[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.