Joint Statement of Senate Delegation Regarding Trip to Iraq

WASHINGTON - Upon their return from Iraq and other Middle East nations, Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) made the following statement:
We visited with General John Abizaid, Commander U.S. Central Command and his staff at the Command's forward headquarters in Qatar. We also visited with Ambassador Paul Bremer and his staff, with a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, and with Lieutenant General Tom Metz, Major General Chuck Swannack, and other U.S. operational commanders in Iraq.

Most notably, we visited with and were deeply impressed with the courage, dedication and professionalism of the men and women of the U.S. military.

While the security challenge in Iraq is daunting, the political challenge is at least as great.

It is very important that the United Nations play a significant role in the formation of the Iraqi Interim Government to which sovereignty is to be restored on July 1. That new Interim Government will prepare for elections for the new National Assembly, which in turn will draft a constitution. Yesterday's decision of the Iraqi Governing Council to invite the United Nations to help in that effort is an essential first step. But the Administration must now move strongly to obtain the support and presence of the United Nations. To achieve that, the United States must deal with the United Nations as a full partner in this process.

Violence by former regime loyalists and foreign terrorists against innocent Iraqis and Coalition forces will continue. The violence will likely increase unless the Iraqi Interim Government, which takes over on July 1, is established through a process that leads to a consensus among the three main Iraqi communities and is accepted as representative of the Iraqi people. It is difficult to see how the requisite consensus and acceptance could be achieved without the assistance and support of the United Nations.

As part of that process, it will be necessary to obtain a fuller participation of the Iraqi Sunni community in the planning for the future of Iraq, including in the Iraqi Interim Government. Under current de-Baathification procedures, thousands of Iraqis, whose membership in the Baath Party was not ideological but a requirement of public employment, including teachers, have been excluded from contributing to the future development of Iraq, which alienates many in the Sunni community.

There is a long way to go in the training and equipping of the Iraqi security forces, including the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, the new Iraqi Army, and particularly the police. We recognize that the United States will be the primary source of security in Iraq for many, many months. Nevertheless, it is imperative that adequate Iraqi security forces be brought on line as soon as possible.

The highest priority should be given to the dedication of resources to the development of intelligence to counter terrorism in Iraq. This should also be reflected in the activities of the Iraq Survey Group.

The adoption of a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq is essential so that the world community approves a new Iraqi Interim Government and the Government is not viewed as a continuation of Western occupation. Such a resolution would also firmly and unambiguously establish the status and authority of the U.S.-led Coalition forces in Iraq, foster the participation of the military and police forces of additional nations and hopefully the NATO Alliance itself, and gain greater financial support for the reconstruction of Iraq.

The Administration now must actively solicit the United Nation's support and treat the United Nations as a vital and full partner in addressing the massive political challenges that lie ahead in Iraq.