[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 2-MONTH RECESS

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the Iraqi National Assembly plans to take 
its regularly scheduled 2-month summer recess starting in July. Taking 
such an extended break demonstrates a lack of urgency on their part and 
political will on the part of the Iraqi parliament.
  Defense Secretary Gates told a Senate hearing last month, ``I'll be 
blunt: I told some of the Iraqis with whom I met that we are buying 
them time for political reconciliation, and that every day we buy it 
with American blood. For this group to go out for 2 months, it would, 
in my opinion, be unacceptable.''
  Accordingly, I have introduced H. Res. 469, which expresses the sense 
of the House that the Iraqi National Assembly should cancel or postpone 
its 2-month recess and work towards meeting political, social and 
military benchmarks. I urge my colleagues to join with me in sending a 
message to the Iraqi parliament that they must work to fulfill their 
obligations.

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