[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 162 (Friday, December 16, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H12035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2300
                           A NEW DAY FOR IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schwarz of Michigan). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, the initial reports of yesterday's Iraqi 
election all point to it having been a remarkable day for the Iraqi 
people. Although Iraq's security situation remains precarious and the 
country's economy and much of the infrastructure have yet to be 
repaired, the past year has seen important progress in the country's 
political development.
  More than 11 million Iraqis went to the polls to cast their votes for 
a new parliament and a new future. Iraq Sunnis who boycotted the 
polling in January, turned out in force to ensure their voices would be 
heard in the new legislature. For weeks, Sunni imams had been imploring 
their congregants to vote and their calls were heeded. Election 
observers estimated that turnout was in excess of 70 percent nationwide 
and the turnout was matched by preelection polling that showed a high 
degree of enthusiasm for and optimism about the elections and what they 
mean for the future of Iraq.
  Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of yesterday's voting was the 
absence of violence. Across the country, only 52 attacks were recorded, 
and there were no mass casualty incidents. This stands in marked 
contrast to the January election when voters in polling stations were 
hit by more than 300 insurgent attacks.
  Yesterday's relative calm was due to the men and women of our Armed 
Forces. Our troops and their commanders did a magnificent job over the 
past months to prepare the country for this crucial election. Even as 
we celebrate the success of the voting, we cannot overlook the 
incredible sacrifice of our military men and women. They have performed 
magnificently, but at an enormous cost.
  While the election itself was a remarkable achievement, we, our 
coalition partners and the international community, must move quickly 
to ensure that Iraq's fragile, nascent democracy is able to flourish.
  Two days ago I was invited to the White House, along with a number of 
my Democratic colleagues, to meet with the President and senior 
administration officials on preparations for the elections and next 
steps in Iraq. I appreciated the President's efforts to reach across 
the aisle for unity, and we had a far-reaching discussion on how best 
to move forward in Iraq. I hope that the President's recent willingness 
to engage with Members of Congress, and especially Democrats, augers 
more consultations with the Hill on Iraq and the broader array of 
national security challenges that confront us.
  Counting the votes will take days and perhaps weeks, given the sheer 
number of ballots cast for the more than 300 political parties that 
registered to compete in the election, as well as the bifurcated nature 
of allocating seats by province and nationwide.
  As we move forward, I see a series of five steps as crucial to Iraq's 
future.
  First, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who has done a remarkable job in 
Kabul and in Baghdad, must work with the Iraqis to assemble a new 
government that will include the diverse array of Iraqi voices in order 
to maximize the legitimacy of the government in the eyes of the Iraqi 
people while minimizing the prospects for the dissolution of Iraq. The 
apparently strong showing by the secular Iraqi National List, headed by 
former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, may be an early indicator 
that a broad-based government may be possible.
  Second, we must work with a new parliament and help them execute the 
revisions to Iraq's Constitution that were promised in the days leading 
up to the October referendum. Constitutional changes that strengthen 
the power of the central government and ensure that the Sunnis are able 
to share in the nation's oil wealth will do much to allay the concerns 
of Iraq's Sunnis.
  Third, we must ramp up our efforts to train and equip Iraq security 
forces so that a significant portion of American forces can be 
redeployed from Iraq with the remainder of American troops adopting a 
much lower profile. This will allow us to better safeguard the lives of 
our troops even as we continue to act as the ultimate guarantor for the 
new Iraqi state.
  Fourth, we must fracture the insurgency in order to weaken it. The 
Iraqi insurgents are made up of three distinctly different groups. The 
first group, the foreign jihadis, must be destroyed. The second group, 
which is made up of the hard-core Baathists, is also likely to fight to 
the bitter end. The third wing of the insurgency is composed of 
disaffected Sunnis who are motivated primarily by the loss of their 
status in Iraqi society.
  Yesterday's election and the consolidation of a broad-based 
government should be instrumental in diminishing the threat from this 
faction.
  Finally, we must redouble our efforts to reconstruct Iraq. While 
there has been some progress in restoring basic services and providing 
opportunities for Iraqis, there is much work yet to be done. This is an 
area where we should make a new effort to reach out to the 
international community and engage them in Iraq's future.
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday's voting was a triumph for the Iraqi people, 
for the cause of democracy in the Arab world, and for our Armed Forces; 
but now we must act quickly and effectively to solidify these political 
gains.

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