15 May 2003
Congressional Hearing Highlights Progress on Postwar Iraq Reconstruction
(Lawmakers charge lack of transparency in U.S. reconstruction efforts) (860) By Anthony Kujawa Washington File Staff Correspondent Washington -- Senior U.S. officials outlined progress and challenges in postwar Iraq, clarifying U.S. policy at a May 15 hearing before the House Committee on International Relations. Officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the State Department and Defense Department told the committee the United States is now primarily concerned with ending continued looting, creating a stable environment and restoring basic infrastructure in Iraq. Delivering humanitarian relief and reconstruction assistance and helping the Iraqi people create the conditions for transition to representative self-government are critical objectives that guide U.S. policy toward Iraq, said Wendy Chamberlin, USAID assistant administrator for Asia and the Near East. Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde, Republican of Illinois, pressed he witnesses on how long it would take to restore water, electricity and other essential services to meet the basic needs of the Iraqi people. "The Iraqi people will hold us responsible for their welfare in the coming months, as will the world, and we cannot divest ourselves of that responsibility," Hyde said. Hyde criticized what he said was a lack of transparency in the Iraqi reconstruction effort, calling for the General Accounting Office to closely monitor reconstruction efforts and report to Congress. "During the major combat operations phase, Congress did not intervene too forcefully, even to gain information. Some of the decisions we made will need to be revisited," he said. Regarding efforts to establish an Iraqi interim authority, Hyde urged the officials not to "put a thumb on the scales of Iraqi politics," but to include "all of the relevant, responsible, and democratic groupings and provide them with a voice commensurate with the support they command in Iraq." Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Alan Larson said the United Nations Security Council needs to approve the resolution on Iraq reconstruction introduced May 9 by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain. He said the resolution would define the U.N.'s role, eliminate the "burden of sanctions" and encourage the international community to play a constructive role in building "a free and peaceful Iraq." Larson said that through the appointment of a special coordinator following approval of the proposed resolution, the U.N. would play "a vital ... role in all aspects of Iraq's reconstruction." The coordinator, he said, would manage U.N. and other international agency participation in humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction, and assist in the development of a representative government. According to Larson, the proposed resolution "encourages the international community to support the Iraqi people in building a free, prosperous and secure Iraq, including by responding to U.N. funding appeals and providing resources for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq's infrastructure." The resolution also would mandate the seizure and return of assets stolen by Saddam Hussein's regime to Iraq, he said. Responding to a question on the U.S. position on Iraq's foreign debt obligations, estimated at $80-120 billion, Larson said that "for the time being it would be unreasonable" for creditors to expect payments for the debt of Saddam Hussein's regime. "While the issue needs to be analyzed further in terms of Iraq's capacity to pay and the nature of these debts, it is my firm expectation that very, very substantial debt relief will need to be extended, and should be extended to Iraq," said Larson, adding that over time a discussions should be held to organize a "systemic approach" to the issue. On the issue of funds derived from the UN Oil-for-Food program used to pay reparations to Kuwait and other countries after the 1991 Gulf War, Larson said the proposed resolution would allocate 5 percent of oil revenues into a compensation fund. According to the proposal, 95 percent of the revenues would be placed in a development fund used for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. Responding to criticisms that the United States has placed Ba'ath party members in government positions against objections of the local population, Douglas Feith, the Defense Department's under secretary for policy, said the U.S. policy is "de-Ba'athification," which he defined as "the disestablishment of the Baath party ... its structures, and ... its high-ranking members from positions of authority in Iraq". Feith said the United States is focusing on the Ba'ath party leadership group of 20,000 to 30,000 people for removal from authority, out of an estimated 1 to 2 million party members throughout Iraq. Feith said that while U.S. databases on Ba'athist party officials are "not perfect," the administration has implemented a trial and error "vetting process" though which an individual working in an official capacity will be removed if found to have been a Ba'ath official. State's Larson explained that while Saddam Hussein's regime put political favoritism and personal enrichment above the needs of the Iraqi people, the United States "will put the Iraqi people first." "We are confident that a new, representative Iraqi authority will do the same," he said. (The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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