Barack Obama speech: highlights

Barack Obama, the Democratic contender for the US presidency, has said his main priority as US president will be to end the US involvement in Iraq.

The senator for Illinois also said another priority would be stronger action against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Here are the highlights from his speech.

IRAQ: THE WRONG WAR

We have lost thousands of American lives, spent nearly a trillion dollars, alienated allies and neglected emerging threats - all in the cause of fighting a war for well over five years in a country that had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks.

What's missing in our debate about Iraq... is a discussion of the strategic consequences of Iraq and its dominance of our foreign policy.

This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize.

This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st Century.

By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe.

ENDING THE IRAQ WAR

At some point, a judgment must be made.

Iraq is not going to be a perfect place, and we do not have unlimited resources to try to make it one.

We are not going to kill every al-Qaeda sympathiser, eliminate every trace of Iranian influence, or stand up a flawless democracy before we leave.

True success will take place when we leave Iraq to a government that is taking responsibility for its future - a government that prevents sectarian conflict, and ensures that the al-Qaeda threat which has been beaten back by our troops does not re-emerge.

That is an achievable goal if we pursue a comprehensive plan to press the Iraqis to stand up. To achieve that success, I will give our military a new mission on my first day in office: ending this war.

PURSUING AL-QAEDA

It is unacceptable that almost seven years after nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on our soil, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large.

Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahari are recording messages to their followers and plotting more terror.

The Taleban controls parts of Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda has an expanding base in Pakistan that is probably no further from their old Afghan sanctuary than a train ride from Washington to Philadelphia.

If another attack on our homeland comes, it will likely come from the same region where 9/11 was planned.

And yet today we have five times more troops in Iraq than Afghanistan.

I will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, and use this commitment to seek greater contributions - with fewer restrictions - from Nato allies.

PAKISTAN

The greatest threat to that security lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists train and insurgents strike in Afghanistan.

We cannot tolerate a terrorist sanctuary, and as president, I will not.

We need a stronger and sustained partnership between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nato to secure the border, to take out terrorist camps, and to crack down on cross-border insurgents.

We need more troops, more helicopters, more satellites, more Predator drones in the Afghan border region.

And we must make it clear that if Pakistan cannot or will not act, we will take out high-level terrorist targets like bin Laden if we have them in our sights.

IRAN

We cannot tolerate nuclear weapons in the hands of nations that support terror.

Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons is a vital national security interest of the United States.

I will use all elements of American power to pressure the Iranian regime, starting with aggressive, principled and direct diplomacy - diplomacy backed with strong sanctions and without preconditions.

We will pursue this diplomacy with no illusions about the Iranian regime. Instead, we will present a clear choice: If you abandon your nuclear program, support for terror, and your threats to Israel, there will be meaningful incentives.

If you refuse, then we will ratchet up the pressure, with stronger unilateral sanctions; stronger multilateral sanctions in the Security Council, and sustained action outside the UN to isolate the Iranian regime.

OIL

One of the most dangerous weapons in the world today is the price of oil.

We ship nearly $700m a day to unstable or hostile nations for their oil. It pays for terrorist bombs going off from Baghdad to Beirut. It funds petro-diplomacy in Caracas and radical madrassas from Karachi to Khartoum.

It takes leverage away from America and shifts it to dictators.

This immediate danger is eclipsed only by the long-term threat from climate change, which will lead to devastating weather patterns, terrible storms, drought, and famine.

This is not just an economic issue or an environmental concern - this is a national security crisis.

For the sake of our security - and for every American family that is paying the price at the pump right now - we must end this dependence on foreign oil.

And as president, that's exactly what I'll do. I'll invest $150bn over the next 10 years - $15bn a year- to put America on the path to true energy security.

FRIENDS AND ALLIES

It's time for America and Europe to renew our common commitment to face down the threats of the 21st Century just as we did the challenges of the 20th.

It's time to strengthen our partnerships with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the world's largest democracy - India - to create a stable and prosperous Asia.

It's time to engage China on common interests like climate change, even as we continue to encourage their shift to a more open and market-based society.

It's time to strengthen Nato by asking more of our allies, while always approaching them with the respect owed a full partner.

It's time to reform the United Nations, so that this imperfect institution can become more perfect.

It's time to deepen our engagement to help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, so that we help our ally Israel achieve true and lasting security, while helping Palestinians achieve their legitimate aspirations for statehood.

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