feisal istrabadi >> good afternoon. it's a pleasure to be with you this afternoon. i want to thank the middle east institute and ms. seelye for the invitation to be with you today. i also want to thank shell for making this event possible. i am honored to be on the same title as ambassador feltman and mr. don feltman and mr. don feltman and mr. don become each of whom have significant become each of whom have significant experience in iraq. i should point out that the remarks that i am making today, the views i express today are my own. they do not represent those of institution for which i am now or have previously been affiliated. my central thesis today, which at least i think we'll get a good debate going -- excuse me, will be the u.s. -- that while the u.s. iraq relationship is governed by a strategic framework agreement of which ambassador feltman alluded, it is not consistent with that agreement. i say that in three ways. first, rhetoric aside, the obama administration continuing the policy of the bush administration. i want to emphasize that. continuing the

ambassador feisal istrabadi served as deputy permanent representative for iraq at the united nations from 2004 through 2007. he is currently the founding director of the center for the study of the middle east at the indiana university. prior to his diplomatic appointment he served as legal adviser to the iraqi ministry of foreign affairs and will also principal legal director of iraq's interim constitution. daniel serwer is a scholar at the middle east institute and senior research professor of conflict management and senior fellow of the center for trans-atlantic relations at the johns hopkins school of the dance international studies. dan was vice president for peace and stability operations at the u.s. institute of peace from 1998-2009. in 2004 he established the u.s. ip office in baghdad where it continued to operate. he has made 1 dozen trips to iraq in the past eight years mainly to work and mitigating ethnic and sectarian conflict. please join me in welcoming our speakers and i will be happy to turn it over to ambassador feltman. [applause] >> thank you for the opportunity to

jeffrey feltman, feisal istrabadi, who has come in from indiana, daniel serwer. thank you for taking your time out of your schedules to join us and to share your insights on iraq with us. we're fortunate to have them with us today. these are three individuals who are foot time, thought, an energy into the topic of iraq and whose own achievements and understanding of what it takes to build alliances and relationships make them qualified to discuss this topic. i am not alone and i'm looking forward in the presentations. are also want to thank others for their support of this program. we could not do it without their encouragement. thank you very much. now i would like to handed over to our moderator who is the program director for the middle east and north africa. he is also a scholar and is an iraq expert having been the director from 2005 to 2007. i'm sure he will also weigh in on this topic today. i handed over to charles. hand it over to charles. >> thank you for your marks and thank you to the institute for launching this series on iraq. iraq is largely vanish