"Some suggest that our nation should go to war and rid the Persian Gulf of the threat posed by Saddam. We may yet be compelled to do so, but before we put American lives at risk in that far away land, we have a duty to explore the alternatives. One alternative is to assist freedom-loving Iraquis."
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INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 4566--IRAQ LIBERATION ACT OF 1998 -- HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN (Extension of Remarks - October 01, 1998)
[Page: E1857] GPO's PDF
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HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN
in the House of Representatives
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1998
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, September 29th, I introduced H.R. 4566, the `Iraq Liberation Act of 1998.' As the title suggests, the purpose of this legislation is to finally and irrevocably commit the United States to the removal from power of the regime headed by Saddam Hussein.
For almost eight years now, since the end of Operation Desert Storm, we waited for Saddam Hussein's regime to live up to its international obligations; to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction under international inspections, to stop threatening Iraq's neighbors, and stop menacing Iraq's Kurdish and Shi'ite minorities.
After dozens of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and compromise after compromise, we have too little to show. Our patience was misinterpreted by Saddam Hussein as weakness. Regrettably, America's friends in the Middle East believe our policy lacked seriousness. The time has come to let Saddam know--to let the whole world know--that the United States will not tolerate this regime's continued grip on power.
We must abandon the fiction that there can be peace and security in the Persian Gulf region with Saddam Hussein's regime still in power. Simply put, Saddam must go. This is not a simple task. Even when the international community was unified and the United States was energized, solutions were few and far between.
Some suggest that our nation should go to war and rid the Persian Gulf of the threat posed by Saddam. We may yet be compelled to do so, but before we put American lives at risk in that far away land, we have a duty to explore the alternatives. One alternative is to assist freedom-loving Iraquis.
Consider the people of Iraq who have no say in their future. Because of Saddam Hussein, they tolerated years of deprivation. At the hands of this man and his Republican Guards, tens of thousands of people were massacred. The people of Iraq are sick and tired of suffering; they have been willing to take up arms against Saddam Hussein, and they are willing to do so again.
The Iraq Liberation Act is not a complete recipe for Saddam's removal, but it contains some key ingredients. This bill calls on the President to designate a group or groups committed to a democratic Iraq. For the designated group or groups, it authorizes the President to provide up to $97 million in military assistance, to be drawn down from the stocks of the Department of Defense. In addition, it authorizes the provision of $2 million for opposition radio and television broadcasting inside Iraq.
These authorities, combined with other actions Congress already has taken, will contribute to a comprehensive policy of promoting democracy in Iraq. Earlier this year, the Congress appropriated $10 million to support pro-democracy groups, assist their organization, found Radio Free Iraq under the aegis of Radio Free Europe, and build a war-crimes case against Saddam Hussein. A further $10 million is contained in the Senate version of the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that will soon go to conference.
The Iraq Liberation Act marks an important step forward in our fight against Saddam Hussein. We must not fool ourselves: The man is the problem. If this man remains in power, Iraq will remain a clear and present danger to the United States and our allies. We heard as much from the Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, and we have heard as much from the Administration.
This bill will not tie the President's hands. It does not mandate the actual delivery of military assistance. The only requirement it contains is that the President designate a group or groups as eligible to receive the assistance we are authorizing. I would hope, however, that the President will use the authority we are offering him to begin to help the people of Iraq liberate themselves.
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