Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Traveled to Baghdad on Saturday to Meet with Justice Department Personnel, U.S. Military and Iraqi Officials

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales met in Baghdad on Saturday with representatives from the Department of Justice to express his appreciation for their assistance in helping to restore communications between the country's legal and law enforcement infrastructure. Attorney General Gonzales has visited Iraq three times since being appointed Attorney General.

"I am pleased to see first-hand, in my third visit to Iraq, the progress that the men and women of the Justice Department have made to rebuild Iraq's legal system and law enforcement infrastructure. They have accomplished an enormous amount of work in the past four years by assisting in the training of tens of thousands of police, security and correctional personnel and prosecutors, supporting thousands of criminal investigations, and leading the Regime Crimes Liaison Office," said Attorney General Gonzales. "Their sacrifice and commitment to the rule of law and protecting the rights and liberties of Iraqi citizens is truly inspiring." Attorney General Gonzales was accompanied by Michael J. Sullivan, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), John Clark, director of the U.S. Marshals Service and other Department of Justice staff.

General David M. Petraeus met with Attorney General Gonzales shortly after his arrival on Saturday. The Attorney General's schedule includes meeting with Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker as well as with Department of Justice and U.S. military personnel. Meetings will also be had with Chief Justice Medhat al-Mahmoud of the Federal Supreme Court, Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Mikha'il, Minister of the Interior Jawad al-Bulani and various other Iraqi government officials.