The head of the U.S./Iraq Business Council spoke in northeastern Iowa this week. Rubar Sandi lived in the Kurdish part of Iraq until 1977 when he fled during the Iraq-Kurdish war. He referred to Saddam Hussein as -the- weapon of mass destruction. Sandi has been involved in a committee for more than a year that’s been making plans for the post-war Iraq. He says Iraq faces many challenges in the rebuilding process. He says it will take time, a minimum of six to ten years, but it -is- possible to build a democratic system in Iraq and to educate people about liberty. Sandi was asked how long the U.S. will need to remain in Iraq for freedom to take hold. Sandi says he sees the U.S. as a stabilizing, not occupying, force. Sandi spoke Tuesday night in Dubuque before a foreign policy group.
