WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today joined her colleagues Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) in introducing a bipartisan resolution urging President Bush to make it clear to Iraqi leaders that a prompt political settlement is a condition of continued U.S. presence in the country. The resolution also requires that a settlement include forming a national unity government and recommending amendments to the Iraq Constitution to make it more inclusive—within the deadlines that they have set for themselves in their constitution in order to defeat the insurgency and avoid a civil war.
“We need to do everything we can to help the Iraqis change the current dynamic in Iraq and achieve a prompt political solution,” said Senator Collins. “Iraqi people need to know the day will come when American troops will not be in their country. Our resolution puts pressure on the Iraqi leaders to achieve a political solution according to the deadlines that they themselves have established.”
Senators Collins, Levin, and Reed also introduced an amendment that would require the President to submit a report to Congress on United States policy and political developments in Iraq every 30 days until a national unity government has been formed and the Iraq Constitution has been amended to make it a unifying document. The report would also notify the Senate whether the President has told the Iraqis that our presence is dependent on their meeting their self-imposed deadlines.
The Senators are introducing the resolution and the amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill currently being considered by the Senate.