Opening of new US embassy in Baghdad, itw with US ambassador

Описание: (5 Jan 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of ceremonies of opening the new American embassy with two American and Iraqi flags
2. President Jalal Talabani (middle) and US ambassador Iraq Ryan Crocker (left) and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte (right) standing as the National anthems played
3. Various of US soldiers raising the American flag in front of the new building of the US embassy
4. Various of American flag flying
5. Wide of US ambassador Ryan Crocker addressing audience
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq:
''From this new embassy in the years to come, we look forward to building our partnership and contributing to the future.''
7. Wide of US and Iraqi officials
8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State:
''It is from the embassy that you see before you that we will continue the tradition of friendship, cooperation and support begun by the many dedicated Americans who have worked in Iraq since 2003.''
9. Wide of the ceremony
10. Emblem of the embassy of United States of America
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq:
"2009 is going to be a year of many things, perhaps most importantly it's going to be a year of elections. Will we see provincial elections at the end of January and then the national elections at the end of the year. As we all know watching developing democracies, in many respects, a second round of elections is as or more important than a first round. That is when the architecture of democracy is really cemented. How incumbents deal with loss, how new faces integrate themselves into the political structures, how parties organise, combine and recombine will all be very, very important in 2009."
11. Wide of US officials and soldiers at the embassy
STORYLINE:
The US ambassador to Iraq inaugurated the new American Embassy in Baghdad on Monday.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker says the inauguration is a sign of the United States' long-term relationship and commitment to Iraq.
US Marines raised the flag over the largest US Embassy in the world during a ceremony Monday in the courtyard of the large complex that will have working space for 1-thousand people.
The embassy sits on a 104-acre site in the heavily fortified Green Zone and cost more than 700 (m) million US Dollars to build.
The ceremony was attended by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who also served as ambassador to Iraq in 2005.
In an address to the audience, US ambassador Ryan Crocker said the US was looking forward to building sincere friendship with Iraq, while Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte stressed that the US wanted to continue what he called a tradition of friendship and cooperation with Iraq.
Earlier Crocker had said Iraq has made tremendous progress over the past three months but the United States must remain engaged over the long term if it wants those gains to solidify.
Crocker told The Associated Press that 2009 would be a key year for Iraq as it holds two crucial elections that will determine if democracy will take hold.
Although more than 60 people have been killed in a spate of suicide bombings and other attacks since January 1, security around Iraq has improved. Attacks dropped from an average of 180 a day one year ago to about 10 now, the US military has said.
Crocker recently spoke about the need for Americans to view Iraq with "a sense of strategic patience" because the stakes in the region are so high and not turn their attention away."

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