U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has joined Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) as an original cosponsor of legislation titled The Iraq Study Group (ISG) Recommendations Implementation Act of 2007. This bill would make the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group the basis for future U.S. strategy in Iraq.
“The bipartisan Iraq Study Group is a good starting point for Congress as it continues to debate the way forward in Iraq,” said Senator Collins. “Ultimately, resolving the sectarian violence in Iraq requires a political, not a military, solution. I do not support an open-ended and unconditional commitment of U.S. troops in Iraq. If the President’s current strategy does not demonstrate significant results by September, then Congress should consider all options including a redefinition of our mission and a gradual but significant withdrawal of our troops next year. I am pleased to join a bipartisan group of my colleagues to make the Iraq Study Group recommendations official policy for U.S. strategy in Iraq.”
The ISG was created in March of 2006 at the request of a bipartisan group of members of Congress and was co-chaired by former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III and former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Lee H. Hamilton. The ISG released their recommendations in December of 2006 to bring about a bipartisan approach to the Iraq war. Specifically the bill sets a ‘new way forward’ by establishing as United States policy:
· Creating the Iraq International Support Group to pursue a new diplomatic offensive in the region that includes the creation of the Iraq International Support Group;
· Giving the highest priority to training, equipping and advising the Iraqi military and security forces;
· Assessing the full budgetary and personnel impact of the war in Iraq on the United States Military;
· Accelerating and increasing oil production and accountability including equitable distribution of oil revenues in Iraq;
· Implementing and oversight of economic reconstruction programs in Iraq with the creation of a new Senior Advisor for Economic Reconstruction;
· Ensuring that the President includes the cost of the war in his annual budget request; and
· Setting conditions that could lead to redeployment of United States combat brigades not needed for force protection as early as the first quarter of 2008 if diplomatic, infrastructure and security benchmarks are met.
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