That's why I have even established my own political entity after being reluctant for a long time. This is to encourage a lot of people from all aspects of Iraq, from all faiths, to join in and not to sit. Because we have a silent majority in Iraq. We want this is a silent majority to say their word, and I'm sure they are very capable and very influential.
RUSSERT: Why are they so silent? If they didn't like Saddam Hussein, and they were going to greet us as liberators, why are they still silent?
AL-YAWAR: Well, first of all, these people have been living for 45 years under totalitarian regimes. They are still rehabilitating out of that. We are telling them, "Your vote is very valuable. Cast your vote. This is your duty, and this is your right. Don't forfeit it for any reason."
This is what we are trying to do. We are trying to assist the people to come out of the shell of the totalitarian regimes and the oppression of the past. And this is very important.
RUSSERT: You said this a month ago: "Whoever fights with the other on board this boat will tip it over and make everyone fall into the river and get eaten up by the alligators. Not a single passenger will survive."
AL-YAWAR: Yes, I did say that. That is because I want all Iraqis to understand that we are one team. We have one choice: is to move along in tranquility to reach the shores of safety and build our prosperous country. And I still believe in it.
RUSSERT: This is in The New York Times today, this headline, "Sunnis versus Shiites and Kurds: Mayhem in Iraq is starting to look like a civil war."
Do you believe that Iraq is on the verge of a civil war?
AL-YAWAR: Never, ever, Iraq has been -- if you look deep into our history, 7,000 years of history, we never, ever had a single incident of unrest built on ethnicity or sect or religion. We never had that.
All these has been -- all these stories and scenarios has been imported to Iraq, and it's time for Iraqis to understand themselves, firsthand, not to listen to others telling them how they should behave.
I don't think -- I'm 100 percent sure. And this is my intuition. We will never, ever have civil war or unrest based on ethnicity or belief or sectarian reasons.
RUSSERT: Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Muslim. You're a Sunni Muslim. You're a minority in the country. If, in fact, the Shia elect a majority of the government and control the national government, can the Sunnis accept minority status?
AL-YAWAR: Well, first of all, the Sunni Muslims, if we are talking about Sunni Muslims, Sunni Muslims makes about 50 percent of the Iraqi population, because the Kurds are Sunni Muslims too, most of them.
We do not have a problem. In Iraq, we have a challenge of sectarian versus civil-oriented people. That's people who believe that the religion is more sacred to be involved in politics. And this is a dimension we have in Iraq.
RUSSERT: Let me ask you about your comments about the silent majority.
AL-YAWAR: Yes, sir.
RUSSERT: Americans see their death toll passing 1,000 men and women, their injured and wounded over 7,000. And they say, why should Americans fight and die for Iraqi people if they are passive and they're a silent majority? If you, yourself, don't want democracy and aren't willing to fight and die for it and put down the insurgency and not in any way enable it, why should Americans stay there and die for you?
AL-YAWAR: Well, first of all, our thoughts goes for the families of the people who lost their lives in Iraq. But we in Iraq appreciate very much all the assistance and all of the sacrifices that the American people are making for us in Iraq.
What we believe in, that by empowering Iraqis and helping us build our security forces and military on proper technical and moral backgrounds, this will be the solution for the Iraqi problem.
Myself is 100 percent convinced that the solution for the security situation in Iraq should be 100 percent Iraqi. Until then, we need our friends to help us preserve our security. But we have to work and expedite building Iraqi security forces from now.
When I mention the silent majority, I mentioned the people who were, out of fear of reprisals of oppressive regimes, of the vicious dictatorship like Saddam, they were hurt. They were hibernating in caves. And this is a moral and national and human duty, is to help these people come out of these caves.
And I think the United States, being the superpower, is destined to be helping all of the people in the world to make the world a free world, really.
RUSSERT: Realistically, how long do you think American troops are going to have to stay in Iraq?
AL-YAWAR: As long as we can -- I hope it will be as short as we can build our security forces 100 percent. That is not impossible. Iraq is very well known in the Middle East for the human resources we have. We have extremely qualified people.
We have to start revisiting the issue of the old army and try to (inaudible) the people and bring back some of the people who have never had blood-stained hands in the past.
RUSSERT: But that will take several years.
AL-YAWAR: No. I don't think it will take several years.
RUSSERT: Do you believe American troops...
AL-YAWAR: It will take months.
RUSSERT: You think American troops could be out of Iraq in months?
AL-YAWAR: Well, months. We're talking about months. Probably, I don't know, six months or eight months, or a year. But I don't think it will take years, definitely not.
RUSSERT: And American troops can come home?
AL-YAWAR: Yes, but after -- when we build our security forces. I mean, this is a job which has been done. And this is -- America cannot afford to retreat at this time. This will be bad for Iraq, the Middle East and to the United States and the world.
RUSSERT: You will meet with President Bush tomorrow. What will you tell him?
AL-YAWAR: I will tell him, "Thank you very much, Mr. President, for all of the help that we've had in the past." I will tell him that we in Iraq are determined to build our own democracy, own Iraqi-style democracy. But also, we want you to help us empowering more Iraqis to assume responsibility, especially in the security forces arena.
RUSSERT: Mr. President, we thank you for joining us and sharing your views.
AL-YAWAR: Thank you very much.
RUSSERT: Coming next, the new leader of the Democrats in the United States Senate, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada.
Then, insights and analysis, what lies ahead for George W. Bush's second term. Our roundtable with David Broder of The Washington Post and David Gregory, who covers the White House for NBC News.
