[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 417 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 417

Expressing the sense of Congress in support of a broad-based political 
                          settlement in Iraq.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2006

    Mr. Udall of Colorado (for himself and Mr. Schwarz of Michigan) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress in support of a broad-based political 
                          settlement in Iraq.

Whereas there has been a strong consensus among the senior United States 
        military commanders that a broad-based political settlement involving 
        the three main Iraqi groups is essential for defeating the insurgency in 
        Iraq;
Whereas the two parts of that political settlement are (1) final and complete 
        agreement on a national unity government that serves the interests of 
        all Iraqis, and (2) compromises to amend the Constitution of Iraq to 
        make it an inclusive document;
Whereas such a two-part political settlement is also essential to prevent all-
        out civil war and is a critical element of the exit strategy for United 
        States military forces in Iraq;
Whereas the Iraqi Council of Representatives' approval on April 22, 2006, of the 
        Presidency Council consisting of Jalal Talabani as President and two 
        Vice Presidents, and the election of a Speaker and two Deputy Speakers 
        was a significant step, as was the decision by the Iraqi political 
        leadership to select Nouri al-Maliki as the Prime Minister-designate;
Whereas under the Iraq Constitution, Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki 
        had 30 days from April 22, 2006, to choose and present a cabinet to the 
        Council of Representatives for its approval;
Whereas on May 20, 2006, the Council of Representatives approved Iraq's national 
        unity government, and pledged to divide the two critical unfilled posts 
        of Interior Minster and Defense Minster amongst the Shia and Sunni 
        ethnic groups, respectively;
Whereas the Council of Representatives still needs to form a committee to 
        recommend changes to the Iraq Constitution;
Whereas under the Iraq Constitution, the Council of Representatives, at the 
        start of its functioning, is required to appoint a committee from its 
        members which will have four months to present recommendations to the 
        Council for necessary amendments to the Iraq Constitution;
Whereas while the three main Iraqi groups have differing views about the 
        duration of the presence in Iraq of the United States-led coalition 
        forces, none of them favor the immediate withdrawal of United States 
        military forces from Iraq;
Whereas section 1227 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
        2006 (Public Law 109-163; 119 Stat. 3465; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) provides 
        in part that ``[t]he Administration should tell the leaders of all 
        groups and political parties in Iraq that they need to make the 
        compromises necessary to achieve the broad-based and sustainable 
        political settlement that is essential for defeating the insurgency in 
        Iraq, within the timetable they set for themselves'';
Whereas the United States Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has done an 
        exceptional job in working with Iraqi political, religious, and tribal 
        leaders in an effort to achieve consensus on the prompt formation of a 
        national unity government; and
Whereas the American public has become increasingly and understandably impatient 
        with the protracted political process in Iraq and support for the 
        continued presence of United States military forces in Iraq is 
        diminishing: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That it is the sense of Congress that the Administration should tell 
the Iraqi political, religious, and tribal leaders that--
            (1) the presence of United States military forces in Iraq 
        is neither unending nor unconditional;
            (2) whether the Iraqis avoid all-out civil war and have a 
        future as a nation is in their hands;
            (3) the Iraqis need to seize the opportunity presented by 
        the formation of a national unity government and the presence 
        of United States military forces to secure the future of their 
        nation; and
            (4) completing the formation of a government of national 
        unity and subsequent agreement to modifications to the Iraq 
        Constitution to make it more inclusive, within the deadlines 
        the Iraqis have set for themselves in the Iraq Constitution--
                    (A) is essential to quelling the sectarian and 
                insurgent-led violence which threatens to push the 
                country into an all-out civil war; and
                    (B) will enable the Iraqi government to assume 
                security responsibilities now borne by United States 
                military forces in Iraq.
                                 <all>