[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 691 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                         June 25, 2004.
Whereas in April 2003, the United States Armed Forces and other Coalition forces 
        liberated the people of Iraq from the dictatorial regime of Saddam 
        Hussein;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 (May 22, 2003) and the 
        laws and usages of war authorized the Coalition Provisional Authority to 
        govern Iraq on a temporary basis;
Whereas the Coalition Provisional Authority established an Iraqi Governing 
        Council, broadly representative of the major geographic, ethnic, and 
        religious groupings of Iraq, as well as a Cabinet, to assist in the 
        governing of Iraq, and the Council was recognized by many members of the 
        international community as a legitimate voice of the Iraqi people;
Whereas the United States and other Coalition members, in response to the desire 
        of the Iraqi people for early self-government, worked with the Iraqi 
        Governing Council to accelerate the transfer of power to the Iraqi 
        people, with sovereignty to be transferred no later than the end of June 
        2004;
Whereas the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council on 
        March 8, 2004, agreed upon a Law of Administration for the State of Iraq 
        for the Transitional Period that strongly protects the civil and 
        political rights of Iraqis;
Whereas that Law and its Annex provide for a transition of power to an Iraqi 
        Interim Government, for elections by the end of January 2005, for a 
        Transitional National Assembly, which shall form an Iraqi Transitional 
        Government and provide for the drafting and adoption of a permanent 
        constitution, and, by the end of 2005, for a government chosen under the 
        new constitution;
Whereas the Iraqi people have begun electing local officials in parts of Iraq 
        under Coalition auspices and will have the opportunity to express their 
        will in free and meaningful national elections for the first time in 
        Iraq's history;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary General appointed a Special Adviser to 
        conduct political consultations aimed at putting in place an Interim 
        Government to assume sovereignty over Iraq;
Whereas the Iraqi Governing Council made recommendations about the composition 
        of the Interim Government, after which, when the recommendations were 
        accepted by the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Council dissolved 
        itself;
Whereas on June 8, 2004, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted 
        Resolution 1546, welcoming the formation and forthcoming ``assumption of 
        full responsibility and authority by a fully sovereign and independent 
        Interim Government of Iraq'' and authorizing the multinational force 
        under unified command to continue its activities;
Whereas the Coalition Provisional Authority will dissolve at the end of June 
        2004 and will not be replaced;
Whereas members of the United States Armed Forces, a total force consisting of 
        active, reserve, and National Guard personnel, have performed their 
        mission with great skill and courage, in the process being awarded at 
        least 18 Distinguished Service Crosses, 6 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 
        133 Silver Stars, 16,551 Bronze Stars, and 4,161 Purple Hearts;
Whereas, as of June 23, 2004, 833 members of the United States Armed Forces, 
        approximately 100 members of the Coalition forces, and many members of 
        the Iraqi security services, have given their lives to advance the cause 
        of liberty in Iraq, and thousands of members of the United States Armed 
        Forces and Coalition forces, and many members of the Iraqi security 
        services, have suffered wounds for that cause;
Whereas the families of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast 
        Guardsmen have made and continue to make enormous sacrifices for their 
        country;
Whereas in addition, Coalition forces, civilians employed by or assisting the 
        Coalition Provisional Authority, the Iraqi government and its employees, 
        international organizations, and American and other international 
        volunteers, as well as large numbers of Iraqis, have made and continue 
        to make enormous efforts to reconstruct the country and improve the 
        lives of the Iraqi people;
Whereas Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, III, Presidential Envoy to Iraq and 
        Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, has ably advanced 
        the international coalition's goals in Iraq of transforming Iraq into a 
        safe, secure, stable, sovereign, democratic state that serves the 
        interests of the Iraqi people;
Whereas the United States will be represented in Iraq by an Embassy led by 
        Ambassador John D. Negroponte, and the United States will deal with the 
        Government of Iraq on the basis of the sovereign equality of states 
        under international law, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic 
        Relations, to which both the United States and Iraq are parties;
Whereas after June 30, 2004, the Interim Government of Iraq and its successors, 
        and United States Armed Forces and Coalition forces, will cooperate to 
        meet ongoing security challenges and to extend security and stability to 
        all regions of Iraq; and
Whereas the United States has never desired to exercise permanent sovereignty 
        over Iraq and welcomes the formation of the Iraqi Interim Government and 
        its imminent assumption of authority: Now, therefore, be it--
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates the Interim Government of Iraq on its forthcoming 
        assumption of sovereign authority in Iraq;
            (2) offers its continued support to the people and government of 
        Iraq as they deal with the consequences of decades of misrule by the 
        former regime of Saddam Hussein;
            (3) expresses its gratitude to the United States Armed Forces for 
        their ongoing valiant service to their country and commitment to the 
        highest ideals and traditions of the American people;
            (4) expresses its gratitude to the families of United States Armed 
        Forces personnel, especially the families of those who have lost loved 
        ones in Operation Iraqi Freedom and of those wounded in the service of 
        their country, for their sacrifices;
            (5) expresses its condolences to the families of the innocent Iraqis 
        who have been killed or wounded during the conflict, including those who 
        were victimized by the illegal and terrorist tactics of the enemy, and 
        despite the concerted efforts by the Coalition forces to minimize 
        civilian casualties;
            (6) expresses its gratitude to the Coalition forces, the Coalition 
        Provisional Authority, the Iraqi Governing Council, the current Iraqi 
        cabinet and government officials, and the many international bodies and 
        voluntary organizations which have come to the aid of the people of Iraq 
        in an effort to help them address the consequences of decades of misrule 
        by the former regime of Saddam Hussein, as well as to the families of 
        those mentioned in this paragraph, who have been lost in Iraq;
            (7) offers its continued support to the United States Armed Forces, 
        civilians associated with the United States Government, Coalition 
        forces, and Iraqi security forces who continue to bear the burden of 
        attacks from former regime elements, foreign and Iraqi terrorists, and 
        other criminals who are attempting to undermine the interests of the 
        Iraqi people and thwart their evident desire to live in peace;
            (8) calls on the entire international community to promote the 
        welfare of the Iraqi people by rendering, in addition to the generous 
        assistance provided by the American people and, in varying degrees, by 
        some nations, immediate, tangible, and generous assistance to the Iraqi 
        people in the reconstruction of their nation, including, in response to 
        requests from the Iraqi government coordinated with the command of the 
        multinational forces, forces capable of assisting in the provision of 
        security to the Iraqi people;
            (9) reaffirms--
                    (A) that the United States Armed Forces operating in Iraq 
                after June 30, 2004, will remain under the full authority, 
                direction, and control of their American commanders; and
                    (B) the need to ensure that such Armed Forces will possess 
                all necessary authority to fulfill their mission effectively and 
                to provide for their operational safety; and
            (10) urges the people of the United States and of other countries to 
        celebrate the restoration of freedom to the people of Iraq through the 
        efforts of the peoples of the United States, the Coalition, and Iraq.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.