Speech of Sheik Hammam Hammoudi at the First Baghdad Dialog Conference

In the name of God the Merciful

Your Excellencies, Sovereignty, Tolerance and Excellencies

Peace and blessings of God be upon you.

Welcome to the People's House, your second home. I greet our honored guests in their second country - Iraq, wishing them a good stay.

I also congratulate you and our heroic people and the peoples of the region for the great victories against ISIS, which were achieved at the hands of the sons of Iraq, including the military and security forces, the Popular Mobilization Forces, the Peshmerga and the sons of the tribes, and all those who stood with them in support of giving and service.

Our contemporary history has recorded great stories of the cohesion of our Iraqi people - the least of which is its counterpart - in which it embodied its pride and vision in supporting its vulnerable brothers who are under the control of ISIS, its brutality, its debasement of women's freedoms, and its violations of all human rights and moral values. Our people have offered thousands of sacrifices of martyrs and wounded, and the line of the greatest heroics in order to protect the show, liberate the land, and preserve national sovereignty.

Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen.

We welcome you to our conference, which is entitled (Dialog), which we see as the most appropriate and correct approach in understanding each other, reading reality with an insightful and sincere look, and inspired solutions, and finding opportunities, and overcoming challenges - no matter how different visions and multiple opinions.

We chose its title (Baghdad) – Dar es Salaam – to recall the location of Iraq and its capital, and its civilized and pioneering role in which it was known: attractive, influential, absorbing, and creative in its humanitarian giving.

And we made sure that the topic of the conference was discussed. We believe that the spirit of the victor in his reading, research, and dialog is more accurate, objective, and realistic than reading the defeated person who is usually affected by his frustrated psychology. And this is what Surah Al-Nasr referred to in her recommendation (Praise God and forgive him.)

The Iraqis have preceded others in winning against ISIS, and this was not easy, but the victory was achieved under difficult circumstances, serious challenges, political problems, popular reform movements, a defective internal security situation, a financial crisis due to oil prices, and the weight of millions of displaced people… In such complex situations, our forces of all kinds were able to take the initiative and regain their strength. The fatwa of the supreme authority in Najaf was a great credit in inspiring our people with the spirit of Husseini altruism. Let a new chapter of resilience begin – Amerli’s resilience; And let the battle of liberating the cities begin successively... and we fought the battle of existence and the battle of reform simultaneously.

And we cannot fail here to extend our thanks to everyone who stood with Iraq in its battle and provided aid and support in all its forms, at the same time that we affirm that the liberation of the land was in the hands of a brave Iraqi, and with a dedicated national will for its sacrifices.

These victories have won admiration, appreciation and interest from the world, and have established a new stage for Iraqis, and great horizons of courage, insight, and sorting out friends and enemies. It created a spirit of innovation and initiative, and promoted the values of cooperation and trust, unity, solidarity and cohesion.

The battle to defeat ISIS has contributed to the restoration of the national spirit of Iraqis and the strengthening of the bonds of trust and understanding between them. And this is an important and essential step to re-reading the situation and building the vision of the future of Iraq after ISIS.

And the liberation of Nineveh, all of Nineveh, and the fall of the state of Daesh is a pride for all Iraqis of all colors, because it represents the fruit of national effort and cohesion that they cherish, and will be a bright and inspiring page in their history and national unity.

 Our problems are not solved by others, because Iraqis know about them and I am able to diagnose and understand them. (God does not change what we do, until they change what they themselves)... and ourselves are subject to our will, including the starting point... Our problems and challenges are clear and clear thirteen years after the fall of the tyrant, and our long experiences with takfiri groups... We have sought to include them under main headings, which we made them the themes of the sessions of the Baghdad Dialog Conference today and tomorrow:

First: Security, which is the basis of the state and its prestige, stability, and development.  And security is an indivisible or disintegrating condition. It is based on loyalty to the political system, sufficiency, and professionalism… So after the experience of victory over ISIS militarily, it must be asked: What is our new vision to overcome this great challenge..!?

Second: Building the state on the basis of citizenship and the rule of law, and the contribution of everyone to its construction, and its people feel justice and dignity. And in this axis, there are different visions and options that are presented in the political arena, including changing faces, changing the formation of blocs to cross-sectarian and nationalist political blocs, adopting the political majority in the formation of the government, strengthening decentralization, returning to centralization, and others.

Third: Victory has heavy benefits, such as caring for the families of martyrs, treating the wounded, returning the displaced to their homes, and what may lead to social and other conflicts. And in addition to all that, the benefits of the transitional phase, which we are still suffering from, and its consequences, and the repercussions of our exit from a dictatorial, criminal and authoritarian regime to a pluralistic system that witnesses broad and open freedoms in all fields, in addition to the effects of the abhorrent occupation, its mistakes, excesses and others. All of this has negatively affected the lives of citizens, their rights, and the prevalence of administrative and financial corruption.

And in this research can benefit from the experiences of other countries and what they have achieved after completely changing their systems of progress and stability, or collapse and rupture. The experience of Eastern European and other countries is a model for this.

Fourth: The region and its future directions, strengthening the role of Iraq in its Arab, Islamic and international surroundings, and fortifying its internal front from abusive external interventions,  And his contribution after the victory against ISIS, and the accumulation of his experience in strengthening the stability of the region and world peace, especially since the region after the liberation of Aleppo is witnessing regional cooperation, and an understanding of international transformations after the elections and the change of the US presidency, which imposes more understanding and coordination among them.

We hope that this forum will witness an objective, transparent, serious, direct, and courageous discussion and dialog in order to enter the depth of problems, crises, and challenges, not oblivious to the victories and positive developments that have been achieved…

We can only appreciate the initiative of the brothers in the Iraqi Institute for Thought Dialog and the University of Baghdad, under its esteemed presidency, to hold this conference. We also extend our thanks to the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers for its good cooperation to make this forum a success. Our thanks go also to the Secretariat of the Council of Representatives, as well as our brothers, university presidents, deans and professors of colleges who praised us for their valuable research, as well as the participating ministries and bodies.

We cannot fail to extend our sincere gratitude to the media, the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, research and studies centers, and civil society institutions, who participated in supporting this conference.

We would also like to thank the presidency of the National Alliance, the Prime Minister's Office and Amanat Baghdad for their generous hosting. And our special appreciation and thanks to everyone who endured the trouble of traveling from inside and outside Iraq and we were honored to share it.

And in conclusion, we apologize in advance for any shortcomings or omissions that may appear, you are all appreciated, cherished, loved and honored.

And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings

I am pleased to invite His Excellency the President of the Republic, Dr. Fouad Masum, to deliver his speech