Have not yet read this, but given the intense interest in Post-Saddam Iraq plans on this List, I thought that I would pass it along.
JDG >Subject: Post-Saddam Iraq >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Post-Saddam Iraq > > Marc Grossman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs > Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee > Washington, DC > February 11, 2003 > > As Prepared > > Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee. > > Thank you for inviting us to talk about post-Saddam Iraq. > > This is my first opportunity to testify before this Committee in the 108th > Congress. I congratulate Senator Lugar on his Chairmanship. Senator Biden, we > thank you as well for your leadership in this Committee last year. > > I also want to second Secretary Powell's thanks to all the members of the > Committee for your strong support for the men and women of the State > Department. > > Mr. Chairman, members of this committee need no introduction to the subject of > Iraq and the regime of Saddam Hussein. As Secretary Powell told the United > Nations Security Council on February 5, Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession > of weapons of mass destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, > not in a post-September 11th world. > > The day after his address to the UN Security Council, Secretary Powell came > before this committee and said, The President does not like war, does not want > a war. But this is not a problem we can walk away from. > > Mr. Chairman, our testimony today will in some ways be like a consultation. > Many of the policies Under Secretary Feith and I will describe are still under > discussion in the Administration. President Bush has not made final decisions > about if and when to use military force to disarm Iraq, nor has he made any > final decisions about exactly how the United States will proceed with respect > to Iraq after a conflict, if one is required. Although we may not be able to > describe final decisions, we are not without clear guidance. On January 20, > President Bush directed all relevant agencies of the government to focus their > attention on Iraq post-war planning. Under Secretary Feith will describe to you > the planning office at the Pentagon. The President s direction is clear: If it > becomes necessary for a US-led military coalition to liberate Iraq, the United > States will want to be in a position to help meet the humanitarian, > reconstruction and administrative challenges facing the country in the > immediate aftermath of combat operations. > > Before I offer some views on what that future might look like, let me first lay > this base. If we have to act, we will have allies. > > * 26 countries are providing us with access, basing or overflight rights, or > some combination of the three. > > * Another 18 countries have granted us access, basing or overflight rights > based on our contingency request for those rights, or have come forward > voluntarily to offer such rights to us, should we wish to make use of them. > > * 19 countries have offered us military assets or other resources. This > number includes many countries that have granted us access, basing and > overflight rights, but also a number of additional countries. > > > Mr. Chairman, let me now highlight five subjects. > > First, I want to offer some of the principles that guide our thinking about the > future of Iraq. > > Second, I want to stress the importance of ridding Iraq of its weapons of mass > destruction. > > Third, a report on what we are planning on the humanitarian front. > > Fourth, some words on our planning for reconstruction. > > Fifth, on the political front, I want to tell you about the work we have been > doing on what post-Saddam Hussein Iraq ought to look like. > > I.Guiding Principles > > Mr. Chairman, if it should be necessary for the United States to take military > action, these principles will guide our thinking. > > * First, we will demonstrate to the Iraqi people and the world that the > United States wants to liberate, not occupy Iraq or control Iraqis or their > economic resources. > > * Second, we must eliminate Iraq's chemical and biological weapons, its > nuclear program and its related delivery systems > > * Third, we must also eliminate Iraq's terrorist infrastructure. > > * Fourth, safeguard the territorial unity of Iraq. The United States does not > support Iraq's disintegration. > > * Fifth, begin the process of economic and political reconstruction, working > to put Iraq on a path to become a prosperous and free country. > > > This job will take a sustained commitment. The United States is committed to > stay as long as is necessary in Iraq, but not one day more. > > II.Weapons of Mass Destruction > > Mr. Chairman, President Bush is determined to see Iraq disarmed of its weapons > of mass destruction. That is job #1 today, during a conflict if there is one, > and in the days after. > > Locating, securing and disposing of Iraq's WMD capabilities will be an urgent > priority. We will focus on weapons and delivery systems, bulk agents, related > infrastructure, dual-use infrastructure, and Iraq's technical and scientific > expertise. > > Ensuring that the U.S. Government has the capacity to do all this is the work > of a broad interagency task force, chaired at the NSC. We are working to > decrease the possibility of the Iraqi regime using WMD before or during any > military action, and we are in discussions with other countries to establish a > program to eliminate the Iraqi WMD program after regime change in Baghdad. A > number of our allies are cooperating with us in this area, including helping > prepare for a response to incidents that Saddam Hussein might provoke. > > U/S Feith will have more to say on this. > > III.Meeting Iraq's Humanitarian Needs > > Mr. Chairman, my third point is what we are planning to do to meet Iraq's > humanitarian needs. > > In the event of a military conflict, our immediate objective will be to provide > humanitarian assistance to civilians. Those who have fled their homes in fear > will have to be cared for. Essential supply lines for food, medicine, water, > and fuel will have to be restored. > > Mr. Chairman, U.S. government agencies are engaged in planning to meet Iraq s > humanitarian needs with an emphasis on civilian-military coordination. This > effort is led by the National Security Council and OMB. USAID and State are > engaged with the non-governmental organizations and international organizations > who will be important partners in addressing Iraq s humanitarian needs. > Civilian and military officials regularly consult and coordinate plans. > > President Bush has authorized $15 million dollars to support this planning > process and an additional $35 million has been made available from existing > accounts. Other donors are also responding to the UN s request for preparedness > support. As a result, food, shelter items and water bladders are ready. A > substantial amount of work has been done on meeting the humanitarian needs of > the Iraqi people, and still more is being done by a number of agencies and > organizations in Washington, New York and around the world. > > IV.Reconstruction > > Mr. Chairman, let me turn to the fourth area: reconstruction. Iraqis will face > the task of reconstructing of a country that has been subjected to decades of > neglect and mismanagement. There has been a tremendous interagency effort, led > by the National Security Council and the Office of Management and Budget, to > think through reconstruction needs and objectives. The interagency effort has > focussed on a number of priority program areas including education, health, > water and sanitation, electricity, shelter, transportation, rule of law, > agriculture, communications and economic and financial policy. I hope you won t > be surprised to learn that many of these priority program areas overlap exactly > with the working groups in the Future of Iraq Project, which I will describe > next. > > With regard to the oil sector, our guiding principle is that Iraq s oil belongs > to all of the Iraqi people. We are committed to ensuring that any action taken > in this area is for the benefit of the Iraqi people. Should military action be > required in Iraq, the US will take steps to protect and preserve Iraq s oil > sector, and we will support the efforts of Iraqis to restore production. U/S > Feith will have more to stay on this. > > V.The Political Future > The United States is committed to helping Iraqis rebuild their country > politically as well as physically. > > Last March, the Bush Administration announced the Future of Iraq project. In > consultations with "free Iraqis," we developed 17 working groups. The purpose > of these is to begin practical planning for what could be done between now and > the date of a change of government in Baghdad, and in the immediate aftermath > of a transition. The subjects of the working groups include: > > 1. Transitional Justice > 2. Public Finance > 3. Democratic Principles > 4. Public Health and Humanitarian Issues > 5. Public Outreach > 6. Water, Agriculture & the Environment > 7. Economy and Infrastructure > 8. Local Government > 9. Defense Policy > 10. Oil & Energy > 11. Education > 12. Anti-Corruption Issues > 13. Civil Society-Capacity Building > 14. Building a Free Media > 15. Return of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons > 16. Foreign Policy > 17. Preserving Iraq's Cultural Heritage > > > Each of the working groups brings together about 10-20 Iraqi experts to discuss > the Iraqis' thoughts and plans for what can be done now, and in the aftermath > of a change of government in Baghdad, to improve the lives of the Iraqi people. > > Here are some examples of the work that Iraqi experts have done: > > * In the legal field, for example, the Iraqi lawyers in the Transitional > Justice working group have drafted 600 pages, in Arabic, of proposed > reforms of the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Civil Code, > the Nationality Law, the Military Procedure Code and more; proposals for > the trial of Saddam Hussein and his top associates; proposals for national > reconciliation, and the reform of the police, the courts and the prisons. > > * The Economy & Infrastructure; Public Finance; and Water, Agriculture & the > Environment working groups have prepared proposals for the transition of > the Oil-for-Food program to better meet the basic needs of food and > medicine of the Iraqi people. The Iraqis also have plans for reconstruction > of four key sectors: Electricity, Communications, Water, and Agriculture. > > > Both we and the Iraqis we are meeting make the point that Iraqis on the outside > will not control decisions that will, ultimately, have to be made by all > Iraqis. The Iraqi diaspora is a great resource but not a substitute for what > all Iraqis will need to do together to work towards democracy in their country. > Both we and free Iraqis look forward to the day when all Iraqis are able to > talk freely and work together to build a free and democratic Iraq. > > And while we are listening to what the Iraqis are telling us, at the end of the > day, the United States Government will make its decisions based on what is in > the national interest of the United States. > > What the Transition Might Look Like > > Mr. Chairman, let me conclude with a short observation about how we get to this > future for Iraq, recognizing that no decisions have been made on structure or > timing. The Administration is still considering these issues, and discussing > ideas with free Iraqis who are in the political opposition, technocrats, > intellectuals and others. We are also consulting with our close allies and with > you. > > Conceptually, there are three stages: > > (1)Stabilization, where an interim Coalition military administration will focus > on security, stability and order; laying the groundwork for stage 2. > > (2)Transition, where authority is progressively given to Iraqi institutions as > part of the development of a democratic Iraq. > > (3)Transformation, after Iraqis have drafted, debated and approved a new, > democratic constitution and held free and fair elections, the only way for any > future Iraqi government to be truly legitimate. > > *** > > Mr. Chairman, I recognize my testimony today has been only the start of an > effort to answer your questions about the future of Iraq. There are many > uncertainties. > > What I am certain about is that we seek an Iraq that is democratic, unified, > multi-ethnic, with no weapons of mass destruction, which has cut its links to > all terrorists, and is at peace with its neighbors. > We expect to stay in close touch with you over the coming weeks. > > > [End] > > > Released on February 11, 2003 > >************************************************************ >See http://www.state.gov for Senior State Department >Official's statements and testimonies >************************************************************ >To change your subscription, go to http://www.state.gov/www/listservs_cms.html > _______________________________________________________ John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] "The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity." - George W. Bush 1/29/03 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
