east for a long time and served in many, many countries. i think he has a certain specialization for the hot spots. he has served if pakistan and he has served in sierra and served in tel aviv where he was in among other things, on the gaza portfolio. and now he's based in libya, which is probably not a hot spot quite in the same way, but i think he can still be considered to be a challenging post given the history of the -- of the relationship between them and the united states. and we're going to -- to give some remarks to begin with and then we're going to open it soon for questions. >> thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen for this opportunity. it is an honor for me to be here today speaking at the carnegie

endowment for international peace. the united states and libya have just embarked on a second year of fully renewed diplomatic relations, including the first exchange of ambassadors in 36 years. and in previous speeches i have made, and will continue to make the case, that continued engagement with lib why is now a long-term national interest. while i recognize this will not be an easy task, i am committed to seing that the u.s. and trippably exert as much effort required to insure that the relationship stays on a positive path. there are differences that have at times threatened to derail our mill relationship. last august, the heroes welcome of convicted lockerbie bomber in libya was an event that directly impacted bilateral relations. since that time, we have experienced other difficult

moments but have been able to work together with the libyans to pull through and to keep the relationship on a relatively stable footing. oaf the last year, we made considerable progress in establishing the basic framework of our few bilateral relationship. the challenge now is to flushing out the framework into -- and to institutionalize it and in a way that will insure our objectives and keep regular channels of communication open at all times. we have core equities at stake in libya in &s of nonproliferation and military and economic and political and public diplomacy cooperation and we consider libya a strategic ally in the region. libya continues to serve as a model for global nonproliferation efforts. in working with them to fulfill the commitment to dismantle programs, we're advancing the principles of a nuclear and

weapons of mass destruction free world advocated by the president during his nuclear summit and the recent treaty conference in new york. the leader has shared these calls for a nuke here free world in his recent speechs. as part of our nonproliferation efforts, we're working with scientists, not only to dom meet -- complete the dismantling of mass destruction programs but to convert former weapons of mass destruction facilities into peaceful uses such as pharmaceutical factories and water plants and nuclear medical centers. and this work is at the core of the embassy's efforts to fulfill obama's call for increased engagement in science and technology in the muslim world. in april we were privileged to host presidential science envoy the former director of the national institutes of health. the doctor's visit was focused on building bridges with the sivinget and medical and

academic communitys to help identify opportunitys for sustained cooperation with american institutions. and the doctor's successful trip and the honest discussions that took place represent a significant step forward in our bilateral relationship. and the u.s. lib ra relationship that rapidly expanded to include much more in science and technology. today libya remains a strong ally in countering terrorism in a volatile region. it has fought the expansion of al qaeda and has condemned kidnappings and taken a position against the paying of ransom to kidnappers. and libya has also taken a lead in developing approachs to counter terrorism and undertaking serious rehabilitation efforts with libya and islamic fighting group members and other extremists. this has influenced the islam mick decision to break ties with the al qaeda in the network. and libya's efforts in this

regard led by qaddafi are under careful review by international counter-terrorism experts and are worthy of further attention. they may serve as a model to apply to other extremist groups across the globe. our cooperation with libya provides new venues for security training and reform. initiatives that could over time help address our long standing human rights concerns. libya has participated anti-terrorism assistance programs and has expressed interest in receiving assist tones upgrade its detention and prison facilitys to include the training of prison guards and public security officials in many specific areas including respect for the human rights of detainees. we have made strides in the last year on military cooperation. first by signing a memorandum of understanding with libya on future defense cooperation and then by finalizing an end-user agreement that sets the stage for an asins relationship.

we plan to launch a dialogue that will form the basis for our security engagement in the years to come. over the next year, we plan to initiate international military and education trains programs, including english training for military officials. we plan to increase the number of bilateral exchanges in visits and introducing them to standards and military conduct and increasing the prospects of long-term operateability, which is a key aspect of our regional peacekeeping goals. these programs will further professionalize the military that will be respectful of civilian control over the armed forces and mindful of human rights. we also stand ready to help libya upgrade its nonlethal capabilities an essential component to an african union peace coping capacity. on the commercial front, libya is a country opening to investment and technological advancement and infrastructure

development. and libya has began proistization fts that will provide opportunitys for u.s. companies to do business in libya. since 2001, libya has launched a number of economic reform initiatives as part of a gain to adopt a market oriented approach to economic development. and to build the human capacity and to diversify the xi in nonoil and gas sectors. it is important to note what a massive undertaking this has been. and libya effectively has been attempting to make up for 40 years of systemic stagnation and recon stute its bureaucratic and economic capabilities. we have an at some point to support libyan economic reform efforts while promoting u.s. business interests. we're working with the libyan government on new anti-money laundering and counter tryst finance programs that will further both our economic and security interests. and we're also working to support president obama's new export initiative, by energyly promoting u.s. business interests in hibia. and libya is an emerging market

with plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in housing and infrastructure and health and education and commercial projects over the next five years. and libyans want american products including foodstuff and cars and motorcycles and manufacturing equipment and household appliances and medical supplies. we have priorityized our advocacy of the u.s. companies interested in doing business in libya and have partnered with the american business already on ground to insure a level playing field for u.s. exporters in the libyan market. and we have seen significant progress in our bilateral commercial relationship over the last few months. in february the embassy hosted the trade mission to libya in nearly 40 years and a gathering of top u.s. can companies that was led by senior commerce department officials. the delegation met senior officials in all sectors of the economy and participated in more than 150 meetings with libyan

businesses. and the enthusiasm shown by libyan government and business representatives for the trade mission and their calls for more trade missions demonstrate libya's keen interest in expanded commercial ties. and we took another significant step forward just last week when the office of the united states trade representative and the libyan general's people's committee on trade signed a trade and investment and framework agreement or tifa. it provides a forum to traci a wide range of trade and investment issues, including market access, intellectual property and labor and environmental issues. the tifa will help increase commercial and investment opportunity by identifying and working to remove any remaining impediments to trade and investment flows between the united states and libya. on the political front, we're continuing a open and frank dialogue with the libyans. we hope to use the mechanism of

a by hat ral human rights dialogue to lay foundation for a vigorous discussion of the issue that is concern both of us, including the role of civil society and respect for freedom of speech and press and refugee immigration issues. as libya takes on important roles other the next year on the international stage, including seven-day outlook as the president of the arab league and hosting the arab-african summit at the end of this year, the united states will support efforts to encourage other countrys to follow its model of promoting nonprolive ration and encouraging libyan efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. likewise, the united states will continue to encourage libya in its current capacity as president of the u.n. general assembly and as a member of the u.n. human rights council to administer the responsibilities and -- entrusted to it in a way that encourages nations to uphold the rule of haw and to respect universal human rights.

and in order to continue to advance our overall agenda in the second year of normalization, we must work on the fundamentals of the relationship. that is the people to people tie that is have endured in the face of three decades of political estrangement. the united states has a robust plan to encourage greater people to people ties. over the last year, we carried out a series of large public events designed to showcase american culture, promote a positive imimagine of the items and cultivate the common interests that exist between the american and hibian people. and these events range from a thanksgiving dinner for nearly 600 libyans that studied in the u.s. in the 1960's and 70's to an iftar for academic and leaders and a performance that left audiences clamoring for more. we took the show on the road and launched the first large scale u.s. cultural programming in that region in more than 50 years.

and in the education atmosphere we have ren reinstated the full range of exchange programs, including fulbright program and we anticipate sending more than 150 libyans to the united states on training and exchange programs and just the next year alone. we are working to improve the quality of english language instruction and american studies crick la at universities and secondary schools and institutes across the country. for the first time in decades, libyan students here -- hear american accents in the halls of the universities. we're working with the libyan government to increase the number of libyans studying in the united states from the current 1700 students to 6,000. and this is a remarkable change from the sanctions era which ended less than 10 years ago. and to encourage an even greater number of libyans to study in the united states, the embassy is organizing the first ever study in the u.s.a. education fair in trippably. at this event, planned for november, we look forward to welcoming more than 60 american

colleges and universities and english language schools and boarding schools. the embassy is working with the libyan ministry of education, and the libyan ministry of foreign affairs to organize a comprehensive event that will showcase the best in u.s. education. and the 2010 education fair will mark the first organized visit by any american clean or university to libya in more than three decades. to facilitate exchanges, we reinstituted exchanges and in the past year, we issued over 5,500 visas to libyan students and business people and officials and tourists and are now interviewing almost 50 libyan visa applicants per day. this work allows libyans to visit the united states and building critical people-to-people bonds and at the same time facilitate bihat ral business and cultural and political development. in march, assists secretary of

state visited tripoli and launched the firrt round of visa talks with the libyan counter parts. even though the issue of visa reciprocity is complicated, we witnessed a significant step forward. on may 19th, the government announced that american tourists and business people will now be treated in the same manner as their european counter parts which will greatly facilitate both tourist travel. and we expect visits this summer and beyond. and libya's decision to relinquish its weapons of mass destruction and end its support if terrorism presented a rare historic opportunity to help a former my rogue nation change course. our national security interests mandate we must stay engaged. dialogue and cooperation and understanding each other's needs are what will enable us to

overcome the significant challenge that high ahead. after more than three decades of suspicion and mistruut, it will take time and sustained effort for both sides to rebuild an atmosphere of mutual understanding. it is only through the establishment of lasting institutionings and relationships between americans and libyans on all levels that our bilateral vellingsship will be able to survive the political arena that could set it back. as we work on developing the institutions and framework of our new bilateral vellingsship, it is important to focus not on the suffering and tragedy of the last years but on the many opportunity that is high ahead. there is a res vaw of goodwill toward americans, toward our cull clur and values and to our educational institution ags commercial products. and it is a population that in some once close ties to our nation. i hope that we could continue to capitalize on this goodwill and

build the relationships and institutions that are at the heart of any successful diplomatic relationship. the last year and a half havv been quite remarkable. there's no doubt that we have made considerable progress in establishing the basic framework of our relationship. i should note my remarks today take place against the backdrop of the tragic crash of an airline plane in tripoli. this terrible accident which resulted in significance -- significant loss of life served as a reminder of how our relationship with libya has evolved. for the first time in two decades, we cooperated in a international civil aviation investigation with officials from the u.s. national trfings safety board working side by side with libyan and french and other counter parts to determine the cause of this terrible accident. given the difficult history good the u.s. and hibia, i personally have found this bilateral cooperation to be a poignant yet

encouraging symbol of the new relationship and the many positive developments still ko to come. thank you for your attention and i'll be happy to take your questions. >> thank you. very much. i think you have given us plenty of food for thought. the -- a lot of questions will be discussed there. including some that were not mentioned, until -- all of the political system of that country and the problem all political reform and not going to -- to -- to ask any questions myself, though, before you talk for questions. and i want to -- first of all introduce my colleague chris bosack here who has been working on issues of counter terrorism and -- and -- this these projects are radicalization or

reeducation of the radicals, not only in the case of libya but in other countries as well. so keep in mind that there's a short an of discussion here in addition to the ambassador himself. and the second point is very simply, please identify yourself when you ask a question and the floor is open. >> thanks very much for that. one thing that, that -- i am interested in is as i have been following libya and libya's reintegration with the world over the last almost 10 years, one of the consistent things we used to hear about a lot was the unpredict f difficultability of libyan system that people that wanted to invest in libya couldn't be insured they could goods through the airport and there was simply -- a level of risk in any -- engagement having to do with libyans and for many people who were interested if

investing in libya that was -- that was an inhibiting factor. out of the sectors, were people have been able to overcome a lot of the obstacles and people have been able to go into hibia to invest. and -- you know profit. and where are the kinds of issues where the unpredictability continues to -- to loom large in people's imaginations. i would agree that there -- this certainly is a level of risk and for large -- and according to the way you described it, a level of unpredictability. the libyans are beginning to come to grips with that, especially as they begin to -- to get -- a welcome to the united states businesses into hibia. we're a bit late in the game, but we have had what i would term some successes -- in the hydrocarbon field, our companies

came back and i think they're doing as well as anybody else. a company of note has been a.e. com. under jim thompson's leadership over the past several years has come to the point of being able to manage -- several billions of dollars worth of projects in the -- in the infrastructure, specifically housing. the -- the -- i think there's a very good economic team in the -- in libya starting with the minister of finance. mr. wage, several poem who we have med and -- met and certainly doing the tifa negotiations and the signing several weeks ago our deputy, trade representative was there. he met all of these people. i think that part of the reason that we wanted to push the tifa so hard was because of theer