110 HCON 272 IH: Urging the United States Government to U.S. House of Representatives 2007-12-18 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 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 272 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 18, 2007 Mr. Fortenberry (for himself and Mr. McCaul of Texas) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Urging the United States Government to initiate a diplomatic surge to foster security and stability in the Middle East by engaging international stakeholders and governments throughout the region to curtail destabilizing influences, help prevent the spread of violence, address humanitarian concerns, and enhance prospects for security, political, and economic progress in Iraq.

Whereas United States troops have created significant military momentum, achieved security gains, and the window of opportunity made possible by their valor, commitment, and steadfast competence must be matched immediately by equally vigorous diplomatic efforts; Whereas a peaceful, stable, self-governing Iraq with effective institutions of representative government is in the best interest of all nations and securing the best possible outcome for the Iraqi people depends upon the active commitment of responsible regional and international stakeholders; Whereas the United States Government has played a pivotal role in facilitating 5 regional conferences of Middle Eastern nations to encourage greater security, economic and political support for the sovereign nation of Iraq, and these conferences have yielded some successes, including the International Compact for Iraq, a 5-year national plan that includes benchmarks and mutual commitments from both Iraq and the international community, all with the aim of helping Iraq on the path towards peace, sound governance, and economic progress; Whereas the United Nations re-entered Iraq subsequent to the tragic bombing of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003; Whereas the following initiatives have been taken by regional governments to help promote stability in Iraq: (1)The Government of Egypt hosted a regional meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh on May 3 through 4, 2007, which led to the adoption of the International Compact for Iraq; (2)The Gulf States and the United States have renewed security discussions under the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt and Jordan, and developed a new Gulf Security Initiative; (3)The Government of Jordan hosted and facilitated meetings between United States officials and Iraqi leaders aimed at resolving political disputes and created the Jordan International Police Training Center (JIPTC), which has prepared more than 30,000 Iraqi cadets since 2003 with approximately $100,000,000 in United States funding; (4)Saudi officials have strengthened border control efforts and are seeking to implement a significant border security infrastructure improvement program; and (5)Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum of understanding on countering terrorism and the Government of Turkey recently hosted a multilateral dialogue on Iraq in Istanbul; Whereas ongoing challenges remain to securing a stable Iraq, including the propensity of Iran to undermine broader regional stability by providing both weapons and training to insurgents seeking to destabilize Iraq; Whereas international donors have pledged an estimated $18,700,000,000 to $20,700,000,000 in grants and loans for Iraq reconstruction but have only committed approximately $4,300,000,000 and disbursed about $1,400,000,000 to the United Nations and World Bank trust funds for Iraq; Whereas there are over 2,000,000 Iraqi refugees throughout the region, including an estimated 100,000 in Egypt; 200,000 in the Gulf States; 54,000 in Iran; 750,000 in Jordan; 40,000 in Lebanon; 1,200,000 in Syria; and 10,000 in Turkey; and Whereas 40 nations, including 16 Arab nations, gathered to re-launch the Middle East peace process in Annapolis, Maryland, on November 27, 2007, which should create multiple opportunities to settle disputes throughout the region and provide additional momentum for more effective multilateral collaboration to help achieve a genuine and durable peace in Iraq: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)recognizes the effort of local community leaders in Iraq to promote reconciliation; (2)commends the United Nations for re-engaging in Iraq, and urges further efforts to encourage all United Nations Member States to embrace the cause of a stable, secure, and free Iraq; (3)urges the President, Secretary of State Rice, and the United States Ambassador to Iraq heighten their considerable efforts to encourage the Iraqi Government to build on foundations of regional reconciliation to make substantial progress on national reconciliation; (4)urges the President and the Secretary of State to prioritize diplomatic efforts to— (A)engage Iraq’s neighbors to assist in securing Iraq’s borders; and (B)engage regional stakeholders in an effort to prevent terrorist organizations or elements from de-stabilizing the region; (5)urges the President, the Secretary of State, and the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to work with their counterparts from United Nations Member States, governments of the European Union, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to— (A)promote interest by the international community in the success of Iraq as an independent sovereign nation and enhance the effectiveness of the International Compact for Iraq; (B)urge the nations and international bodies that since 2003 have pledged donations to Iraq to fulfill those pledges; and (C)encourage additional international investment and trade in Iraq’s economy; (6)declares that— (A)the burgeoning number of internally displaced persons within Iraq and exodus of refugees from Iraq into neighboring Middle East countries is a cause for increasing concern; and (B)the United States should engage the Government of Iraq, neighboring and regional governments, and the international community, as appropriate, including multilateral development institutions, the United States High Commissioner for Refugees, and nongovernmental organization programs addressing the needs of Iraqi refugees to assess the adequacy of existing mechanisms and funding levels to assist the safe movement of Iraqi refugees in the Middle East region and capacity of regional governments to absorb current levels of refugee influx, and to provide recommendations to enhance such capacities to meet the urgent needs of Iraqi refugees; and (7)urges the Secretary of State to direct the Internally Displaced Persons Task Force similarly to undertake an immediate assessment of the adequacy of the United States Government’s contribution to addressing the urgent needs of Iraqi displaced persons and to provide recommendations to enhance such capacities to meet those needs.