[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 688 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 688

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the 
                  creation of federal regions in Iraq.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 2007

Mr. Gallegly submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the 
                  creation of federal regions in Iraq.

Whereas Iraq continues to experience a self-sustaining cycle of sectarian 
        violence;
Whereas the ongoing sectarian violence presents a threat to regional and world 
        peace, and the long-term security interests of the United States are 
        best served by an Iraq that is stable, not a haven for terrorists, and 
        not a threat to its neighbors;
Whereas the central focus of al Qaeda in Iraq has been to turn sectarian 
        divisions in Iraq into sectarian violence through a concentrated series 
        of attacks, the most significant being the destruction of the Golden 
        Dome of the Shia al-Askariyah Mosque in Samarra in February 2006;
Whereas Iraqis must reach a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement 
        in order to achieve stability and reduce violence;
Whereas Article One of the Constitution of Iraq declares Iraq to be a ``single, 
        independent federal state'';
Whereas Section Five of the Constitution of Iraq declares that the ``federal 
        system in the Republic of Iraq is made up of a decentralized capital, 
        regions, and governorates, and local administrations'' and enumerates 
        the expansive powers of regions and the limited powers of the central 
        government and establishes the mechanisms for the creation of new 
        federal regions;
Whereas the federal system created by the Constitution of Iraq would give Iraqis 
        local control over their police and certain laws, including those 
        related to employment, education, religion, and marriage;
Whereas the Constitution of Iraq recognizes the administrative role of the 
        Kurdistan Regional Government in three northern Iraqi provinces, known 
        also as the Kurdistan region;
Whereas the Kurdistan region, recognized by the Constitution of Iraq, is largely 
        stable and peaceful;
Whereas the Iraqi Parliament approved a federalism law on October 11, 2006, 
        which establishes procedures for the creation of new federal regions and 
        will go into effect 18 months after approval;
Whereas despite their differences, Iraq's sectarian and ethnic groups support 
        the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq; and
Whereas Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated on November 27, 2006, 
        ``[t]he crisis is political, and the ones who can stop the cycle of 
        aggravation and bloodletting of innocents are the politicians'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of House of Representatives that--
            (1) the United States should actively support a political 
        settlement in Iraq based on the final provisions of the 
        Constitution of Iraq that create a federal system of government 
        and allow for the creation of federal regions, consistent with 
        the wishes of the Iraqi people and their elected leaders;
            (2) the active support referred to in paragraph (1) should 
        include--
                    (A) calling on the international community, 
                including countries with troops in Iraq, the permanent 
                five members of the United Nations Security Council, 
                members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Iraq's 
                neighbors--
                            (i) to support an Iraqi political 
                        settlement based on federalism;
                            (ii) to acknowledge the sovereignty and 
                        territorial integrity of Iraq; and
                            (iii) to fulfill commitments for the urgent 
                        delivery of significant assistance and debt 
                        relief to Iraq, especially those made by the 
                        member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council;
                    (B) further calling on Iraq's neighbors to pledge 
                not to intervene in or destabilize Iraq and to agree to 
                related verification mechanisms; and
                    (C) convening a conference for Iraqis to reach an 
                agreement on a comprehensive political settlement based 
                on the federalism law approved by the Iraqi Parliament 
                on October 11, 2006;
            (3) the United States should urge the Government of Iraq to 
        quickly agree upon and implement a law providing for the 
        equitable distribution of oil revenues, which is a critical 
        component of a comprehensive political settlement based upon 
        federalism;
            (4) the steps described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) 
        could lead to an Iraq that is stable, not a haven for 
        terrorists, and not a threat to its neighbors; and
            (5) nothing in this resolution should be construed in any 
        way to infringe on the sovereign rights of the nation of Iraq.
                                 <all>