20 September 2002
House Democrats Submit Resolution Urging U.S. to Work With UN on Iraq
(H. Con. Res. 473 calls for inspections, mediation, and "peaceful means") (1160) Representative Barbara Lee (Democrat of California) submitted a resolution to the House of Representatives September 19 that calls on the United States to use inspections, mediation, and "peaceful means" to deal with Iraq. Lee, along with 26 co-sponsors, introduced House Concurrent Resolution 473 (H. Con. Res. 473). The proposed resolution was referred to the House International Relations Committee for action. Lee, a member of the House International Relations Committee, was the only lawmaker to vote against the resolution authorizing the United States to take military action after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States. She is the vice chairman of the Progressive Caucus, and serves as the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus' Task Force on Global HIV/AIDS. Among those supporting Lee on the proposed resolution were two House members who lost in their primary elections to return to Congress -- Representatives Earl Hilliard (Democrat of Alabama) and Cynthia McKinney (Democrat of Georgia). H. Con. Res. 473 warns that unilateral United States military action against Iraq "may undermine cooperative international efforts to reduce international terrorism and to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001." The proposed resolution goes on that "unilateral United States military action against Iraq may also undermine United States diplomatic relations with countries throughout the Arab and Muslim world and with many other allies." H. Con. Res. 473 also says a "preemptive unilateral United States first strike could both set a dangerous international precedent and significantly weaken the United Nations as an institution." The United States "should work through the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction, through mechanisms such as the resumption of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry, mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful means," says H. Con. Res. 473. Following is the text of House Concurrent Resolution 473 from the Congressional Record: (begin text) Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the importance of the United States working through the United Nations to assure Iraq's compliance with United Nations Security Council Introduced in House HCON 473 IH 107th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 473 Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the importance of the United States working through the United Nations to assure Iraq's compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and advance peace and security in the Persian Gulf region. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 19, 2002 Ms. LEE (for herself, Mrs. CLAYTON, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. OWENS, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. WATSON of California, Mr. RUSH, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. CLAY, Mr. STARK, Mr. FARR of California, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. FILNER, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SOLIS, and Mr. CONYERS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the importance of the United States working through the United Nations to assure Iraq's compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and advance peace and security in the Persian Gulf region. Whereas on April 6, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, Iraq accepted the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (April 3, 1991) bringing a formal cease-fire into effect; Whereas, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 687, Iraq unconditionally accepted the destruction, removal, or rendering harmless of `all chemical and biological weapons and all stocks of agents and all related subsystems and components and all research, development, support and manufacturing facilities related thereto', and `all ballistic missiles with a range greater than one hundred and fifty kilometers, and related major parts and repair and production facilities'; Whereas, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 687, Iraq unconditionally agreed not to acquire or develop any nuclear weapons, nuclear-weapons-usable material, nuclear-related subsystems or components, or nuclear-related research, development, support, or manufacturing facilities; Whereas Security Council Resolution 687 calls for the creation of a United Nations special commission to `carry out immediate on-site inspection of Iraq's biological, chemical, and missile capabilities' and to assist and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in carrying out the `destruction, removal or rendering harmless' of all nuclear-related items and in developing a plan for the ongoing monitoring and verification of Iraq's compliance; Whereas United Nations weapons inspectors (UNSCOM) between 1991 and 1998 successfully uncovered and destroyed large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and production facilities, nuclear weapons research and development facilities, and Scud missiles, despite the fact that the Government of Iraq sought to obstruct their work in numerous ways; Whereas in 1998, UNSCOM weapons inspectors were withdrawn from Iraq and have not returned since; Whereas Iraq is not in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1154, and additional United Nations resolutions on inspections, and this noncompliance violates international law and Iraq's ceasefire obligations and potentially endangers United States and regional security interests; Whereas the true extent of Iraq's continued development of weapons of mass destruction and the threat posed by such development to the United States and allies in the region are unknown and cannot be known without inspections; Whereas the United Nations was established for the purpose of preventing war and resolving disputes between nations through peaceful means, including `by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional arrangements, or other peaceful means'; Whereas the United Nations remains seized of this matter; Whereas the President has called upon the United Nations to take responsibility to assure that Iraq fulfills its obligations to the United Nations under existing United Nations Security Council resolutions; Whereas war with Iraq would place the lives of tens of thousands of people at risk, including members of the United States armed forces, Iraqi civilian non-combatants, and civilian populations in neighboring countries; Whereas unilateral United States military action against Iraq may undermine cooperative international efforts to reduce international terrorism and to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001; Whereas unilateral United States military action against Iraq may also undermine United States diplomatic relations with countries throughout the Arab and Muslim world and with many other allies; Whereas a preemptive unilateral United States first strike could both set a dangerous international precedent and significantly weaken the United Nations as an institution; and Whereas the short-term and long-term costs of unilateral United States military action against Iraq and subsequent occupation may be significant in terms of United States casualties, the cost to the United States treasury, and harm to United States diplomatic relations with other countries: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the United States should work through the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction, through mechanisms such as the resumption of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry, mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful means. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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