Appointed-Ambassador Faily’s Interview with Radio Sawa

In the interview, Appointed-Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily said the first group of Iraqi pilots who were trained to lead F-16 fighter jets will graduate at the end of the month. Mr. Faily said he expects that 36 aircraft will be delivered to Iraq in September. Appointed-Ambassador Faily denied that the pilots were chosen based on secretarian bias and stressed the need to move away from sectarian politics in order to build a strong country.

On the issue of Mr. Faily’s appointment, he acknowledged the support of Prime Minister Maliki for his work, and stressed that: “My appointment in Washington is not an issue related to sectarian positions.”

Appointed-Ambassador Faily spoke about the intensified efforts of diplomatic missions of Iraq to improve Iraq’s relations with other countries. The focus will be to build and strengthen the bilateral relationship with the United States and the country’s political institutions.

Mr. Faily also said the U.S. public relations firm that Iraq contracted with last year has helped draw a road-map to facilitate and amplify the voice of Iraq in decision-making circles in the United States. Mr. Faily spoke about the nature of his responsibilities and the role of the ambassador in the coming months.

To read the entire transcript in Arabic, click here.