[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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