about how many of you have them, third, we are setting a goal of one million volunteers in support of public lands by 2017, tripling the numbers we have now. i know falling tearing can establish a connection to a place like nothing else. a couple weeks ago i was in rock creek park, under cover, removing invasive english iv from the trees in the park. i will never look at rock creek park in the same way. it gave me the chance to get to know people that i otherwise would not have gotten to know. this changes lives. by ramping up a modern version of the civilian conversation -- conservation corps, the 21st century

conservation service corps, interior will work with americorps, the student conversation association, and other groups across the country to give many more young people these opportunities that will change their lives. when i was in the grand teton's, i had the privilege of engaging with a group of young people who were graduating from the national park service academy, which is something the superintendent of that park invented. these young people from urban areas around the country were talking about their stories. one young man from jackson, mississippi, a pretty cool guy, i will tell you, and he talked about eating so cold when he went in the springtime because it was not like jackson. being there to the summer, and riding his bike along the road and stopping and looking at the vast tetons and starting to cry, and he said, i did not know why i was crying. it was clear this experience in

a outdoor moved him. it changed his life. it can do so with many others. finally, to generate the next generation of stewards of our public lands and to insure our own skilled and diverse workforce, interior and other agencies will provide a hundred thousand work and training opportunities to young people over the next four years. that is hard. no doubt it is ambitious, especially in tight budget times. to make it happen we will have to prioritize our budget, build off successful programs and work in partnership with schools, nonprofit organizations, and communities to leverage existing resources, and we will also work with corporate and nonprofit organizations to raise an additional $20 million to support these opportunities. i know businesses want to be a art of the solution. many individuals want to see our lands protected. i will pledge to them we will

make sure our taxpayer dollars and philanthropic contributions work together to make that happen. in closing, we are continuing to move ahead and fulfilling our mission at the department. as stewards of public lands, as managers of our great national parks, in partnership with tribal nations, states, stakeholders, we will meet the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the legacy we pass on to future generations. this is our commitment to all americans, and this is my come -- my personal commitments made to you. it is no different than the promise made by teddy roosevelt over century ago, when he described a great moral issue. he said, "i recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land, but i do not recognize the right to waste them or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.

of all the questions which can come before this nation, short of the actual preservation of its existence in a great war, there is none which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us, and training them into a better race to inhabit the land and pass it on. conservation is a great moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of insuring the safety and continuance of the nation." as we look to the next 100 years of this nation, the next century of the national park system, or the next five decades of the wilderness act, these words from roosevelt should serve as both a call to action and inspiration for all of us. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you. we covered a lot of topics there. thank you for that. we have a range of topics to ask questions on. let me start with one of the most pressing ones. the parks director took a lot of heat over the closure of the washington monument, the world war ii monument. was there a political motivation behind the barriers erected around the national parks? not.to words, absolutely i have learned a lot of things over the course of six months, but particularly over the last few weeks. one is the anti-efficiency act of 1870. if you put staff on duty other than protecting property and life. the people of the national park service did not want to barricade the monuments, but the monuments do not take care of themselves. we have park police to protect,

but normally there would be 300 people on staff that are walking the mall, taking care of visitors, picking up a large ridge, maintaining the grounds, interpreting what is there, and they were not allowed to come to work. the americans were there to protect resources, and we worked as best we could, and the honor flights from the world war ii thanked us for making every accommodation we could within the letter of the law to help the veterans see the monuments that they wanted to see. but do it in a way that also fulfilled our obligation under the anti-deficiency act and the decision to close the parks. absolutely no political motivation. [applause] as long as we're talking about the shutdown, and you have an estimate of what the government closure cost the economies neared the major national parks? questions come up that the interior department paid to states for running the parks in

1995 and 1996. why can't you do now? >> that is what i call multiple probe, to questions of wants. [laughter] generateational parks $26 million a day in economic activity. everyday day is not equal. every park does not generate as much active the as the next one, so we are still trial -- tallying the numbers. for concessionaires, people were furloughed and did not get paid. april were let go, food spoiled. there's a lot of loss that cannot be made up with what they would normally make in economic activity. we are still working on the numbers. we do not know them. the second one? >> repay the state? >> it is ms. information. the state in 1995 were not paid for money they gave. what happened, and it was only state, -- only once they come arizona, they said the deposit

in, the shutdown and did, and the deposit was sent back. there was no money kept by the government in 1995. we had to understand that, but our records will be much more helpful if this thing happens again. hopefully members will be -- memories will be longer, but there was never any federal momneuy pay to the states. >> senate republicans blocked two obama nominees. as a newbie to washington, what do you say about -- what does this say about how washington works or does not work, and how does this impact you with so many unfilled positions at the interior department? >> i've never seen anything like it in my life. [laughter] very different than the private sector. very, very different. it takes a little bit longer, has all kinds of publications, but i'm confident he will round

out a strong team at interior, led by mike connor. i can is the nominee to be deputy secretary of the interior. fantastic, knowledgeable resource. rings a great at a background. he is through a senate committee, who has agreed to forward his nomination to the full senate, and he is in the list of those to get voted on by the full senate. we assumed, nominated yesterday to be as assistant secretary of fish and wildlife, currently serving as policy management and budget. these are two terrific individuals. there are other old that are serving in an acting capacity in the department of the interior, and i am treating them as if they are going to be there forever. we are not waiting for this process to keep things moving. we have got important work to do. the key miss there, whether acting or partly in their

positions, they are all working together to make sure we drive the agendas and prior days forward without having to wait for the nomination. again, we hope they happen fast. usually take the opportunity to name some big national monuments. all presidents have done so. they do not need to go to congress by using the antiquities act. what are some of the areas under consideration were national monuments, and will the president use the antiquities act to name some? >> the president has used the antiquities act nine times so far in his administration. certainly, if congress does not step up to act to protect some of these important places, that have been identified by communities and people throughout the country, then the president to take action. i think it is consistently true that every action that he has taken has resulted from a support that has come from the

community, where the community said this is special, we want you to protect it. that will continue to have an. there are places all over the country i will going the out -- i will going -- i will be going up to visit sometime. we need to understand why these places are so special before we go forward with actions, but no question if congress does not act, we will act. error dozens of bills and that house -- there are dozens of bills in the house and senate now that have been republican -- that have been identified as special areas they want to set aside. it would be great if they set those lands si, just as they did in the omnibus act of 2005. those are mechanisms that will be used to recognize the special places and take care of them. >> with the president act to use the antiquities act in any case where the local community objected? throughout the confirmation hearing that we would be working with the local communities.

does that mean everything has to have 100% support? i have not seen anything yet where everybody agrees on everything, but where there is a groundswell of support we will focus our energies. we will not be focusing energies where there's a terminus amount of conflict. >> critics on all side of conflict -- climate change. some say you have not done enough to push renewables. how do you see the fit? >> energy is important. it drives our economy. their sitting under lights here. we have cameras rolling. those are all driven by let trenton have to be produced somewhere. the president is clear he had and all of the above energy strategy, and that is something that i embrace and understand. i am really proud of what interior has done to stand up renewable energy programs run the country. he have announced several offshore wind-lease sales, an innovative way of doing

planning, to work out conflicts and to put areas that have a high wind potential and the conflict, like i was talking about, landscape level understanding and conservation. worked on solar plans like the desert renewable conservation plan. these are important utility- scale plants that provide you renewable energy to supplement the nonrenewable energy sources we have. both are being done across the landscape. it's are your works with companies that are involved with conventional and unconventional riddles or nonrenewable, and that is what we expect to do. you cannot just switch off a major part of our energy sorts and expect the economy -- energy source and expect the economy to thrive. you have to do it in a thoughtful way over time and we are striking that right balance. havingrs of congress argued that interior should not purchase more land to extend parks and other lands until the backlog is

eliminated. senator coburn had a report as weak on that subject. what are your thoughts about the idea of the interior not taking what it has already and should not purchase more, and with that, what would be put at risk if your department could not acquire new properties? >> this is a common refrain that people toss around frito-lay. the same people that squeeze our budgets so we end up with a larger maintenance backlog. you can solve the maintenance backlog, yes. [applause] by taking care of the maintenance accolade. it is not that complicated. as a business person, that is what we did. that is what kept the economy going. -- very hard to run something on a month-to- month or year-to-year basis and you are talking about assets that last for a long time, or perpetuity.

that youmstance described, tommy, is a common fallacy. i was in the tetons, and there is a large tract of land there in the middle of the valley owned by the state that if we are not able to buy from the state, we will have developed. it is really critical habitat. one parcel right in the anothern elk migration. one right in the beautiful valley below the tetons, which has noted moment at all, and these would be make up mansions. this will not cost the part any more to maintain, but these are trickle land holdings that the state wants to sell, the community wants us to find a way to buy, and the park service wants to buy. there is money in the land and water conservation fund that goes to supporting easements. you have a willing property owner that would like to support hunting access or fishing access

or access for rock climbing across their property. i want to sell a conservation easement to do that, and money gets used for that as well. to make the simplistic correlation that putting money into our lands necessarily causes more in maintenance is just incorrect. but i will say i do hope that congress steps up and provides us a more rational budget to take care of the special places that many of them have in fact set aside. i will also say many of the members that are very critical out in the public, when i am eating with them in their offices, want -- when i am meeting with them in their offices, want a national park in their district. [applause] >> that you get specific for a second. your team percent of all oil dripping and fracturing is done on blm lands right now. with that -- will that number go up or down in the future? >> i would talk about fracking for a second.

fracked a well. many of you have not. fracking has been an important tool in the toolbox for oil and gas for over 50 years. some of the new techniques being used reduce the amount of footprint on the surface acreage recover to address and oil and gas from a much larger area. this is an important tool that has to be done safely and responsibly. on regulations that some of you are aware of that will do just that. we have a number of opportunities to continue to develop oil and gas on blm lands, and we will continue to see that happen. if you take an exam i used earlier of the national petroleum reserve in alaska, you want to make sure you minimize the surface effect for a whole

variety of reasons -- species migration, sensitive ecosystems, permafrost, all those kinds of things, by using directional drilling. we have an opportunity to have a softer for print. that is a of acreage that will be developed. short answer is we will likely do more because we will be leasing more land to do it, but will do it in a safe and responsible way. >> the national academy of sciences released a review 150 days ago on blm's controversial watercourse program, saying continuation of usual practices will be unproductive for the public. ands the interior blm embrace these reforms? >> the question about how we effectively manage the wild program isurro one that people feel passionately about.

it is difficult. there is not a secretary that i've talked to, and i have talked to them going back to the 1970's, that has not been aware of this issue and struggled with it. it is not easy. it is actually quite a call. the national academy of sciences gave us a report. it was very helpful in a couple of ways. one is it validated what our land managers know, which is forces are really good at reproducing. really good at reproducing. the her doubles in size every 3 1/2 years. that is a lot of horses, and provided they have forge, that gives them the opportunity to grow dramatically and not in a sustainable way, which the academy pointed that. earthcontrol is an all -- control is an alternative in the report that was suggested, and we are supportive of that. challenges in the veterinary world of pharmaceuticals, you do

not have the same controls or products as you do in the human world of pharmaceuticals. we would love to have a stronger partnership with the pharmaceutical industry to come up with a more effective method and what is available out there, because it is very expensive and does not work for a long time. you have to get the horses there. to give them the birth control. it is something you can do with stallions to, but i will not get into that. this is a big issue. it is an issue that has been around for decades. it is an issue that we want to manage in a sustainable way. we will not be able to fix it overnight. the academy gave us a good data. we have budget constraints. we have all kinds of alternatives that we are considering, and so we are working on it, will continue to work on it, and i would love this to be a call to action to the pharmaceutical industry to help us develop an effective birth control method that we can use on horses that would i think

help this problem. thanks. >> the colorado river is a lifeline to much of the southwest, including utah. it is a finite resource and being tapped more and more. as the population increases and warming temperatures increase the amount of snow pack, what can interior do to ensure that the river does not get have to out?- tapped >> i like these little questions. i will see how much he squirms when i answer, because mike is rain knowledge on this topic. it is an interesting job. besides interior, i have the other titles, and one of them is the water master for the lower colorado river. sounds pretty lofty. colleaguess introduced me to a really smart group of people from the states who are along the colorado river

, and it is states that manage the water rights. the bureau of recognition has a pretty good job to do, like hoover dam, other dams downstream, in managing the stream flows and working with the states, and keeping this coalition together. they have been working at something called water smart, which is being sensible about how we use energy and electricity, being sensible at how we use water. we do not want to waste water. we want our canals, if they can be covered, less evaporation. if we can't prevent leaks, that is water that is not being wasted. with there are things we can do to make sure that every drop gets to its intended source. working with states to identify -- methods that sustain ecosystem needs is exactly what this group of very smart people from all the states along the colorado river have been working on in conjunction with my colleagues at the bureau of reclamation, u.s. geological

survey, and others. it is a big job, and is all our job the use water more wisely than we have in the past. because there is an awful lot that can be done just in how we use it, whether for agriculture, noticeable uses, or other uses, and this is something that this team of people working behind the scenes is working carefully to do, because you are right, climate change is upon us eerie you see it in drought throughout the west. we see it in the colorado river. if you look at the levels in lake powell or lake mead or any of the other lakes in that region, you will see we have a huge problem, and we share this river with mexico, which is where mike was a few days ago. these are important and not easy issues, but they are issues being addressed by some very smart people at both the state and federal levels and locals. >> we're almost out of time, but for the last question, we have a couple housekeeping matters. i would like to remind you of

our upcoming events and speakers. november 5, election day, goldie hawn will be here at the national press club. gg will be, judd gre here. he plans to unveil protections for investors to be endorsed by the anti-group. november 11, president and ceo of the charles schwab operation. i would like to present our guest with the traditional npc m ug. [applause] i am sorry it did not come from rei. last question we wanted to ask, the most pressing issue for those of us who live here in washington, when will the washington monument reopen? [laughter] we hope to have it open a year from now. there are people who kind of like its exoskeleton.

and i have a wonderful job, but it is made more wonderful by some of the places i can go. there have been a few places where i say, can i do this, they say, ma'am, you can do anything you want. i got to climb up the stairs to the scaffolding and then the latter that went to the top of the monument and looked them. i kind of like that exoskeleton. i do not have the exact dates. kate, do your member when we are going to reopen? no, pretty sure it is a year from now. it is not going to be long. thanks. >> we will invite you back to give us the exact date. [laughter] how about a round of applause for our speaker today. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] thank you all for coming today. i would like to thank the national press club staff for organizing today's event. a reminder that you can find more information about the national press club on her website. if you are like a copy of to date's per gram, check out our .npc.org.t www/ [indiscernible] >> this is a tough time for na, where everybody says what are you doing, why are you doing it? when we get together, they be a couple times we whined, but we

actually say it is much more important for this country that we defend this nation and take the beatings than it is to give up a program that would result in this nation being attacked. we would rather be here in front of you today telling you why we defended these programs and having given them up, and having our nation or our allies be attacked and people killed. >> intelligence officials defend at nsa surveillance are gram a hearing. saturday morning at 10:00 eastern. live sunday at on c-span2, your calls and comments for kitty kelley. that is at noon. american3's

history tv, eyewitness accounts of the events surrounding kennedy's assassination. sundays at 3:00 p.m. eastern. >> commerce department hosted a summit today encouraging business investment. the director of the white house economic council called on congress to pass immigration legislation. he said those measures would encourage foreign investment in the you s. >> i think more needs to be done, and i will put it in two categories. one or more additional policies that we need cooperation from our congress to implement, to help make us more competitive and more attractive to you. second is how we organize ourselves and the messages he said, which we have more control over. on the policies, some of the things the president is pushing right now, which do for all our

divisions have more bipartisan support and you would think, is comprehensive immigration reform, which would increase the need for skilled labor, that many people say is critical to their location decisions. this is a very top priority of the president. as is making sure our training programs are more demand driven, that we are working with you and community college, so if you want to locate here, there someone who says if you are unsure whether there is a particulars till need that -- particular skill need, we will work you -- we will work with you to make sure there is a partnership or training pro gram for you. there's a grand argan for job where you lower the corporate tax rate, have a lower corporate tax rate, and use some of the one-time funds to strengthen our infrastructure so that your supply chains can move more

quickly, so these are important components we have to do. obviously, the third one is that we have to give and we fight very hard on this, a greater sense of stability. you could say we want more manufacturing and less manufactured crises. we have not been at our best last month, but i think the future looks they think that is under our control is that they -- the signals we send at how we organize ourselves. there wereecognize places where the signal the president wanted to send was not coming through. one or two high-profile cases might be sending the signal that .e were not open for business we want to make clear that this is not a xena phobic nation. if you want to come here and make your fortune hate -- playing by the rules and make your fortune, we don't just tolerate it, we welcome you with open arms.

a lot of the motivation for this select usa was to in a very bold way make that abundantly clear. second, how do we organize ourselves? the united states has generally organized cells in ways that focus on commercial advocacy and export promotion. this goes back administration after administration, but it has been more ad hoc. that's not good for us because we don't have an organized, coordinated way of encouraging people who want to invest here to invest here. but it's not good for those who want to do it either. it is not clear who's going to be there and who is going to help. when the president comes today, what he is going to talk about it what we are putting out is a major reform effort to for the first time ever have the united states make an economic

priority. this is not just an empty phrase. engaged in a serious effort of having unprecedented coordination between the commerce department and state department working together in the white house economic team. what this will mean is in the 32 nations that make up 90% of the ei right now for the first time ever, there will be an organized team led by ambassadors that with one teamther and their state department commerce officials and they will have one of their core missions for the first time encouraging and facilitating foreign direct theytment in the u.s. and will have one channel they will usa so thatlect

when you are making a decision here, you will have one-stop shopping. you will have one place to go to to look at the set issues, state and local, federal issues. when it is helpful to talk to someone in the white house, valerie jarrett or even perhaps the president or vice resident and cells. that's the major policy announcement we are announcing today and 20 or 30 years from now, you will still see this organization in place and people will wonder why the united states started making a or part of its organization this type of rotter select usa reform. see this entire discussion from the commerce department investment summit tonight at 8:00 eastern here on c-span. tomorrow morning on c-span2, the investment for him continues. we will hear from secretary of

state john kerry. that gets underway at 8:30 eastern on our companion network, c-span2. here is more from today's session of the summit. president obama announced a new governmentwide effort to encourage is this is to invest in the u.s. >> ladies and gentlemen, lee's welcome the united states secretary of commerce, penny pritzker. [applause] >> a good afternoon, everyone. i hope you're having a time in making the connections that can help your businesses grow. it is such a privilege for me to introduce our next speaker, president barack obama. i am proud to call him our president and i am honored to call him a dear friend. simply put, the united states has been very lucky to have

president obama as our commander in chief for the last five years. in my 27 years in business, i have seen the qualities that make a great leader. president obama has all of them. he's a builder, he has sound judgment, he has integrity, he sets clear direction, he listens, he inspires and most of all he acts decisively to support solutions that the american people need and solutions that help businesses grow and hire. i've been with the president in countless meetings. he often asks the question, how can government better partner with the private sector to grow our economy and create jobs? regardless of the economic problem, he drives solutions that resolve challenges.

he understood the need to make sure our banking system was well capitalized and an engine of growth. so he took action to set us on a firmer foundation. he understood there was insufficient financing for startups, so he passed the jobs act. he understood that 95% of customers live outside our borders, so he created the national export initiative, which helped the united states reach a record $2.2 trillion in exports last year. i understood the trade agreements help more american- made goods reach global markets. so he's rolled out three new trade pacs. and has us working to complete the transpacific partnership and the transatlantic trade and investment partnership. he understood the need for american businesses to have a stronger digital infrastructure so he added 100,000 miles of broadband.

he understood that our economy is based on ideas so we strengthened our patent system to support more american innovators with the america invents act. and he knew that people from around the world come to our country to do business and have fun. so he launched the national travel and tourism strategy to bring millions more visitors to the united states. and today he understands the united states is where global businesses want to be. with our educated work force, our low-energy costs, our abundant energy, our stable financial markets, our rule of law, strong intellectual property protection and so much more. that's why he launched the select u.s.a. program. the first ever federal effort to welcome additional investment to the united states. we've been very busy ever since,

supporting both investors and economic development leaders as they make deals worth millions and even billions of dollars. we at the commerce department are horned to run this program that welcomes your investment and is helping create jobs. ladies and gentlemen, america is open for business. open for your business. president obama and i could not be more supportive of the investments you have made and will make here in the united states. please join me in welcoming my friend, the 44th president of the united states, barack obama. \[applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you. please have a seat. to my great friend, penny, thank

you for the kind words, but more importantly, thank you for your outstanding leadership, for bringing us all together today and being such a strong voice for america's workers and america's businesses. i want to acknowledge acting deputy secretary patrick gallagher, undersecretary francisco sanchez and their team at select u.s.a. and i want to especially thank all of you. state and local officials from across the country and business leaders from around the world. as president, i have gone all over the world to go to bat for american exports and american workers. i've been to many of your countries and i've said that when we do business together and when we trade and forge new partnerships, it's good for all of us. i want more american products being sold in your countries. and i want your companies investing more here in the united states of america.

because it advances my top priority as president, creating good-paying american jobs and strengthening and broadening our middle class. there's nothing more important right now. and i'm here because i want your companies to know, i want companies around the world to know, that i believe there is no better place in the world to do business than the united states of america. think about it. globalization and technology means you can go just about anywhere. but there are a whole lot of reasons you ought to come here. we're not just the world's largest market. we're growing. thanks to the grit and resilience of the american people, we've cleared away the rubble from the financial crisis and over the past 3 1/2 years our businesses have created more than 7 1/2 million new jobs. thanks to the tough decisions

we've made to tackle our long- term challenges, america's becoming more competitive from a business standpoint. we're reforming a broken health care system and as a consequence health care costs are rising at their slowest rate in 50 years. we've cut our deficits by more than half since i took office and they keep going down. we've pursued an all-of-the- above energy strategy and we are producing more traditional energy, more renewable energy than ever before, more natural gas than anyone in the world, and we have cut our carbon pollution in the process. so while the case for doing business in america's always been strong, we've made it stronger. and of course you will find no better workers than american workers. our productivity is rising. we have the world's best universities. its most innovative

entrepreneurs. we have its strongest intellectual property protections, to go along with a rule of law that matches up with anyone. and thanks in part to a new initiative focused on exports and the new trade agreements that i've signed, we sell more products made in america to the rest of the world after than ever before. so as you've heard repeatedly today and you will hear undoubtedly after i leave this stage, america is open for business. and businesses have responded. after a decade in which many jobs left the united states to go overseas, now we're seeing companies starting to bring jobs back because they're seeing the advantages of being located here. caterpillar is bringing jobs back from japan. ford is bringing jobs back from mexico. after locating plants in other

countries like china, intel's opening their most advanced plant right here in the united states. and the whole range of factors involved, people are looking at lower energy costs here, they're looking at stability, they're looking at the increased productivity on workers, all these things are adding up. and people are saying, why would we want to be outside the world's largest market when we can get our products made effectively here and there's a great platform from which we can export all around the world? and it's not just companies based in the united states. honda's banking on america by expanding production operations in ohio and alabama and indiana and today more hondas are made in america than anyplace else in the world. samsung's betting on america by revamping their plant in austin, texas. a $4 billion investment.

siemens is betting on america by hiring hundreds of new workers in north carolina and putting $50 million a year into training its u.s. work force. and that's the kind of investment that we've always welcomed as a nation, but the reason for select u.s.a. is we know we can do more. we know we can be better. so two years ago i acted on a recommendation from the c.e.o.'s on my jobs council and we created select u.s.a. to encourage more foreign companies to invest and create jobs right here in the united states. and we've shown that this works. as penny mentioned earlier this morning, with help from select u.s.a., the austrian company is creating 220 jobs in an auto parts plant in cartersville, georgia. the canadian company bombadear is investing more than $600

million to expand its jet facility in wichita, kansas. a belgian company that makes high-tech aircraft parts reopened a shuttered factory in stillwater, oklahoma, and they're expected to create 380 good jobs by the end of 2015 and the list goes on. and i want to see even more of these success stories told across this country. which means i want to make sure we are doing everything we can so companies like yours want to set up shop here in the united states. and for all the u.s. states and cities who are represented here today, we want to provide you with the tools you need to close those deals and create those jobs. so that's why today i'm proud to announce that i'm expanding and enhancing select u.s.a. to create the first ever fully coordinated u.s. government effort to recruit businesses to invest and create new jobs in the united states.

\[applause] to do that i'm taking four new steps to bring more good jobs to our shores. first, building on the great work that our diplomats and embassies do every day, i'm making attractive for investment a formal part of our portfolio for our ambassadors and their teams around the world. i meet with staffs wherever i go, all of them are great ambassadors for america and they're building bridges and connections every day. well, i want them doing even more to help foreign companies cross those bridges and come here. and as they take on this expanded economic mission overseas, we'll make sure that they've got the support that they need here at home. which brings me to the second point. officials at the highest levels, up to and including me, are going to do even more to make the case for investing in america.

i already do this everywhere i go around the world, in public and private. i joke with a few american companies that i will deserve at least a gold watch at the end of my tenure from them. \[laughter] i've racked up some pretty good sales. \[laughter] but as a country we don't always make our case in a coordinated way that links our teams overseas to the right senior officials in washington. and we're going to change that. make our advocacy more efficient and more effective and more connected so that businesses who are making decisions about where to invest are getting timely answers and know that they're going to have all the help that they need. number three, we'll make sure that for the first time companies who want to do business in america have a single point of contact at the federal level to cut through red tape. we're going to help you navigate national, state and local rules and regulations so that you can invest faster, open facilities

faster, create jobs faster. and, finally, we'll help states, cities, regions across america up their game by giving them more tools they need to compete. from the latest research and analysis, to events that link them directly with potential investors. this is a big country. and for a lot of foreign investors, it may be sometimes hard to navigate and figure out how to -- what exactly is going to fit the needs of your company. well, we can help you do that and we can help make sure that state and local governments and regional offices, they're best equipped to make their case and we can get a good fit that's good for the company and good for those communities. so, the new focus at our embassies and on attracting investment, more outreach from washington, coordinated advocacy, to bring more jobs

here, new ways to cut through red tape and new tools for state and local leaders. that's what an expanded select u.s.a. will mean for businesses and for our partners in u.s. states and cities. and ultimately i believe that will translate into more good middle class jobs for america. my number one priority. i will be asking congress to do its part. a lot of this is coordination. it's not necessary to spend a lot of money, it's important for us to do what we do more wisely. but making america even more attractive to investment should be something that everybody can agree on. democrats and republicans. we've got to work together to get that done. at the macro level that means getting beyond gridlock and some of the manufactured crisis that we've seen come out of washington. because i assume if you ask any c.e.o. here if shutting down the government makes them more

confident about wanting to bring jobs to america, the answer will probably be no. the notion of not paying our bills on time doesn't inspire confidence. so it's time for congress to focus on what the american people are focused on and what i'm focused on which is creating good jobs that pay good wages and creating a good environment for investment. we do need to fully fund the select u.s.a. program so that more middle class folks have a chance to earn a decent living. we need to make sure that we are resourcing the efforts to make sure that our workers can earn the skills that they need to compete in the global economy. we've got -- you know, one of the crown jewels of our education system is our community college system. not everybody's going to be training at m.i.t. or stanford. but these community colleges means that we can partner with businesses, help defray some of the training costs, help design

with businesses what exactly they're going to need in terms of people getting hired. and we've got the resources to do it, we know how to do it but we're going to make sure congress is supportive of that. we've got to fix a broken immigration system. so that we are welcoming more talent to workers and entrepreneurs from around the world and so if companies are coming here to locate and they've got a key individual that they need to bring over to make sure that the company's doing what it needs to do, that it's not a tangle of red tape. and the good news is we know we've got bipartisan support for immigration reform. we just have to make sure we get it done this year. we've got to continue to make smart investments in research and development. education. infrastructure. all the things that historically have made america the most attractive place on the planet for businesses to invest. we've got to build on that success. that's who we are as a country. and we have a tradition here of

tackling new challenges, adapting to new circumstances, seizing new opportunities. that's one of the reasons that history shows over the last two centuries that when you bet on america, that bet pays off. so, to all the business leaders here today and around the world, we want to be your partner in helping to write the next chapter in our history. we want you to join the generations of immigrants and entrepreneurs and foreign investors who have discovered exactly what it means when we say we are the land of opportunity. that is not a myth. it's a proven fact. there are a lot of wonderful countries out there. but this is a place where you can do business, create great products, deliver great

services, make money and do good at the same time. so you should find out why there's no substitute for those proud words, made in america. and here's three more words. select the u.s.a. when you do, you'll find some of the world's best workers, some of the world's most innovative entrepreneurs, you'll find a government and a president who's committed to helping you create more good jobs. for the middle class and helping you succeed well into the 21st century. we are open for business. and we're looking forward to partnering with all of you in the months and years ahead. thank you very much. \[applause] lexi commerce department for him on his visit investment continues tomorrow. we will hear from the commerce secretary, penny pritzker and secretary of state john kerry.

that's at 8:30 live on our 2.mpanion network, c-span >> the heads are beginning to bend as a sign of rightness. he takes a few sample heads for testing and crushes them between his hands until the chaff and grain are separated. some waysture was in a devil's bargain. we began by domesticating the and that's why we always talk about it erie it the fact is we domesticated us in some way that gave up the freedom to wander and hunt and gather as we had done for 50,000 years. that may be better or worse than agriculture in some way that we can argue that as a value judgment, but evolution made us to be that way. we surrendered the conditions

that we evolved under. howsed to argue a lot about agriculture happens great the classic stories we ran out of game and became overpopulated it was too many people, so as a way to feed ourselves. one day somebody woke up and did agriculture. it's not the way it happened probably, but that is the story. the other is we did disturbances by living together. the people compacting the soil and that sort of thing. it allowed weeds to grow and we started eating those weeds, grass essentially. once that happens, people started raising grain and became highly dependent on that grain at highly dependent on city living. pretty soon, we were domesticated just like our livestock in some ways. >> spend this weekend exploration of montana's state s book tv and american history tv look at the history of helena.

>> the iraqi prime minister is in washington this week trade tomorrow, he meets with president obama at the white house. a bipartisan group of senators recently said the iraqi prime minister is not doing enough to stop secretary and violence in his country. he addressed concerns in a speech today at the u.s. embassy -- u.s. institute of peace. >> ladies and gentlemen, the prime minister of iraq area -- prime minister of iraq. please be seated. we apologize for the slight delay. it is secretary hagel's fault. don't know, you who

the institute, putting it very simply, stops fights around the world, doing so in partnership with governmental and nongovernmental organization both domestic and foreign trade we work very closely with state department, usaid, the state department, the government of iraq, and many others in order to prevent, mitigate and resolve violent conflict. go ahead andto recognize some of the folks who are here today. of course come a prime minister maliki, thank you for returning to the institute. excellency, the minister of foreign affairs, and theminister of defense, andonal security advisor, both members of the council of representatives.

the ambassador to the united , the chief of staff to the chiefminister, who is the media adviser in the office of the prime minister. the head of the counterterrorism chief of deputy mission to the embassy of iraqi and the major general, the military at tash a for the embassy of the rack. myo joining us today, one of favorite people in all of the world, former secretary of state and the first woman secretary of state, madeleine albright. i'm listing her as part of the includes ourwhich national security advisor and member of our board, ambassador george is who is with us. also a member of our board. .rofessor jeremy ratigan

dr. kristin lord is with us, our executive vice president. i would like to recognize a couple of special state department guest. ambassador beth jones, the assistant secretary of state for near east affairs and the u.s. ambassador to iraq. and the deputy assistant secretary of state to a rack and around. and now, i would like to recognize bill taylor, ambassador bill taylor, our vice resident for middle east and africa and leads our efforts where iraqi in support of a rack's success. success.s done a lot of work where iraqi is concerned and is a very important part of the institute.

she has been leading our efforts where iraq is concerned. >> thank you for such a warm welcome. i would like to welcome prime l-nister humala key -- a maliki. shared high moments, as well is difficult ones. we worked hard with our partners and government and civil society to overcome the peak of violence in 2006 and 2007. we take pride in the fact that we have always been in iraq and maintain an office in baghdad. even during the most difficult days. the core mission is to strengthen local capacities to

prevent and manage conflicts peacefully. we work with iraqi partners to develop tools and institutions necessary to resolve disputes through nonviolent means. we have worked with iraqi facilitators and militate years -- working with youth, women comment and minorities. preventing to incitement of violence. institutions along iraq. and civilrship society has grown stronger over the years. -- many success stories to point to, such as a capacity we

have supported, distinguished leaders, and organizations critical to advancing iraq's transition to peace and stability. we have mitigated conflicts iraq. a rack -- across why would with the foundations of civic education and human rights for the institutions of education. ap is part of the partnerships we we have made. emma that remains to be done in iraq. ahead will not the easy. you excellency, we assure and the iraqi people that as a rock prepares for the 2016 iraq can count on the

support of the u.s. institute of peace is a partner on all levels. starting with the communities, to local councils, two dialogues. thank you. [applause] >> i would like to ask beth jones to come forward. the format today will be an of the prime minister by ambassador beth jones. then the prime minister will speak. and then sit and take questions. the audience already knows this. if you have questions, perhaps he of written them out, we are not going to have time for a great number of questions, but hopefully the prime minister will find questions interesting. with that, libby turn it over. >> thank you very much. welcome to the delegation.

especially welcome, it is great to be here with secretary albright. especially for this extraordinary event. i want to thank u.s. ip on his leadership since he took over last year, and the work that u.s. ip has done for so long in iraq. i am honored to introduce nouri al-maliki, prime minister of the republic of iraq. he faces the daunting challenges iraq in general -- continues to face. the prime minister will be meeting with president obama and vice president biden to strengthen ties between our nations. they will discuss how we can help iraq confront these challenges and discuss ways to enhance cooperation between our countries under the strategic framework agreement.

this is an important time. two years have passed since u.s. troops left a rack. iraq.ft eye we must never forget those who lost their lives in the struggle for a free iraq. with resources, and is set to hold national elections next year. it has improved relations with its neighbors, particularly kuwait and jordan. as they have work to bring itself into the region, we have seen 17 era him -- arab countries open up embassies in baghdad. we see opportunities for american business. major corporations are now invested in iraq. the united states on iraq side a train in investment treaty

freedom -- framework agreement. in recent years, thousands of iraqi students and scholars of come to the united states to research and study in a variety of fields. this number increases significantly each year. iraq faces formidable challenges. we share concerns over the increasing number of terrorist attacks and claimed 6000 innocent victims this year. including deplorable attacks on schools, religious sites, marketplaces, weddings, and funerals. most of these attacks have been conducted by al qaeda affiliates. this affiliate has a base of operation in syria. it's later -- it's later is isject to sanctions, and designated a global terrorist under u.s. law.

we continue to discuss security with the iraqi government, although this is only one aspect of our cooperation. political and economic tools must also be used to drain the recruiting pool of all extremist groups. we therefore welcome the prime minister's commitment to holding national parliament treat -- .arliamentary elections the strategic agreement gives the united states a unique role in fostering democratic development. we will work with the united nations and iraqi leaders to ensure that all technical requirements to ensure freedom and elections are in place. i want to assure you that if iraq faces these challenges, it will have a committed partner in the united states. our relationship was rooted in respect and interest, as

enshrined in the strategic framework agreement, are permanent and enduring roadmap. i thank you for this opportunity and ask you to help me welcome prime minister nouri al-maliki. [applause] >> in the name of god, may the blessing of god be upon you. i want to express my gratitude and esteemed to former congressman mr. jim marshall for

his speech. tolso want to give my thanks ambassador f jones for her warm words, and i want to extend to the u.s. ip my greetings and .ratitude for their words -- because of the development of the mechanism and the new techniques used by terrorists andundermine interests institutions in all countries. we are here in a strategic important institute. i want to thank you for allowing me to be here. thent to discuss

relationship between iraq and the united states. partners,ted with our and fight terrorist. this allows us to win over terrorist in iraq. all of the people of iraq were victims of the terrorist attacks led by al qaeda and the remnants of the regime in i raq. we are starting a new round of reconstruction after defeating al qaeda, who at some point stop ourtopped explosive in

resources. at some point, life came back to iraq. started recovering. the construction developed. the security and economic level, and the political level, despite a diss balance we witnessed. we were able to defeat al qaeda, and this brought life and union back to the rack. why do we see what we are seeing today? why did we see the massacres? of iraqis. that one component

is fighting another component. this is not true. all of the iraqi people, the sunnis and shiites, are all killed. it is relating to the morale of al qaeda, who work to reach the goal by shedding the blood of -- iuse and splitting care shedding the blood of iraqis and spreading terror. between ourion forces in the united states of america, why is tara back in terrorism back in the region?

why are the main reasons terrorism isn't moving in iraq? it is a vision of the reality been impacted by the region. spring, whichb we support because they targeted no single regime can remain acceptable loss governing in such a wrong way for so many years. , necessaryevolutions to rebuild these countries and the people and societies on a sound basis, because they were ms. government for many years. forhey were misgoverned many years.

regretfully, they were able to get rid of the dictatorships, but not able to fill the void in the right way. a vacuum was created and al qaeda and others were able to exploit it and gain ground. ofy benefited from the fall the state structure. the region seeing that allows terrorism to the back. vacuum.ited some of the you know perfectly well it is ,appening in libya and tunisia and lebanon, and other countries that may have the same problem that all the countries are facing. far by all clearly

countries and societies. we want an international war against terror. s to wage war, we would have a war against those who are killing people, calling for bloodshed, for , and do not want logic to govern our daily lives. we are calling all countries to international conferences, and by counterterrorism, i don't mean fighting terrorism only in iraq. terrorism is worldwide. a localm is not anymore

production. but it international production. this is why we want [indiscernible] to [indiscernible] it is coming back because of the political situation. tracks.two political the political track and the regime in charge of some countries of the region. if we do not have political regimes based on freedom, on democracy, regimes to listen to the will of the people, and to go back to the constitution, iraq at some point in not have a constitution but a single leader who spoke for the constitution. now we have a constitution and a constitutional democratic institution. we have separation of powers.

and independent executive power. independent do just repower. and other independent powers, such as high commission from elections. knock democratic institutions. needsmocratic exercise maturity and learning, and training. legacy to en route the of the corrupted regime is used. we need ongoing training and development. thank god we were able to have five rounds of elections. the last one a few days ago in order to listen to the will of the people. this is how local government and the federal governments were

formed. element [indiscernible] postponing the elections. they will be held according to the legislations. we are facing terror. this is costing us money, effort, and lives. we are building democratic institutions and infrastructure, developing services. had we not faced terror, we would have moved forward more than we did in building the iraqi states. forward.ss, we moved

iraq is one of the main countries in developing and rebuilding exports and so on. we leapterrorism, forward in providing to our people. the situation in the middle east has given a new chance for terrorists, who came back to rack on the situation started in syria. foundist organizations another chance to develop, to be armed. the terrorists found a second fence. we support the syrian people and what it wants, what it aims for. a democratic regime based on the

will of the people. we do not want the syrian people to lose freedom, democracy. we are warning, and we are fearing, and we are worrying of the potential success of terrorist organizations in syria. , we in the world should lose -- should do everything to prevent this. , in libya ory other countries. all of our efforts should aim at preventing the success of al qaeda and other organizations because they would have a platform, a safe haven, and environment, and more capabilities. it will be harder for them to

fix the problems that they will be causing. is not only about military force. of coarse, military force is important. security forces are at the forefront of this. of capabilities. all thisg the sense -- is necessary, but not enough. we need a sound structure. this allows for al qaeda terrorist to develop. we are working on containing al qaeda any rack by enhancing social peace and finding

constitutional solutions to problems. of course we have problems any .ack -- in iraq it is a new democracy. democracies are still facing problems. controloblems are under through the constitution. , but eventually we reach a solution that is constitutional and that is adaptable. this is what you always see. , angry, hear voices differences. eventually we reach an agreement. internally, as we are preparing to fight terror at the military level, getting weapons, buying

intelligence area did we are working on having harmony. you may ask who are you kidding? ones killing iraqis are coming from other countries. they are also iraqis or assisting them. i cannot say iraqis, sunnis, shiites, are ignorant and can be .upportive of al qaeda these exists, but we have terror is coming from abroad. this is why the situation is deteriorating. the situation as a whole is good. there is no problem between sunnis and shiites. -- who is killing

them? it is al qaeda killing all of the iraqis. sectarian banners and propagation of division. with the will of god we will remain united. we defeated al qaeda previously. today, once again, the sons of iraqi are with us. people again are seeing the situation is deteriorating because a qaeda and its organizations are back. those supporting it are back. unity.eading to more we will deceive -- we will

defeat the terrorists. we came to washington to consolidate the partnership and cooperation which removed forward -- and the cooperation in which we move forward. we support the idea of moderation. we have meetings with other countries that are also seeking moderation in the region against extremism. we'll have other meetings. in each meeting, more countries are joining because they want to be moderated. we want to mobilize to face difficulties we are facing. frankly, we need to say that al qaeda benefited from the international contradictions, and from experiences and

expertise they gained, so the develop their methods the way they hide. this is why we also should find new ways and new means to qaedar the means that al is using in the region. help for us in iraq. iraq is very close to syria. the relations between the countries are stored. only talk about the american role in iraq, it starts in iraq. it ends anywhere in the region where we can find strongholds of terrorists. , newe creating a strategy

one based on the development. we have a new strategy based on mobilizing the security forces and the people, the sons of iraq, and enhancing intelligence expertise. we are talking with americans and telling them that we need to benefit from their experience, from training for those who are defeating al qaeda in a technical way. needs --iraq needs the benefit of training. the weapons necessary for

counterterrorism, which has specific needs, it is not about artillery's. it is specific weaponry. aside from the political forces, we need intelligence information that will help us to target the strongholds and groups of terrorists. ld're not saying the wor should support says. of course we should, we are part of it. if iraq is not well treated, it will be disastrous for the whole world. this applies to syria as well. community, itnal is their responsibility as well. weapons, carries

ideas, everywhere. instead ofideas flowers. we want to carry flowers, to expand them at the international cooperation.ance we have a request. i won't say -- it is only about iraq. it is about the country suffering from terrorism. , internal crises in wars forn are proxy regional countries. the most dangerous of these are the wars that are waged under

sectarian banners. people are free to choose their religion. no one has the right, no one can force a belief on people. if someone wants to force what they believe on people, to force drink, toeat and think in the way they see fit, and according to their own ignorance. this is dangerous. this has its own it has its own school, it's own institute and own supporters. the problem is huge. world is suffering from terrorist supporters.

people are suffering from al qaeda. they want to live in peace. ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing an economic recovery despite what you hear at times. this is not having an impact on companies coming and working in -- andd in this meant investment and in building. we will contain the potential disasters that we would have suffered had this it -- security forces not ceased. iraq.re suffering in people wearing bombs and entering cafés or funerals.

this is what is leading to huge casualties. we cannot control the iraqi terrorist. with a car bomb, they cannot kill as many people. his is why they are using those ignorant terrorist and criminal to where belt bombs and explosives and target gatherings and killing as many people as possible. in our new strategy, we are still discussing in iraq. we need to adopt a policy and mobilize the people of iraq. on the other hand, target terrorist and arrest them. studyo need a scientific for intelligence. that is the best prevention against terrorist, even better than weapons.

i do not want to be lengthy. some say the relations between us and the united states is something we are proud of. in order to consolidate the strategic framework. we must at all levels consolidate the strategies. in education, economy, construction, energy, and every betweenssible dimension our two countries. consolidate them and bring our opinions closer together and lead it into a genuine partnership. is facing itst

again. we shed blood together. we need to reach all of the goals we have set in an agreement signed. thank you very much. [applause] >> that was a very in oppressive informativete and and frank -- that was a very passionate and

informative and frank. , it promptedening a lot of memories. as a member of congress, i have -- ted iraq can we turn the mic up a little bit? i have visited iraq 15 or 20 times during my tenure. a much when i was younger man, i fought in vietnam. i spent time studying the problems of terrorism and counterterrorism efforts. it comes back to the populace. the populace in a given area is to theto that -- opposed terrorist, to those who do harm, they are pretty good at being the problem isre

and get in touch with authorities and let them know. that with authorities can deal with the issue. was listening to your remarks. , with assistance from the united states, the armed services are in a position to deal with terrorists once they know who they are and where they are. getting the support you need from the populace to identify the terrorists? describe why you you do not think you're getting the right kind of support? what could be done? >> i said regardless of the people and the direct

attribution with the security forces of al qaeda, the population is supporting the security forces. thatare determining who terrorist are and informing us. al qaeda did something that helped us mobilize the people. few iraqis have interest in being part of al qaeda. iraq you people are suffering from al qaeda. this is giving us a new chance in mobilizing -- the iraqi people are suffering from al qaeda. this is giving us a new chance in mobilizing. many of our operations against fighting them are the reason of information and cool operation and intelligence

-- a cooperation from the iraqi people. all of the iraqis are supporting the security forces. the iraqis are discerning at this point because there are you --dy -- their priorities are they are fighting al qaeda. there are several good questions that have been asked by the audience. what do consider to be your key achievement being in two terms now in iraq? what do consider failures? what did not work well? >> well, it is a question that is not easy to answer weekly. that i be last

anything. the iraqi institution, the parliament, the cooperation m, everything achieved because iraq was about to collapse. able to move out of the north and the south. some of the regions were controlled by the terrorists. aboutwere many talk dividing iraq in internal strife . we had a miller shows -- we had militias who are in -- ab ducting people. 25 caron a daily basis, bombs and beheadings of people and unknown corpses.

everything was about to. our main achievement was to reunite the iraqis and to start again based on our being iraqis and not based on our sectarian allegiances. some of the people still believe in their concessions, but we are -- talking sunnis and shiites. this is our main achievement. the second-best achievement is aeada wanted to make iraq into the islamic state of iraq, but it failed. people resisted and got stronger. have defeated them have

a situation not deteriorated in syria. sectarian developed. , on the achievement level, universities are back. students came by the thousands to specialize. they came back. these all our achievements ,ecause when we came to power iraq was a complete disaster. war, weapons, destruction, everywhere. we stop the deterioration. we stood again on our feet.

iraq was able to integrate its iraq environment. under the previous regime and following the follow, we do not have one single [indiscernible] isolated regionally and internationally. 17 countries have embassies in iraq. we have good relations with them with exception of a few. we are working on these. we found our role again. we adopted the policy of non- interference in other countries affairs. we are looking for common interest. we do not want to use force against others. we are looking for cooperation

between us and other countries. this is the best thing we can achieve. one thing we are still suffering from is lack of infrastructure and schools and housing for the poor. despite the fact that we progressed a lot. also one thing to mention in iraq, we were able to build security forces, army, police, and so on, with weapons that can defend the iraqi sovereignty. talk about a state that wants to protect itself and to open up and engage other countries. an army for our defense.

defending iraq and its sovereignty and not targeting any entries. -- any countries. >> as someone who used to be a politician, i should know better than to assess a question. question.such a [laughter] no, look of the done about that? -- what could be done about that? >> the answer is, yes. to the exception of those who do not want to work in the interest of iraq and those who have specific agendas. all of the iraqis say yes. we have a common ground, a common vision based on the institutions we have built. why youant to ask me

have problems, i would say democracy needs lots of time and solutions. we have a heavy legacy. central government [indiscernible] into a democracy is not something easy. identity -- all of this needs time. some of the iraqis want a single party or needs a country without a constitution. the primary -- the problem is a solution to the many problems that we face in moving. -- moving to a democracy. this needs time. any present coordination between iraq and syria on security?

especially preventing the flow of fighters? no. none between the iraqi and syria n government. we decided to be neutral. we want to support the interest of the syrian people. we do not support the regime or the opposition. we do not want to support the opposition or the regime with weapons. bilateral relations -- we're are trying to talk about solutions. we give initiatives about to all friendly

countries. for although, source suffering, we believe the world believes the political solution is only possible way to the syrian crisis that is having a brew percussion on both. >> do think the ongoing relations between iraq and iran comes at the expense of larger or better relations with arab countries, especially in egypt? this was not my question. [laughter] the audience has a right to ask any questions. i want to quell the fears of all audience heretful and outside. iraq is seeking friendship.

to have open doors to all countries in the world. conflict want to have with iran or saudi arabia or countryot any single anywhere. when weour policy -- have friendly relations with any country, we do understand that it should not be at the expense of the interest of other countries. i want to say candidly and frankly not from an isolationist point of view, but i want to say that we need to make sure that comes first.erest is to open up to everyone and have note conflicte -- have no with any country. we will work on differences and

i'm solutions. -- and find solutions. we used to have problems with some countries. we're are moving forward into solving these problems as happened between us and our neighboring turkey and some iraq gulf state and some problems with kuwait. relation with iran and any other countries is important, but it will never come at the expense of iran or the expense of our friendship with other countries. that the iraqis think independently and not according to the interest of any others. we have a partnership an agreement with the united states. this is something some other countries are not like. this is what matters.

be believed to have a strong relation within the united states. problem.ir they cannot impose anything on the iraqis. -- toy want our friends -- they do not impose on others. criticso you respond to -- this is not coming from me, but a question from someone else -- say you are consolidating power and this has adversely affected iraq's democratic assess. -- process. constitution and ruling -- let me know when it is an unconstitutional way. if i act in a way that is not

acceptable to some of our partners, as long as i am committing to respecting the constitution and as long as i use my prerogative in a constitutional way, there should not be a problem. if i act and then unconstitutionally, please let me know and tell me to go back to the constitution. sometimes there are disagreements with some partners. wise.d to be we need to go back to the constitution to work out differences. stepped off of the constitution. one of the american leaders or officials when talking with some of our partners told them, this is your constitution. gives thesetion prerogatives to the armed forces and it does not have a deputy.

if you do not like this, change the constitution. cannot -- >> i'm kind of glad you are the one who are answering these questions and not me. here is another one. >> senior leaders have faced charges for a party. at the same time, many of the same leaders who have faced charges have been very successful. what does that say or mean for the country that they have this sort of populist court? that is somebody else's question. glad you're answering it and not me. >> yes, of course. everyone has the right to be a candidate according to the constitution. if they are elected, so be it.

some of the candidates are being elected, but not all those who are members of the hearty still have the mentality. havee security forces, we officers in the huge majority were officers are of the army. they force everyone to be part of the party. if some people are supported by the people and can when according to the constitution, they are welcome. at the constitution does not allow them to be candidates, they will not be. if their candidacy -- let me say a any rate, iraq is still party regime. anyone who is not in that certain party were excluded or

someone was killed. no, it's some of those people are candidates, they can get -- but none of them was a candidate. party bash at a certain level, some had a certain right -- we know that had a at a certain level certain right. and a commission for the election. it has to approve the candidacy. otherwise, we have no problem with a candidate. >> could you elaborate on the means used by the iraqi government in the efforts it iraq'ske to ensure that

christian minorities have a future in iraq and are not forced to flee the country were be faced with terrorist threats and blatant discrimination. >> well, terrorism is of a single component, including a minority. ideology. ontology -- al qaeda uses the same ideology. even more so against christians. they kill everyone, including christians. christians are part of our history, of our country. they are good, peaceful citizens. supportingmmitted to peace. al qaeda has another perspective. al qaeda feels they should kill all those who do not think alike. many of them were victims. this is the case of all of the iraqi people.

they targeted churches and mosques and sunnis and shiites mosque. it was in those places that they .illed christian leaders because a number of the christians is limited, it seemed that they were targeted. we supported them strongly, we ,rovided them with protection to all of the christian political leaders and holy places. , i asked hime pope to ask them to remain in iraq and tell european countries not to encourage iraqis who are christian to leave iraq. they are fighting al qaeda. i told him i do not want to see

a middle east that is void of christians or muslims. christian in the east and muslims in the west is necessary for cooperation and the coexistence of the dual religions. we are supporting them. we respect them and love them. they are respectable. we cannot deny that they were targeted, as all people who are targeted. a question -- from the tour i think ie saw today, might know the answer to this -- have you decided to seek another term as prime minister next year? if so, what are your plans for the election? [laughter] >> well, i did not know what

would justify this question. i have been asked every single day that this is something that is up to the iraqi. they will decide. , it is a difficult job. it is harmful. comesterest of the iraq first. the decision comes with the iraq he people. as didact responsibly all of my partners in the previous two governments. it is up to the will of the people. if they are looking for change, i welcome that and i am part of it. success minister, iraq is success in the middle east and that is success for the

world and success for the united states. we want to be as helpful as he possibly can to iraq so it can be the subjects -- the success we know it can be. thank you for coming and thank you for your willingness to respond to difficult questions. thank you to the audience for their patience and for your attendance and for some good questions. i think the meeting is adjourned . if you will wait for the official party to leave, we would appreciate it. thank you all. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> on c-span tonight, discussing foreign investment in the u.s.. there is a hearing on syria's civil war. primeter, the iraqi minister. at the commerce department investment summit, the ceos talk about the u.s. investment climate and the government policy on attracting foreign investment, some of those policies include immigration, the debt ceiling, and energy. it is moderated. [applause]