[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 89 (Thursday, June 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7497-S7499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE TRANSITION OF IRAQ
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
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proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 397, which was
submitted earlier today by Senators Frist and Daschle.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 397) expressing the sense of the
Senate on the transition of Iraq to a constitutionally
elected government.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be
laid upon the table, and any statements relating to this resolution be
printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 397) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 397
Whereas June 30, 2004, marks Iraq's assumption of
sovereignty and the beginning of the transition of Iraq to a
free and constitutionally elected government, which is to be
established by December 31, 2005;
Whereas the Senate congratulates the Iraqi people,
expresses its appreciation to the Iraqi Interim Government,
and reaffirms the United States desire for the people of Iraq
to live in peace and freedom;
Whereas the successful transition of Iraq to a
constitutionally elected government requires that Iraq
develop the capacity to provide security to its citizens,
defend its borders, deliver essential services, create a
transparent and credible political process, and set the
conditions for economic prosperity;
Whereas the people of Iraq have a long tradition of
cultural and technological achievement and a talented and
dedicated population;
Whereas the United States desires peace and prosperity for
the citizens of Iraq;
Whereas more than three decades of dictatorial rule have
deprived the people of Iraq of the benefits of that tradition
and history, caused extraordinary personal suffering, and
robbed the people of Iraq of the opportunity to reach their
full potential;
Whereas establishing security is a prerequisite to the
successful transition to democracy and reconstruction of
Iraq;
Whereas providing security to the people of Iraq will
require a well-trained and well-equipped police force, a
professional military accountable to civilian leadership, the
disbanding of militias, and a fair and efficient judicial
system;
Whereas the current program to train and equip Iraq
security services could benefit from better vetting of
candidates, expanded training time, follow-on field training
with experienced police and military professionals, and the
accelerated provision of equipment and resources;
Whereas the administration of the institutions of
government and the delivery of essential services in Iraq
will require technical expertise and training not yet fully
developed in Iraq;
Whereas Iraq faces a shortage of essential services,
including sanitation, safe water, and a reliable supply of
electricity;
Whereas economic prosperity in Iraq will require viable
financial institutions, conditions that encourage private
investment, and the significant reduction of foreign debt
incurred by the regime of Saddam Hussein;
Whereas the people of Iraq were the victims of three
decades of economic mismanagement under the regime of Saddam
Hussein, and have inherited $120,000,000,000 in debt incurred
by that regime;
Whereas Prime Minister Allawi has requested assistance from
the international community to aid in the rebuilding and
security of Iraq, including assistance from the neighbors of
Iraq to improve intelligence-sharing and to tighten controls
of the borders with Iraq in order to prevent the infiltration
of terrorists and illicit goods, and assistance from the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to train and equip
Iraqi Security Forces;
Whereas the international community, through a unanimous
vote of the United Nations Security Council in Resolution
1546 (2004), called on United Nations member states and
international and regional organizations to contribute to a
multinational force in Iraq and a dedicated force to provide
security for the United Nations presence in Iraq, to help
Iraq build the capability of its security forces and
governing institutions, to aid in rebuilding the capacity for
governance in Iraq, and to commit additional resources to
reconstruct and develop the economy of Iraq;
Whereas since the adoption of United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1546, some members of the international
community who have long expressed concern for the plight of
the people of Iraq, and who voted for the adoption of the
Resolution in the Security Council, have failed to respond to
the urgent needs of the people of Iraq;
Whereas improved security in Iraq and the increased
capacity of the people of Iraq to provide essential services
will reduce the burdens on United States military personnel
in the region;
Whereas the United States supports the determination of the
Iraqi Interim Government to defeat the loyalists to Saddam
Hussein, radical militias, common criminals, and terrorists
who make up the insurgency in Iraq;
Whereas the United States is committed to assisting Iraq in
reasserting its full sovereignty, consistent with United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1546;
Whereas the Senate acknowledges the efforts and sacrifices
of the Armed Forces, other employees of the United States
Government, contractors, and their counterparts in the
coalition to promote Iraq's security, recovery, and
transition; and
Whereas the United States and other members of the
international community have a profound stake in the success
of the transition of Iraq to a constitutionally elected
government: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the members of the Armed Forces and their families have
performed courageously and nobly and have earned the deep
gratitude of the people of the United States;
(2) success in Iraq is a global priority and therefore
demands cooperation from all states and international
organizations;
(3) states and international organizations should fulfill
their commitments to contribute what resources and skills
they can to the establishment and security of an independent
Iraq with a constitutionally elected government;
(4) states and international organizations should fulfill
the financial commitments they have already made to the
reconstruction of Iraq;
(5) the international community should establish, to the
highest standards, additional police training academies
inside and outside of Iraq, contribute additional trainers to
those academies, and dedicate experienced police to train
Iraq police officers in the field;
(6) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is
uniquely qualified to respond to the call for assistance in
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 (2004) to
meet the needs of the people of Iraq for security and
stability, including by assisting in training the Iraq
military, providing security for elections in Iraq, and
helping secure the borders of Iraq and should, therefore,
respond positively to the request of Interim Iraqi Prime
Minister Allawi to provide training, equipment, and other
forms of technical assistance that his government determines
is appropriate to help Iraq's security forces defeat
terrorism and reduce Iraq's reliance on foreign forces;
(7) in order to ensure that the United Nations can play the
leading role called for by United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1546, member states should contribute additional
military and security forces, and other resources as
appropriate, to provide security for a United Nations
presence in Iraq;
(8) countries unable to contribute security personnel to
help stabilize Iraq should contribute to the transition of
Iraq in other ways, including by providing technical experts,
civil engineers, municipal management advisers, and to fill
other needs requested by the Iraqi government;
(9) countries holding debt incurred under the Saddam
Hussein regime should meaningfully reduce amounts of that
debt;
(10) the United States is committed to a free and peaceful
Iraq; and
(11) it is appropriate to thank coalition partners and
other countries that have helped promote security, stability,
reconstruction, and democracy in Iraq.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I do want to make a very brief statement on
this resolution submitted by Senator Daschle and myself expressing the
sense of the Senate on the transition of Iraq to a constitutionally
elected government.
This resolution does a number of things. I will mention a couple.
First, it congratulates Iraq on its transition to a free and
constitutionally elected government. All of this is in reference to
Iraq's assumption of full sovereignty on June 30, which will occur
while we are on recess, and its transition to democracy in the months
ahead.
Secondly, it expresses the Senate's appreciation for the service,
courage, and commitment of the Iraqi interim government to a free and a
democratic Iraq. It commends all members of the U.S. Armed Forces and
their families for their noble and courageous service in this cause. It
affirms that success in Iraq is a global priority that demands
cooperation from all States and international organizations. It calls
on the international community to assist Iraq in the training of police
and security forces. It calls on NATO to respond positively to Iraqi
Prime Minister Allawi's request of NATO to assist Iraq in the training
and equipping of Iraq security forces. It urges countries that cannot
provide security forces or similar resources to assist Iraq in other
ways such as providing financial assistance or forgiving Iraq's debt.
The resolution thanks the U.S. coalition partners and other countries
that
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have joined us in Iraq for their efforts in promoting Iraq's security,
stability, reconstruction, and transition to democracy.
In particular, I also thank Senator Sessions for originating the idea
of this resolution and for turning it into real language for his
colleagues to consider. He initially proposed such a resolution that
provided certain language. At that time, he was working in a bipartisan
manner with Senator Lieberman and other Members of both sides of the
aisle on this bipartisan resolution. He later joined with Senators
Lindsey Graham, Joe Biden, Tom Daschle, and myself--most of us have
actually been in Iraq recently--to hammer out a resolution that not
only celebrates the liberation of Iraq and its transition to full
sovereignty but also prescribes a number of steps that should be taken
in the coming months to ensure those fruits of our efforts are
realized.
I thank Senator Daschle and his colleagues for their help in fine-
tuning this resolution so the entire Senate can endorse it. It is a
good resolution. The importance of its passage I do not think can be
underscored given the fact we are about a week before Iraq's transition
to full sovereignty. It sends a timely message, the right message, of
thanks to our coalition partners and our support to the Iraqi interim
government and the Iraqi people who are endeavoring to defeat terrorism
and secure the blessings of democracy.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Mr. REID. If the distinguished majority leader will yield, following
the meeting with the President this morning, which I had the good
fortune of being able to attend, the one message that came out of the
meeting to me is that the hero today in Iraq is the Prime Minister of
Iraq. He is a man of great courage who has had a number of
assassination attempts on his life, even when he did not live in Iraq,
because of the people who were trying to get rid of him, and I wish him
well. He is a man of courage. To take on this responsibility knowing
that the evil forces that are in that country are out to dispense with
him says a lot about the kind of man he is.
Speaking personally of the meeting at the White House this morning, I
repeat the one thing that came out of that meeting today is the
forceful nature of the man who is leading that country as of next
Wednesday.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
Mr. FRIST. I will just add to the comments of my friend from Nevada
that I had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister a little
over 2 weeks ago when we were in Baghdad.
I know Senator Daschle and Senator Biden and Senator Graham also had
the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister on their recent trip. I
mention that because 4 weeks ago nobody knew that he was going to be
Prime Minister. In fact, he didn't know. It was not a position that he
had asked for. The interim government, through this selection process,
asked him to step forward, and he did just that. Uniformly, the people
who met him and who have talked with him since he has assumed this
position have been impressed with his courage, his determination, and
his understanding of the role that is before him.
I should also add the distinguished assistant Democratic leader and I
had the opportunity to meet with the President of Iraq who will be
working with the Prime Minister. He, too, is very impressive in terms
of his leadership and his vision, and the boldness we know is going to
be required.
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