[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21260]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    H. CON. RES. 249 EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS ON CONTINUED 
                           ENGAGEMENT IN IRAQ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 2003

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this is the second resolution 
concerning post-war Iraq that I have introduced this month. My 
Resolution is similar to an amendment that passed unanimously in the 
Senate on July 16, 2003. It calls on the President to reach out to our 
allies in NATO, the United Nations, and the Organization for the 
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for help in postwar Iraq.
  First, it calls on the President to request assistance from NATO to 
raise a force for postwar Iraq similar to Afghanistan, Bosnia, and 
Kosovo. Even though some NATO members, Great Britain, Spain, Italy and 
Poland, are already contributing troops to our effort in Iraq, American 
troops make up 90% of coalition forces.
  And second, it calls on the President to seek military and civilian 
police assistance from members of the United Nations to aid in 
promoting stability and security in post-war Iraq.
  The U.S. and coalition forces currently occupying Iraq are being met 
with constant resistance and are being attacked on an average of twelve 
times a day. Increasing the number of troops and police from other 
countries will reduce the risks to U.S. and coalition forces currently 
in Iraq. International armed forces and police must assume some of the 
responsibilities for maintaining law and order in Iraq while a domestic 
police force and reformed military is trained and established. Pentagon 
officials estimate that it will take a year to train one division of 
12,000 Iraqi troops.
  My Resolution also calls on the Organization for the Prohibition of 
Chemical Weapons, along with other international and nongovernmental 
organizations, to provide assistance to the coalition partnership in 
Iraq.
  Mr. Speaker, it's time to move past any negative feelings concerning 
countries that opposed our attempts to secure a U.N. endorsement for 
the war. A report published by the Center for Strategic and 
International Studies, funded by the Department of Defense, reported 
that ``the window of opportunity for achieving postwar success is 
closing and requires immediate and dramatic action.''
  Our ultimate goal for the Iraqi people is a multi-ethnic, multi-
religious Arab state that is capable of self-rule. This goal can only 
be achieved with the help and support of the vast global community.
  Mr. Speaker, United States and coalition forces managed to liberate 
Iraq in a mere three weeks, and I would certainly be remiss if I did 
not take the opportunity to commend those brave men and women for their 
efforts to date. However, the goals we have set, from restoring 
critical infrastructure, to establishing an interim government, to 
maintaining law and order in Iraq, simply cannot be achieved alone. 
We've won the war, now we have to win the peace.

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