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A Commitment to Post-War Iraq

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Basic Principles

Ø      If U.S. and other coalition forces take military action in Iraq, they will have contributions to make to the country's temporary administration and the welfare of the Iraqi people. It will be necessary to provide humanitarian relief, organize basic services and work to establish security for the liberated Iraqis.   Actions would include the following steps:

• First, demonstrate to the Iraqi people and the world that the United States aspires to liberate, not occupy or control them or their economic resources. 

• Second, eliminate Iraq's chemical and biological weapons, its nuclear program, the related delivery systems, and the related research and production facilities. This will be a complex, dangerous and expensive task.
   
• Third, eliminate likewise Iraq's terrorist infrastructure.  A key element of U.S. strategy in the global war on terrorism is exploiting the information about terrorist networks that the coalition acquires through our military and law enforcement actions.
   
• Fourth, safeguard the territorial unity of Iraq. The United States does not support Iraq's disintegration or dismemberment.
   
• Fifth, begin the process of economic and political reconstruction, working to put Iraq on a path to become a prosperous and free country. The U.S. government shares with many Iraqis the hope that their country will enjoy the rule of law and other institutions of democracy under a broad-based government that represents the various parts of Iraqi society.

  Ø      The United States would approach any potential post-war work with a two-part         resolve:

 

• A commitment to stay as long as required to achieve its objectives.

• A commitment to leave as soon as possible -- Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people.  

Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance

 

Ø      To encourage the coordinated, balanced progress of economic and security reconstruction in a post-conflict Iraq, President Bush has directed his administration to begin planning now.

 

Ø      The President directed on January 20 the creation of a post-war planning office. The Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance is charged with establishing links with the United Nations specialized agencies and with non-governmental organizations that will play a role in post-war Iraq. It will reach out also to the counterpart offices in the governments of coalition countries, and, in coordination with the President's Special Envoy to the Free Iraqis, to the various Free Iraqi groups.

 

Ø      The immediate responsibility for administering post-war Iraq will fall upon the Commander of the U.S. Central Command, as the commander of the U.S. and coalition forces in the field. The purpose of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance is to develop detailed plans.

 

Ø      There are three substantive operations within the Office, each under a civilian coordinator:  Humanitarian Relief, Reconstruction, and Civil Administration. A fourth coordinator is responsible for communications, logistics and budgetary support.

 

Ø      These operations are under the overall leadership of Jay Garner, a retired Lieutenant General who held a senior military position in the 1991 humanitarian relief operation in northern Iraq. He is responsible for organizing and integrating the work of the three substantive operations and ensuring that the office can travel to the region when necessary and plug in smoothly to CENTCOM's operations. His staff consists of representatives from the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Treasury, Energy, and Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Office of Management and Budget.

 

Ø      As part of post-war planning, CENTCOM has also established a Combined Joint Task Force that will be responsible for U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of a conflict. The task force will work closely with the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance to facilitate relief and reconstruction activities.  

Elimination of Weapons of Mass Destruction 

Ø      Detailed planning is underway for the task of securing, assessing and dismantling Iraqi WMD capabilities, facilities and stockpiles. It is complex and will take place as part of military operations, continuing into the post-conflict period. 

Ø      We must first locate Iraq's widespread WMD sites. We must then be prepared to secure the relevant weapons or facilities, or rapidly and safely disable them, so they are no longer a threat to coalition forces. This will have to be done in many places and as quickly as possible.

Ø      After hostilities, we will have to dismantle, destroy or dispose of nuclear, chemical, biological and missile capabilities and infrastructure.

Ø      Equally important will be plans to re-direct some of Iraq's dual-use capability and its scientific and managerial talent to legitimate, civilian activities in a new Iraq. 

Ø      This will not be a mission that falls entirely to the U.S. military forces. Other U.S. government personnel, including those within the DoD, the Department of Energy's laboratory system, and in other government agencies can contribute.  

Ø      Coalition partners, including many NATO Allies, have nuclear, chemical and biological defense-related capabilities and expertise that can play an important role. The UN, IAEA and other international organizations should be in a position to contribute valuably to the elimination effort and perhaps to ongoing monitoring afterward.

Economic Reconstruction 

Ø      Detailed planning is underway for resumption of oil production as quickly as possible to help meet the Iraqi people's basic needs. The oil sector is Iraq's primary source of funding. As noted, the United States is committed to preserving Iraq's territorial integrity. So we are intent on ensuring that Iraq's oil resources remain under national Iraqi control, with the proceeds made available to support Iraqis in all parts of the country.

 

Ø      The Administration has decided that, in the event of war, the U.S.-led coalition would:

 

• Protect Iraq's oil fields from acts of sabotage and preserve them as a national asset of the Iraqi people, and
   
• Begin reconstruction and operation in the sector, so that its proceeds can help support the Iraqi people.

Iraqi Self-Governance

 

Ø      The administration of Iraq would involve Iraqis as soon as possible. Following the initial period of U.S./coalition military government, we envisage a transitional phase in which responsibility is gradually transferred to Iraqi institutions, leading to the establishment of a new Iraqi government.

 

Ø      The following are examples of the ways in which Iraqis might play a progressively greater role in administering the country. These examples illustrate various mechanisms under consideration:

 

• An Iraqi consultative council could be formed to advise the U.S./coalition authorities.
   
• A judicial council could undertake to advise the authorities on the necessary revisions to Iraq's legal structure and statutes to institute the rule of law and to protect individual rights.
   
• A constitutional commission could be created to draft a new constitution and submit it to the Iraqi people for ratification.
   
• Major Iraqi governmental institutions - such as the central government ministries - could remain in place and perform the key functions of government after the vetting of the top personnel to remove any who might be tainted with the crimes and excesses of the current regime.
   
• Town and district elections could be held soon after liberation to involve Iraqis in governing at the local level.