110 HRES 1205 IH: Noting that the Government of Iraq will U.S. House of Representatives 2008-05-15 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 2d Session H. RES. 1205 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 15, 2008 Mr. Delahunt (for himself, Mr. Berman, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Shays, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Hastings of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Noting that the Government of Iraq will likely enjoy $32 billion in surplus oil revenues in 2008 and requesting the Government of Iraq to dedicate $1 billion to address the needs of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons.

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization of Migration estimate that more than 4.7 million Iraqis are currently displaced from their homes, including 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 2 million more who have fled Iraq for neighboring countries; Whereas Syria plays host to an estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, with roughly half a million more located in Jordan; Whereas several other countries in the region have allowed Iraqi refugees to temporarily find shelter and Sweden has generously offered permanent homes to 40,000 Iraqi refugees since 2003; Whereas the United States has a moral responsibility to assist those affected by the violence pervasive in Iraq since the United States invasion and should generously support the efforts of international and nongovernmental organizations to ease the human suffering of the displaced; Whereas the Government of Iraq has both the obligation to aid its citizens in need and the financial resources with which to do so; Whereas the Government of Iraq’s 2007 budget dedicated only $14 million to the newly created Ministry of Displacement and Immigration, and that amount was raised to $18 million in 2008; Whereas Iraq also offered a mere $25 million in 2007 to neighboring countries to offset a small part of the burden they have assumed by hosting such large numbers of Iraqis; Whereas the Iraqi Government forecasted $38 billion in oil revenues during 2008 but with oil prices skyrocketing from $57 per barrel in early 2007 to over $110 on the global market today, revenues have increased at an equally dramatic rate; Whereas the Iraqi Government could generate $70 billion in revenues in 2008, leading to potentially $32 billion in additional oil revenues and a substantial budget surplus; Whereas in June 2008, the Iraqi Parliament will convene a special session in order to consider the Iraqi Government’s proposal on how to spend this unallocated surplus; Whereas dedicating funds at this session to meet the needs of refugees and IDPs could make an immeasurable difference in alleviating the suffering among this desperate community, many of whom lack adequate shelter, food, and access to clean water; Whereas providing funds to the UNHCR and other international organizations would also ease the significant burden placed on neighboring countries by such a large influx of people; Whereas Jordan has struggled to provide even the most basic services to Iraqi refugees now living in that country and increased assistance, along with a resumption in subsidized oil exports to Jordan, would better enable the Jordanian Government to care for the Iraqi refugees living there; Whereas aiding refugees and IDPs will also serve to better stabilize the region, as critically impoverished displaced communities both inside Iraq and in neighboring countries represent a significant potential security threat; Whereas recent reports highlight the danger in both Shiite and Sunni militias providing humanitarian aid to IDPs, thereby increasing their base of support; and Whereas greater aid to refugees would demonstrate to the world that the Iraqi Government is committed to repatriating those who fled the violence and promoting reconciliation among all Iraqi ethnic and religious communities and would also have a positive economic effect in reversing the exodus of educated Iraqis, the very people essential for Iraqi reconstruction: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)calls on the Governments of the United States and Iraq to work together in easing the suffering of the refugees and internally displaced persons; (2)suggests that the Iraqi Government significantly augment its contribution to efforts on behalf of this displaced population; (3)requests that Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki propose in his supplemental budgetary request to the Iraqi Parliament in June 2008 that $1 billion be dedicated to meeting the needs of this community; and (4)requests that the Iraqi Parliament accept this budgetary request.