Fw: Senate Bars Permanent Bases, Again - FCNL

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Volk" <joevolk@fcnl.org>
To: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@optonline.net>
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 4:07 PM
Subject: Iraq: Senate Bars Permanent Bases, Again - FCNL

We are in the middle of a long legislative struggle to persuade
Congress to change the course of U.S. policy in Iraq. But the Senate
decision Thursday night, June 22, to reinstate the ban on permanent
U.S. military bases and the news from Iraq that the new government is
developing a strategy for reconciliation that includes a timetable for
the withdrawal of U.S. troops provide us reason for hope. Here's
what's happening:

Your phone calls, emails, and lobbying are working. For the second
time in less than two months, the Senate passed legislation that bars
the U.S. from establishing permanent military bases in Iraq. This new
success for the FCNL STEP proposal came during the day-long Senate
debate Thursday on U.S. policy in Iraq. Late Thursday evening, the
Senate incorporated Sen. Joseph Biden's provision to the military
authorization bill banning permanent U.S. bases. The Biden provision
was placed in the bill manager's package shortly after the Senate
voted to reject two other amendments that would have initiated the
withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Read about FCNL's STEP Resolution
at: http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1353&issue_id=35

Meanwhile, in Iraq the new government has concluded that establishing a
timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign forces will be an important
component of any effort to establish peace and begin the process of
national reconciliation. The Iraqi government, according to reports by
the Times of London, will propose this weekend a 28 point plan for
national reconciliation that includes (1) a timeline for the withdrawal
of all foreign troops from Iraq; (2) a halt to all U.S. offensive
military operations; (3) an end to human rights violations, including
those by U.S. and Iraqi troops; and (4) an amnesty. Read the Times of
London article at
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2239088,00.html

The Iraqi government believes it can draw violent, anti-government
insurgent forces into negotiations that could lead to national
reconciliation by bringing opposing parties off the battle ground and
into the political arena. But, here in Washington, the Bush
administration refuses to even discuss timelines for withdrawal,
seeking a total military victory over all opponents.

We need to change the conversation here in Washington from how does the
U.S. win to how does the U.S. leave Iraq. Our experience of the last
few months demonstrates just how hard this work is, and how many more
emails, phone calls, and lobby visits are needed. As the Senate votes
on Thursday demonstrate, the majority in Congress still refuses to
support a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. But we believe
congressional support for withdrawal is growing.

The House and the Senate voted earlier this year to attach language to
an emergency supplemental spending bill banning new spending to build
permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. And although the Pentagon
successfully lobbied behind closed doors to have that ban on permanent
bases removed from the supplemental bill, the Senate this week added
Sen. Biden's amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill (S. 2766).
The Biden amendment declares: "No funds authorized to be
appropriated by this Act maybe obligated or expended for a purpose as
follows: (1) to establish a permanent United States military
installation or base in Iraq; (2) To exercise United States control
over the oil resources of Iraq."

The House of Representatives has inserted similar language into two
other bills currently making their way through the House (for
continuing updates see:
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1919&issue_id=35).

Now for the hard part. The Biden provision is in the Defense
Authorization Bill approved by the Senate. House and the Senate
negotiators must now meet to reconcile differences between their two
versions of the military authorization bill. We at FCNL know this
reconciliation, or conference committee process, will be crucial
because of our previous experience with the emergency supplemental
funding legislation earlier this month, when the Pentagon worked behind
closed doors to have the no base language removed.

FCNL will be working in the next month to lobby Congress to ensure that
the conference committee retains the ban on permanent U.S. military
bases in the Defense Authorization Bill this time. In addition, FCNL
will urge Congress to take the next step by enacting legislation that
states:

* it is the U.S. policy to remove all U.S. military troops and
bases from Iraq;
* requires an immediate timetable for the complete withdrawal of
all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq no later than December
2007; and
* provides resources for reconstruction by the people of Iraq
through appropriate multinational, Iraqi national, and other Iraqi
agencies.

Please check back on our web page <http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/> for
regular updates.

_______________________________________

The Next Step for Iraq: Join FCNL's Iraq Campaign, http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/

Contact Congress and the Administration:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/

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bumper stickers and yard signs:
http://www.fcnl.org/pubs/
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________________________________________

Friends Committee on National Legislation
245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795
fcnl@fcnl.org * http://www.fcnl.org
phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330

We seek a world free of war and the threat of war
We seek a society with equity and justice for all
We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled
We seek an earth restored.

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