III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 38 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 7, 2005 Mr. Frist (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Biden, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Allard, Mr. Allen, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burns, Mr. Burr, Mr. Byrd, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Dayton, Mr. DeMint, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Martinez, Mr. McCain, Mr. McConnell, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Obama, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Specter, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Talent, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thune, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Commending the people of Iraq on the January 30, 2005, national elections.

Whereas on January 30, 2005, Iraq held its first democratic elections in nearly half a century; Whereas after more than 3 decades of enduring harsh repression and lack of freedom, millions cast ballots on January 30, 2005, to determine the future of their country in an election widely recognized as a success by the international community; Whereas the hard work, contributions, vision, and sacrifices of the Interim Iraqi Government in undertaking major political, economic, social, and legal reforms and, in conjunction with the efforts of the Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission, in ensuring that Iraq held nationwide elections on January 30, and in not being intimidated by terrorist and insurgent forces resulted in the successful elections of January 30; Whereas on January 30, President George W. Bush stated that the election in Iraq was a milestone in Iraq’s history and that the world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East; Whereas the January 30 election is another step in the process of developing a free and democratic Iraq; Whereas the people of Iraq cast votes to freely choose the 275-member Transitional National Assembly that will serve as the national legislature of Iraq for a transition period, name a Presidency Council, and select a Prime Minister; Whereas the Transitional National Assembly will draft the permanent constitution of Iraq; Whereas the election establishes a credible process for governing Iraq under a mandate from the majority of the people of Iraq for a new Iraq in which all communities are represented, minority rights are respected, and violence is not tolerated; Whereas an estimated 14,300,000 Iraqis were registered to vote at more than 5,000 polling stations across Iraq and in 14 other countries; Whereas, with 256 political entities composed of 18,900 Iraqi candidates standing for election in 20 different elections (the national election, 18 provincial elections, and Kurdistan Regional government election), voter turnout demonstrated widespread enthusiasm for self-determination; Whereas Iraqi security forces joined with United States and Coalition forces in providing security for the elections; Whereas despite these efforts, many Sunni Iraqis in some provinces did not vote because of fear and intimidation; Whereas the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division and other nongovernmental organizations provided technical support and assistance to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and the Iraqi Interim Government; Whereas the people of Iraq will again exercise their popular will through a national referendum in October 2005, when the Transitional National Assembly presents a draft constitution for Iraq; Whereas national elections based on that constitution are then to be held in December 2005 to choose an Iraqi government in a manner prescribed by the constitution; Whereas it is in the interest of Iraq, the Middle East, the United States, and the international community that Iraq successfully transitions to a functioning democratic state, as this may serve as a catalyst for peace and stability in the region; and Whereas the Iraqi government needs assistance from the broader international community to further develop governing capacity, train effective security forces who can defeat the terrorists and insurgents and maintain law and order, improve economic conditions, and maintain essential services, such as the delivery of electricity, gasoline, and water: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)commends the people of Iraq on the successful nationwide elections held in Iraq on January 30, 2005, and recognizes the elections as another step in developing a free and democratic Iraq; (2)recognizes the desire for freedom and liberty of all individuals who served as candidates, campaign workers, United Nations and Iraqi election officials, and voters in the January 30, 2005, elections in Iraq and congratulates the new members of the Transitional National Assembly and the leaders of the provincial and regional governments; (3)urges the new leadership of Iraq to move forward with drafting the constitution, upholding the law, and holding a referendum on the new constitution in October 2005; (4)encourages participation of all groups and communities in the drafting of a new constitution and the formation of a permanent government for Iraq; (5)recognizes and honors the sacrifices made for freedom and liberty in Iraq by the people of Iraq; (6)commends the Iraqi security forces, and the U.S. armed forces and Coalition forces, who ensured the elections could be conducted in a relatively safe, secure, and credible manner; (7)condemns and deplores all acts of violence and intimidation against the people of Iraq by members of the former Iraqi regime, insurgents, and other extremists and terrorists; (8)supports the establishment of a fully democratic Iraqi government that respects the rule of law, promotes ethnic and religious tolerance, respects the rights of women and all minorities, provides security and stability for the people of Iraq, and has the capacity to maintain basic services such as the delivery of sufficient electricity, gasoline, and water; (9)believes that it is in the interest of the people of Iraq, the Middle East, the United States, and the international community that Iraq transitions to a fully democratic state, and that doing so may serve as a catalyst for peace and stability in the region; (10)calls on the international community, particularly Arab states, countries with predominantly Muslim populations, and all North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states, to provide military and police personnel to train and assist Iraqi security forces and to otherwise assist in the political and economic development of Iraq; (11)encourages the newly-elected transitional government of Iraq to ensure that all Iraqis, including members of the Sunni religious community, are represented in the Constitution-writing process and in the new Iraqi cabinet to improve the prospects for national unity and consensus; and (12)looks forward to welcoming Iraq into the world community of democratic nations.