[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14152-14153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIP REPORT ON VISIT TO IRAQ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 9, 2003

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I just returned from spending two days in 
southern Iraq. I was there Sunday, May 25, and Monday, May 26. I also 
spent a day, Tuesday, May 27, in Kuwait, where I met with Kuwaiti 
government officials, members of the U.S. military, State Department 
officials and staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development 
(USAID).
  Today I want to share with our colleagues some details of my trip. On 
another day, I will share a number of recommendations concerning the 
reconstruction of Iraq.
  Let me begin by praising the efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, 
airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard who served--or are 
continuing to serve--in Operation Iraqi Freedom. They are the best of 
the best. I cannot emphasize enough how good a job they have done and 
continue to do. They and their families all have made tremendous 
sacrifices.
  I was particularly impressed with the soldiers and Marines I talked 
with who are reservists called to active duty. Many left good jobs and/
or school to serve. Their professionalism and attitude were 
exceptional.
  I also want to express my heartfelt sympathy to all the families who 
lost loved ones during the war. We will never forget--and will always 
be grateful for--their service to the cause of freedom.
  All the soldiers and Marines I met in Iraq are doing an incredible 
job under extremely difficult conditions. The heat in Iraq and Kuwait 
is oppressive and will only get worse as summer approaches. It was over 
100 degrees both days I was in Iraq. I was told that the temperature 
can sometimes reach 140 degrees in July and August. The living 
conditions for most of the soldiers that I saw were primitive.


                            Reason for Trip

  I believed it was important to go to Iraq to get a first-hand look at 
the reconstruction efforts that are under way and to assess the 
humanitarian assistance that is being provided. I crossed over the 
border into Iraq from Kuwait. I visited the towns of Nasiriyah, Al Kut 
and Al Amarah.
  I spent the night in Nasiriyah--where some of the heaviest fighting 
during the war took place--then traveled northeast to Al Kut on Monday 
morning. From there I headed south to Al Amarah then passed through the 
outskirts of Basra on the way back to the Iraq-Kuwait border.
  During the trip I talked with a number of Iraqis, visited two 
hospitals, including the one from which Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch was 
rescued, met with military officials, and spent a considerable amount 
of time with representatives from several non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) working in Iraq.
  I saw what was left of one of Saddam Hussein's infamous torture 
chambers, heard ghastly stories about the brutality of Saddam's regime 
and was told of mass graves. I saw paintings, posters and statues of 
Saddam defaced or destroyed. His name was scratched off or punched out 
from signs on buildings bearing his name. I saw ``No to Saddam Yes for 
Bush'' spray painted in green letters on the side of a building just 
after crossing over the border from Kuwait.
  I saw very sick children, many of whom are probably now dead, and was 
amazed by the bravery of a young boy I saw in the emergency room of a 
hospital. He had been brought in just minutes before I arrived. He had 
been playing outdoors and came in contact with either a land mine or 
unexploded ordnance. His face was severely burned and a piece of 
shrapnel was deeply embedded in his right eye. Blood was streaming down 
his face onto his chest. He looked to be about 10-years-old. He never 
cried.
  I saw the results of precision-guided bombing. It is amazing. In 
Nasiriyah, I was taken by what was left of the former home of a Baath 
Party leader. The house was sandwiched between several other homes. 
While it was reduced to rubble, none of the surrounding houses appeared 
to sustain any damage.
  I was told that Radio Sawa, a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week Arabic-
language network whose programming originates from the United States 
and is broadcast in the region, is very popular. The network plays a 
mix of the best Western and Arabic pop music and has balanced up-to-
the-minute news and analysis. It also broadcasts features on a variety 
of political and social issues and does in-depth reports on the 
development of freedom and democracy in the Middle East.
  Some were skeptical of the success of the broadcasts. But I was told 
by locals that since Radio Sawa went on the air in spring 2002, few 
listen to Arabic radio stations anymore.


                            Tough Conditions

  Life in southern Iraq is difficult. Poverty is widespread. Buildings 
are dilapidated. Trash and rubble litter the streets. Many of the trees 
have been cut down and used for firewood because propane was so scarce 
under Saddam's rule. The water is putrid.
  Saddam Hussein did everything in his power over the last decade to 
make life in towns like Nasiriyah as miserable as possible because of 
the uprisings following the first Gulf war. It was their punishment for 
opposing his iron-fisted rule. Thousands of men who defied Saddam 
literally disappeared and have never been heard from since; they are 
presumed dead.
  The conditions in the two hospitals I visited--while dramatically 
improved over the last month--are pitiful. At what was once the Saddam 
General Hospital in Nasiriyah--now just called the General Hospital--
there are no screens on the doors. As a consequence, any time a door is 
opened, bugs--particularly flies--come streaming in. Flies were 
swarming over two of the empty beds in the emergency room.
  There is no monitoring equipment for the beds in the emergency room. 
In fact, I saw very little monitoring equipment anywhere in the 
hospital. Imagine walking into your local hospital and not seeing a 
machine to monitor your pulse or take your blood pressure. Medicine 
also is in short supply. It was depressing.
  Security in Iraq remains a real concern, not only for coalition 
forces but for the general public. Lives continue to be lost. Whether I 
was talking to military officials, NGOs or Iraqis, security was the 
first issue they always addressed. Looting is still a problem in some 
parts of the country and I heard several stories about robberies and 
carjackings. I was told MPs in Nasiriyah successfully stopped a car 
jacking the Sunday night I was there.
  Many Iraqis are afraid to go back to work for fear their home may be 
looted or that they may be robbed. Several people told me that hearing 
random gun fire after sundown has become commonplace.
  The NGOs that I talked with said that it was not unusual for their 
vehicles to be pelted with rocks in some parts of the country. Civilian 
convoys are threatened. No one travels after sunset.
  One reason for the lawlessness is that before the war started, Saddam 
Hussein opened all the prisons, releasing both political prisoners and 
hardened criminals. Murderers. Rapists. Robbers. Getting these 
criminals back behind bars is critical.


                           blueprint for iraq

  In order for the United States to win the peace in Iraq it is 
imperative that we restore law and order. We need to redouble our 
efforts to ensure that Iraq is safe.
  In ``Play to Win,'' the final report of the bipartisan Commission on 
Post-Conflict Reconstruction, security is one of the four ``pillars'' 
of post-conflict reconstruction. The other three are: justice and 
reconciliation; economic and social well being, and governance and 
participation.

[[Page 14153]]

  This comprehensive report published in January 2003 by the 
Association of the United States Army and the Center for Strategic and 
International Studies should serve as the blueprint for the 
reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Members of the commission include 
retired military officers, representatives from the NGO community and 
international aid organizations, former high-ranking executive branch 
officials, and Members of Congress with expertise in foreign affairs.
  Among those on the commission are: Dr. John Hamre, former deputy 
secretary of defense; Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the 
United Nations; Gen. Gordon Sullivan, former chief of staff of the U.S. 
Army; Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on 
Intelligence, and Rep. Doug Bereuter, chairman of the House 
Subcommittee on Intelligence Policy and National Security. (I, too, was 
a member of the commission, although I did not have a leading role.)
  The report makes 17 recommendations ``on what the United States will 
have to do to enable itself to help countries successfully rebuild 
themselves following conflict.''
  I have asked the commission to provide me with 535 copies of the 
report so I can share it with my colleagues. It also can be found on 
the Internet at http://www.pcrproject.org
  Below is an excerpt from the report on the issue of security:
  ``Security is the sine qua non of post-conflict reconstruction. 
Though every case is different, there is one constant--if security 
needs are not met, both the peace in the given country and the 
intervention needed to promote it are doomed to fail. Unless 
comprehensive security needs are addressed up front, spoilers will find 
the weak areas and retain leverage to affect the political outcomes, 
vitiating the peace. While peace is essential, it never will be one 
hundred percent guaranteed and the perfect must not become the enemy of 
the good. In order to achieve acceptable levels of security, 
`coalitions of the willing' and the UN peacekeeping operations need 
coherent military leadership and core troops from a lead nation that 
provide the backbone of the operation. The international community must 
also enhance its ability to deploy civilian police to address temporary 
needs. In addition, efforts to design and reconstruct local security 
institutions, including both military and police, must begin early in 
the process.''
  I believe the Bush Administration would be well served to have 
several members of the commission visit Iraq to measure how the 
reconstruction efforts match the recommendations in the report. Dr. 
Hamre and Gen. Sullivan, who served as the co-chairmen of the 
commission, could be charged with selecting which members should go. 
There should be no objection to this recommendation. Each of the 
commission members has a distinguished and extensive background. Their 
insight and observations could prove to be invaluable.
  In addition to members of the Commission on Post-Conflict 
Reconstruction visiting Iraq, members of Congress should visit as well. 
In my opinion, it would make sense for the chairman and ranking 
member--or their designees--of the following committees to travel to 
Iraq:
  House and Senate Armed Services committees;
  House International Relations Committee;
  Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and
  House and Senate Appropriations committees.
  Members should spend time in all parts of Iraq. Obviously safety and 
security are issues that must be considered, but the trips could be 
made in small groups without publicity. The only way to get a feel for 
what is happening is by visiting the towns and cities and talking to 
the people living there.
  In addition to meeting with military commanders, these members or 
their designees should meet with Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, the 
civilian administrator of Iraq, and other officials from the Office of 
Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA)-now called the 
Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA)-USAID officials, and 
representatives from the NGO community and other international aid 
organizations. Meetings with Iraqi citizens also should be set up.
  Congress needs to be involved in--and kept up-to-date on--the 
reconstruction of Iraq. Clearly, there is a great deal at stake for the 
United States in Iraq. The reconstruction effort is going to be long 
and arduous. No one is naive enough to believe it is going to happen 
overnight. Nor is anyone naive enough to think that it is not going to 
come without problems and challenges.
  Yet, if Congress is not involved, the Bush Administration is going to 
be left without a partner in rebuilding Iraq. The Congress is the Bush 
Administration's greatest ally. There should be nothing to hide. And 
after my trip, I believe there is great deal to tell-much of it 
positive.
  We must, however, be realistic. We have a long, long way to go in the 
reconstruction of Iraq. We have won the war, and we must be careful not 
to lose the peace. Failure cannot be an option. A well developed plan 
for reconstruction is imperative and congressional involvement will 
help the Bush Administration from steering off course as it works to 
rebuild Iraq.

                          ____________________