Text: Bremer Stands By June 30
BREMER: Well, if you mean a year ago, you mean, say, in April? We weren't here...
QUESTION: Previous to you.
BREMER: ... in February.
This economy suffered enormously over the last 35 years from spectacular underinvestment in everything, from infrastructure to refineries to electricity to oil refineries, to everything you can name. We were not going to ever fix it in the course of 10 months. It's going to take a long time.
We've made, I think, every substantial progress. We have all essential services back at or above prewar levels.
And as I said in my statement, that's not good enough, because prewar levels were not good enough. But we have a plan, through the spending of our almost $19 billion over the next couple of years, to address the most urgent of these remaining essential service problems and we will do that.
The economy is certainly better than it was when we got here in April and May. There is a great deal of street-level activity. Hundreds of thousands of cars have been imported. The banks are open. Hospitals are working. Business is coming back. State-owned enterprises are getting back on-line, as they get their workers back to work and as they get electricity and working capital.
There are problems still and it's a sick economy that we tried to fix and we're in the process of effecting the cure, but it will take time.
QUESTION: And the second part?
BREMER: I'm sorry, the...
QUESTION: The northern Tikrit area, compared to the rest of the country?
BREMER: I thought you said the Kurdish area?
QUESTION: I mean, the Kurdish area.
BREMER: Well, the Kurdish area, of course, has had 12 years of relative independence, under the protection of the American and British forces. And when you travel there, you see what the future of Iraq can look like. It's a very prosperous area. There are a lot of people moving around. There is more self assurance against terrorism, although they've had very bad terrorism in Irbil just two weeks ago. But you can get a sense of how well the Iraqi people can do, given the opportunity.
And I think that is the vision forward for Iraq. Iraq will succeed economically.
QUESTION: I want to ask you about some of your views on the issue of Kurdish autonomy, specifically with regard to how that's articulated in the transitional law. And three specific issues, Ambassador: your views on the future of the Peshmerga and what should happen with them; the second issue, the issue of the division of natural resource revenue and what guarantees do you feel the Kurds should receive in that; and the third, the issue of the resolution of disputed territories and your position on how that issue should be dealt with in the basic law.
BREMER: On the question of the Peshmerga, let me address it as a somewhat broader question relating to militia and armed forces that are not under the control of the central government.
We have made clear in discussions with the Kurdish leaders and other political leaders that we believe there's no place in an independent, stable Iraq for armed forces that are not under the control of the command structure of the central government. Kurdish leaders have understood and agreed with that. And I think we all recognize that this is a difficult issue which will take some time to work out, which is the honorable reintegration of these kinds of forces back into Iraqi society. And I think that is the direction we will go with the help of our Kurdish friends.
On the question of natural resources and disputed territories, I expect both of these issues will be addressed in the transitional law. At this point, I think it's too early to say exactly what will be said.
But obviously in a federal system, when you deal with natural resources, there has to be some understanding about the ownership of the resources and the allocation of revenues that are generated by those resources. And I think the transition of administrative law will have to address that in some fashion.
BREMER: It is yet not -- I think not yet decided.
On the other hand, on disputed territories, our position is very clear. And it is a position that has very broad support among Iraqis I've spoken to on and off the governing council.
And that position is that disputed territories, boundaries, these issues are not issues that should be decided until there is an elected Iraqi government to decide them, which means they should be addressed by the constituent assembly that will be elected about a year from now when it starts to write the constitution. That is the appropriate forum to decide those issues, not the transitional law itself.
QUESTION: There are some rumors about the disappearance of Saddam Hussein from his prison. Is there any truth to these rumors? And is there any secure place for Saddam Hussein?
BREMER: There are no truth to those rumors. He's still under our care.
QUESTION: Ambassador Bremer, what have you reached with regard to those who were working for the minister of communications, knowing that Saddam Hussein is a prisoner of war? But are the workers of the former ministry criminals of war? Sahof (ph) is in the Emirates receiving wages, but 5,200 families need a resolution to their problem.
BREMER: I take very seriously the problem. You and I have discussed it before. We are working on it. And I am very sympathetic to the problems of those people and their families, and we are working on a solution. And when I have a solution, I will give it to you, I promise.
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