General James Conway, the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps spoke at the Grand Iranian Gathering in Paris

    
                                                       Gen. James Conway

General James Conway:Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My name is General Conway as a three star general, serving with my marines in Iraq on two tours. I was one of the people who made the promise to your countrymen and that’s why I am with you today. I have for you 3 quick points. First of all, I fear that United State’s emigration system is nearing dysfunction. You heard John Shelton & Secretary General Mukasey talk about the things that we are attempting to do as US representatives to bring those people from Liberty in to our Country. I wish I had more confidence that that was going to happen. As a nation we follow some of immigration laws others we choose to ignore. Today as we sit here we have tens of thousands of people coming across our southern border and you heard the silliness described as we go to interview those people at Liberty, clearly they meet the definition for political asylum and yet we somehow are not allowing that to happen. I am more concerned than ever before for the safety and security of your countrymen at Liberty. When the world is distracted by other events, Syria, the attacks into Iraq, the Ukrainian situation, there is an ample precedent for bad people doing bad things. So I am concerned for their safety and security if the Iranian presence in the Maliki government is diminished in time that to come as they leave Iraq what untoward things that they may be capable of again with regard to your countrymen. My third point is really to the other nations who are represented here today, many of whom have superb records for humanitarian assistance. I ask you not to wait on the United States because if you do that it may be too late. I ask that you consider doing the right thing for those people who again in my mind are in increased levels of jeopardy before the real danger approaches. Doing the right thing does not depend on some one else going first. So please go back to your nations, tell them what you have seen here today and try to make a difference.