109 HCON 417 IH: Expressing the sense of Congress in support U.S. House of Representatives 2006-05-25 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

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

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.