"I certainly hold an Iraqi national thought and I am an Arab belonging to Iraq. I do not believe in an Islamic state in Iraq. I believe that an Islamic state will harm Iraq a lot and may harm the region. Therefore, I look forward to having a national project in Iraq that controls the future of the country in a civilized and modern form and respects the heritage of Iraq."

“I'm a doctor and a politician. Weapons are foreign to me.”

“America is the last remaining superpower.”

“I am not prepared to serve a sectarian regime. If we can achieve a broad, clear mandate for national unity, where it doesn’t matter if someone is Kurd or Arab, Sunni or Shiite, then I am ready to take any post.”

“For me, Iran's influence is not positive. I am certainly not an advocate of Iranian policies. I am even sure that they have a red line and a veto on me. But I think the world should engage and talk with Iran and try to see and feel where the fears of Iran lie. The Iranians are logical people. We should try to convince them that proliferation does not serve their purpose in the end.”

“As far as the pressure from Iran goes, I can assure you that there was a very clear red line: Allawi and the Iraqi List were not to be allowed to come into power.”

“...I am no proponent of a theocracy. I am a secularist. I wanted an independent Iraqi government, not a lackey of Tehran.”