[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 4566--IRAQ LIBERATION ACT OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 1998

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, September 29th, I introduced 
H.R. 4566, the ``Iraq Liberation Act of 1998.'' As the title suggests, 
the purpose of this legislation is to finally and irrevocably commit 
the United States to the removal from power of the regime headed by 
Saddam Hussein.
  For almost eight years now, since the end of Operation Desert Storm, 
we waited for Saddam Hussein's regime to live up to its international 
obligations; to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction under 
international inspections, to stop threatening Iraq's neighbors, and 
stop menacing Iraq's Kurdish and Shi'ite minorities.
  After dozens of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and compromise 
after compromise, we have too little to show. Our patience was 
misinterpreted by Saddam Hussein as weakness. Regrettably, America's 
friends in the Middle East believe our policy lacked seriousness. The 
time has come to let Saddam know--to let the whole world know--that the 
United States will not tolerate this regime's continued grip on power.
  We must abandon the fiction that there can be peace and security in 
the Persian Gulf region with Saddam Hussein's regime still in power. 
Simply put, Saddam must go. This is not a simple task. Even when the 
international community was unified and the United States was 
energized, solutions were few and far between.
  Some suggest that our nation should go to war and rid the Persian 
Gulf of the threat posed by Saddam. We may yet be compelled to do so, 
but before we put American lives at risk in that far away land, we have 
a duty to explore the alternatives. One alternative is to assist 
freedom-loving Iraquis.
  Consider the people of Iraq who have no say in their future. Because 
of Saddam Hussein, they tolerated years of deprivation. At the hands of 
this man and his Republican Guards, tens of thousands of people were 
massacred. The people of Iraq are sick and tired of suffering; they 
have been willing to take up arms against Saddam Hussein, and they are 
willing to do so again.
  The Iraq Liberation Act is not a complete recipe for Saddam's 
removal, but it contains some key ingredients. This bill calls on the 
President to designate a group or groups committed to a democratic 
Iraq. For the designated group or groups, it authorizes the President 
to provide up to $97 million in military assistance, to be drawn down 
from the stocks of the Department of Defense. In addition, it 
authorizes the provision of $2 million for opposition radio and 
television broadcasting inside Iraq.
  These authorities, combined with other actions Congress already has 
taken, will contribute to a comprehensive policy of promoting democracy 
in Iraq. Earlier this year, the Congress appropriated $10 million to 
support pro-democracy groups, assist their organization, found Radio 
Free Iraq under the aegis of Radio Free Europe, and build a war-crimes 
case against Saddam Hussein. A further $10 million is contained in the 
Senate version of the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that will 
soon go to conference.
  The Iraq Liberation Act marks an important step forward in our fight 
against Saddam Hussein. We must not fool ourselves: The man is the 
problem. If this man remains in power, Iraq will remain a clear and 
present danger to the United States and our allies. We heard as much 
from the Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, and we have heard 
as much from the Administration.
  This bill will not tie the President's hands. It does not mandate the 
actual delivery of military assistance. The only requirement it 
contains is that the President designate a group or groups as eligible 
to receive the assistance we are authorizing. I would hope, however, 
that the President will use the authority we are offering him to begin 
to help the people of Iraq liberate themselves.

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