Haider al-Abadi Quotes

"We cannot stop senseless violence without the rule of law and security forces that represent and respect every segment of society."

"Daesh thought it could exploit the vulnerability of the Iraqi state, but it underestimated the overwhelming desire of the Iraqi people for unity."

"No effort for autonomy or self-rule can succeed if it is approached illegally."

"As prime minister of Iraq, I am required to act in accordance with the Constitution to protect all of the Iraqi people and to keep our country united."

"I was elected prime minister in 2014 under incredibly difficult circumstances: A third of the country was overrun by terrorists, the economy was struggling, people were divided by sectarianism, and relations with the wider world were strained."

"In the midst of the war against ISIS, we have also waged war on corruption in civil and military institutions."

"Our government strives to create an independent and impartial judiciary that applies the law without bias or favoritism. And we are incorporating into our security forces all Iraqis who have taken up arms to defend their families and communities."

"It's not in our interest, nor in the interest of other countries in the region, for terrorists to regroup again."

"If you challenge the constitution and if you challenge the borders of Iraq and the borders of the region, this is a public invitation to the countries in the region to violate Iraqi borders as well, which is a very dangerous escalation."

"My role is not to cover up for the crimes of others."

"We succeeded in fighting terrorism - we will succeed in reconstruction."

"Any claim between the U.S. and Iran, any conflict is bad for Iraq."

"We can make sacrifices to fight Islamic State, but the international coalition has to support us."

"At the end of the day, Iraq was a part of the fight against terrorism."

"I never think that walls can protect you."

"Iraq deals with the United States regardless of who is in the White House."

"Iraqi oil is sold by Iraq."

"I think Mr. Trump is a pragmatic man; he is a businessman."

"The Iranians had to come to the forefront of supporting and helping Iraq fight Daesh with advisers, with other help, logistical support for our armed forces, and we very much welcomed that."

"Many of our forces collapsed when Daesh rolled into Iraq."

"2016 is the year of eliminating corruption."

"Corruption is a disease, and sometimes it's institutionalized. It takes years to remove it. But I want to remove it."

"Iraq is fighting a war against terrorism. We are trying our best to fight them. We are trying our best to fight outlaws in our country."

"The Iraqi people will not allow any country to take possession of their own resources."

"We cannot afford to fight our neighbor, even if we disagree on many things."

"For us, sovereignty of Syria is very important."

"Inclusiveness has an outlook, an appearance and substance."

"Corrupt people sometimes are smart; some of them are dull, but some of them are very smart. They can hide their corruption tactics."

"The Iraqi constitution is clear in two articles: one says that Iraq is united, and the second one prevents any legislation or acts that impact its unity even from the regional side."

"We respect the will of our citizens, whether they are Kurds or Arabs or Turkmen, but will not allow an illegal and unconstitutional procedure done under the threat of weapons to yield results."