Case Returns from Middle East Congressional Delegation

NEWS RELEASE
September 6, 2005

CASE RETURNS FROM MIDDLE EAST CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION

He visited Hawaii troops in Iraq and met military and government leaders in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Ed Case (Hawaii, 2nd District) returned to Washington, D.C. today from a congressional delegation to four Middle East countries, saying the morale and performance of the Army's 29th Brigade Combat Team, made up largely of activated Hawaii Army guard and reservists, is "very good" as all U.S. forces face very challenging months ahead in Iraq.

After a series of meetings with top government and military leaders from the U.S. and Middle East countries and troop visits throughout Iraq, Case said there is relative stability in most of Iraq, but an adequate continued U.S. military presence is unavoidable in order to fully transition government, military, police and reconstruction responsibility to the Iraqi people and defeat an insurgency clearly receiving support from al-Qaeda and other external entities.

Case co-led the six-day congressional delegation to Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt with Mike Pence (R-IN). Other members were Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Lincoln Davis (D-TN).

Case's main goal on his fourth "codel" to the Middle East was to visit and check up on thousands of Hawaii troops serving in the region, particularly activated Hawaii guard and reserve units in their seventh month of deployment in Iraq as part of the Army's 29th Brigade Combat Team under the command of Gen. Joseph Chaves of Kaneohe, Hawaii. Case also sought to review overall progress in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as regional issues, particularly Israeli-Palestinian developments.

29th BCT well respected
"From all indications, our Hawaii troops are performing incredibly well under most difficult conditions," said Case, who was told by the commanding general of Forward Operating Base LIBERTY, outside Baghdad, that the Hawaii guard/reserve troops were well trained and well respected. "Their morale is very good, especially given that the novelty of their deployment has long worn off and they face a very challenging upcoming few months with a constitutional referendum, the trial of Saddam Hussein, and national elections in Iraq.

"Their training was adequate, and they have the vehicle and body armor and equipment they need. They wanted to talk about home issues, which I did, especially our Little League world champs, and welcomed the local foods I brought.

"They are all very homesick and looking forward to returning early next year, but they believe in what they and we are doing," said Case, who was briefed with his colleagues by Gen. Chaves and other Hawaii 29th BCT members, including a debriefing on an insurgent attack and successful counterattack that day by 29th intelligence officer Suzanne Vares-Lum of Kaneohe.

"I told them how incredibly proud we all were of them, that we supported what they are doing, that we all wanted them to be extra careful in the months ahead, and that we were getting the parties ready for their return."

Operation Iraqi Freedom: Progress and relative stability in most of Iraq with continued major challenges in Sunni areas
In Baghdad, the congressional delegation met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari as well as the interim Iraqi Ministers of the Interior and Defense, Gen. David Petraeus who commands some 140,000 U.S. forces in Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, and members of the Iraqi National Assembly.

The delegation also traveled to three forward bases: CALDWELL (northeast of Baghdad near Kirkuk); ANACONDA (north of Baghdad at Balad); and AL-RAMADI (west of Baghdad at Ramadi.) The latter two are in the "Sunni Triangle" where the bulk of fighting is now occurring in Iraq; most of the 29th BCT is in charge of security and operations in and around ANACONDA. Case visited with activated Army guard and reservists from Hawaii at Qatar, LIBERTY (outside of Baghdad) and ANACONDA, where he conducted a Talk Story community meeting with over 50 troops. He also found two Marines from Hawaii at Ramadi, with Fallujah the epicenter of current fighting.

"This is a crucial time for Iraq, with clear progress and relative stability in 14 of the country's 18 provinces, with continued challenges in the remaining four, and with the constitutional referendum, trial of Saddam Hussein, and national elections in just the next three months. It is clear that the current insurgency is made up not only of Saddam loyalists and religious extremists within Iraq, but by foreign suicide bombers and freedom fighters coordinated in many instances by al Qaeda members, and that their collective goal is to disrupt the rehabilitation of Iraq and specifically the political process, for both internal and external purposes. But equally clear from both senior leadership and reports of our frontline troops is that most Iraqi citizens clearly support the direction of their country, want to assume responsibility, and are taking tremendous personal risks to do so.

"Realistically, we must all push through this very challenging and too-often tragic period. It will continue to be a very difficult fight that will require the maintenance of U.S. troops at or close to current levels at least well into 2006, with a continued major presence at least well into 2007. The alternative to doing so will be chaos and even greater tragedy not only within Iraq, but well beyond, as that path will surely negatively impact other crucial countries in the region like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, derail promising advances in the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and certainly touch our own shores."

"Crucial time for the entire Middle East"
In Cairo, Case and colleagues met with the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to Egypt, the Egyptian Minister of the Interior and Deputy Minister of Defense, and leading political dissenters.

In Doha, Qatar, they met with U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Chase Untermeyer, as well as Gen. John Abizaid, CENTCOM, in command of all U.S. military operations in a volatile, war-torn and terrorist-ridden region stretching from East Africa, through the Arab World including Iraq, and Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and reviewed command intelligence and logistics efforts.

"This is also a crucial time for the entire Middle East, especially given developments between Israel and Palestine and within Egypt, the Arab world's leader and most populous country. Israel's withdrawal from Gaza has clearly warmed relations with some of its Arab neighbors. Israel's ambassador cited several examples of a new attitude by Egypt toward Israel. Egypt faces its first-ever 'contested' presidential election tomorrow and, while that election process has been carefully constructed to ensure President Mubarak's overwhelming re-election, the fact that it is happening at all is having a clear ripple effect both within Egyptian politics and among its Arab colleagues. And finally the Arab world and other Middle Eastern countries are acutely aware that the outcome of Iraq and Afghanistan will have clear consequences to their own countries and the entire region."

http://wwwc.house.gov/case/press_releases/2005-58.html