[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 113 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 113

Urging all governments involved in the military action against Iraq to 
 work to take all reasonable measures to avoid damage to the cultural 
           antiquities in Iraq until hostilities have ceased.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 2003

 Mr. English submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Urging all governments involved in the military action against Iraq to 
 work to take all reasonable measures to avoid damage to the cultural 
           antiquities in Iraq until hostilities have ceased.

Whereas the United States has assembled and deployed an allied military 
        coalition to apply pressure on the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq to 
        comply with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions 
        relating to Iraq;
Whereas military operations often result in the destruction and permanent damage 
        of irreplaceable cultural property;
Whereas cultural property is defined by the 1954 Hague Convention for the 
        Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict as ``any 
        moveable or immoveable property of great importance to the cultural 
        heritage of all people, such as monuments of architecture or history, 
        archaeological sites, works of art, books or any building whose main and 
        effective purpose is to contain cultural property'';
Whereas the region of present day Iraq, located between the Tigris and Euphrates 
        rivers, is known as the ``Cradle of Civilization'', the birthplace of 
        varied societies that moved civilization from prehistory to history, and 
        the native land of many Biblical and Koranic events;
Whereas the cities and rural areas of Iraq are home to some of the oldest human 
        settlements in the world as well as more than 10,000 identified 
        archaeological sites of cultural and historical importance and tens of 
        thousands of other unexcavated sites;
Whereas Iraq continues to serve as one of the prime centers of Islamic art and 
        culture;
Whereas in the 4th millennium B.C., long before the emergence of Egyptian, 
        Greek, or Roman culture, the Sumerian culture flourished in the region 
        of present day Iraq, inventing the wheel, the first plow, the first ever 
        sophisticated irrigation system, the earliest form of writing 
        (cuneiform), the first used calendar, and the first written alphabet;
Whereas southern Iraq is home to the site of the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk, 
        known to many as the first true civilized city and home to the legendary 
        King Gilgamesh who built the city's famous great wall;
Whereas the Iraqi city of Ur, which flourished in the 3rd millennium B.C., is 
        known as the birthplace of Abraham and is said to be the possible 
        location of the Garden of Eden;
Whereas the city of Ur holds one of the world's oldest and most important 
        ziggurats, a high rising temple of sunbaked brick with outside 
        staircases leading to the shrine on top, partially excavated but yet to 
        be completely uncovered;
Whereas the city of Ur is the location of one of the greatest archaeological 
        finds of the 20th century, a cemetery in which ancient Sumerian royalty 
        were buried along with their servants and extravagant treasures;
Whereas near the city of Ur is the archaeological site of Tel Al-Ubaid, where 
        ancient terra-cotta pottery and sculptures dating back to 4,500 B.C. 
        were unearthed;
Whereas the Akkadian people briefly ruled the region of present day Iraq in the 
        2nd millennium B.C. and developed the capital city of Babylon which 
        became the commercial and cultural center of the Middle East for 2,000 
        years;
Whereas the city of Babylon, flourishing from approximately 1700 to the 6th 
        century B.C., was the center of operations for historical leaders such 
        as Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar, and Alexander the Great;
Whereas Babylon was home to the captive Israelites in the Biblical book of 
        Exodus and the location of great archaeological finds including the 
        Ishtar Gate, an enormous brick entryway into the ancient city, and 
        tentatively named as the site for the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven 
        Wonders of the World, and the Biblically-referenced Tower of Babel;
Whereas the site of Nippur, approximately 100 miles south of Babylon, has 
        yielded a vast collection of pre-Islamic pottery and the oldest known 
        record of a murder trial, chronicled on a clay tablet dating back to 
        1850 B.C.;
Whereas in 762 B.C., the city of Baghdad, founded under the rule of Abo al 
        Abbas, the first caliph of the Abbasid dynasty, was the central 
        commercial, cultural, philosophical, and intellectual capital of the 
        world during the Middle Ages and was seen by many as the Islamic capital 
        of the world during the 10th century;
Whereas the city of Baghdad contains the Kadhimain mosque and shrine, many 
        medieval buildings, including other tombs, mosques, minarets, and the 
        13th century Mustansiriya;
Whereas located sixty miles east of Baghdad is the modern city of Samarra, the 
        home to the famous Great Mosque, which among other things, is the tomb 
        of Imam Ali and his son Husein, the founders of the Shiite branch of 
        Islam;
Whereas located in Iraq's third largest city, Mosul, are the ruins of Nimrud, 
        including a Great Mosque, dating from 172 A.D., and an ancient leaning 
        brick minaret, dating from 640 A.D.;
Whereas near the city of Mosul is located the site of the ancient city of 
        Nineveh, referenced by Biblical prophet Zephaniah and the site of the 
        prophet Jonah's sermons, including royal Assyrian palaces and more than 
        20,000 cuneiform tablets from King Ashurbanipal's library;
Whereas the site of the ancient city of Hatra, located near Mosul, is known as 
        the ``City of the Sun'' which holds many archaeological remains because 
        it served as a trade and military route along the Tigris river;
Whereas located at the site of the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon, 20 miles 
        southeast of Baghdad, are the remains of a gigantic vaulted hall, the 
        Taq Kisra, which has one of the largest single-span brick arches in the 
        world and was damaged by shock from explosions in the 1991 Persian Gulf 
        War;
Whereas the modern city of Khorsabad stands on the ruins of an ancient city 
        called Dur-Sharrukin, where among many other priceless treasures, 
        fragments of a colossal human-headed winged bull was found;
Whereas the Iraqi city of Assur holds great works of art from the royal Assyrian 
        workshops of the 13th century B.C., residences of merchants from the 
        18th century B.C., and temples built before the 21st century B.C.;
Whereas it should be recognized that the aforementioned Iraqi cities and 
        archaeological sites comprises an extensive list of endangered cultural 
        antiquities, but the list is not a comprehensive list;
Whereas it is understood that the success of a United States-led military 
        campaign will require military contingencies to consider all strategic 
        options and compelling concerns in the formulation of operational plans; 
        and
Whereas Congress has expressed the support and appreciation of the Nation for 
        the President and the members of the Armed Forces who are participating 
        in ``Operation Iraqi Freedom'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That, recognizing the paramount importance of accomplishing the goals 
of the United States and allied countries currently engaged in 
hostilities against Iraq and protecting the lives of members of the 
United States Armed Forces, members of the armed forces of our allies, 
and civilians in Iraq, Congress urges all governments involved in the 
military action against Iraq to work to take all reasonable measures to 
avoid damage to the cultural antiquities in Iraq until hostilities have 
ceased.
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