Iraq Study Group Statement on White House Meetings

Questions about the ISG or its report should be directed to:

Ian Larsen 202-429-3870 cell: 703-929-2099 ilarsen@usip.org [1]	Lauren Sucher 202-429-3822 cell: 202-657-7326 lsucher@usip.org [2]

 

To schedule a press interview after the report launch, email ISGinterviews@usip.org [3] or call 202-772-3577.

To RSVP for the December 6 ISG press conference, email ISGRSVP@usip.org [4] or call 202-772-3575.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2006

The Iraq Study Group [5] met Monday with President George W. Bush and other members of his administration as it continues its process of making a forward-looking assessment of Iraq.

The study group members also met with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden, National Intelligence Director John D. Negroponte, General Peter Pace, General George Casey and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

Tuesday, the study group will meet with key Democratic foreign policy experts, including former National Security Advisor Samuel R. Berger, former Assistant Secretary of State Richard C. Holbrooke and former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

“The ISG is independent, bipartisan, and open to all views,” Baker and Hamilton said. “We were pleased to meet with senior administration officials today and look forward to our consultations with some prominent Democrats tomorrow. We are working expeditiously to complete our report and recommendations.”

The study group, comprised of five Democrats and five Republicans, was created in March 2006 to conduct a forward-looking, bipartisan assessment of the situation in Iraq, its impact on the surrounding region, and consequences for U.S. interests. The study group was assembled at the urging of a bipartisan group of members of Congress and has been welcomed by President Bush.

The study group expects to have a report completed by the end of the year.

The other members of the study group include Lawrence S. Eagleburger [6], Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Edwin Meese III, Sandra Day O'Connor, Leon J. Panetta, William J. Perry, Charles S. Robb, and Alan K. Simpson. Robert Gates recently resigned from the Study Group upon his nomination to be Secretary of Defense.

The Iraq Study Group is being coordinated by the United States Institute of Peace, with the support of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for the Study of the Presidency, and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

More information on the Iraq Study Group [5]:

• Fact Sheet [7]
• About the Iraq Study Group [8]
• Members [9]
• Expert Working Groups [10]