[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 385 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 385

 Calling on the President to negotiate a bilateral security agreement 
         with the Iraqi Governing Council before June 30, 2004.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2004

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Calling on the President to negotiate a bilateral security agreement 
         with the Iraqi Governing Council before June 30, 2004.

Whereas as of early March 2004, over 100,000 members of the United States Armed 
        Forces are deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom;
Whereas those forces, through their bravery, commitment, and sacrifice, continue 
        the efforts of the United States to bring security to Iraq;
Whereas sizeable United States forces will be needed in Iraq for a period of 
        years to help provide security until Iraqi forces are fully trained and 
        capable of providing for the security function themselves;
Whereas the agreement concluded between and signed by the Coalition Provisional 
        Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council in November 2003 lays out the 
        steps culminating in the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty on June 30, 
        2004, and calls for the approval of bilateral security agreements by the 
        end of March 2004;
Whereas leaders of the Iraqi Governing Council recently announced that, despite 
        the agreed deadline, no bilateral security agreement will be negotiated 
        until after a new sovereign government is in place after July 1, 2004;
Whereas bilateral security agreements would lay out the understanding between 
        the United States and the Iraqi Governing Council about both how much 
        latitude United States forces will have to operate in Iraq and under 
        what rules of engagement and the circumstances, if any, under which 
        United States military personnel would be subject to prosecution in 
        Iraqi courts; and
Whereas United States forces in Iraq remain under attack on a daily basis, 
        including attack from foreign forces now backed by al Qaeda, requiring 
        American commanders to have the ability to devise a coherent strategy 
        and set the rules of engagement to defeat those insurgents: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the President should use all means at his disposal to 
        negotiate a bilateral security agreement with the Iraqi 
        Governing Council before June 30, 2004; and
            (2) any such agreement should--
                    (A) maintain maximum freedom of action for United 
                States commanders in Iraq to defeat insurgent elements 
                in Iraq and to restore security throughout Iraq as 
                quickly as possible; and
                    (B) provide protections against local prosecution 
                of members of the United States Armed Forces, 
                consistent with other bilateral status-of-forces 
                agreements.
                                 <all>