U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

June 22, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


 Sen. Salazar Votes For Iraqis to be in Charge of Iraq’s Security

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar voted today for the Iraq Policy Act of 2006. After his vote, Senator Salazar released the following statement:

“I want the United States to succeed in Iraq. For that to happen we need Iraqis to take greater responsibility for their own security and future. I have every confidence in our troops; they are performing admirably in extremely dangerous circumstances. We need a policy worthy of them.

“The amendment I co-sponsored sets no specific timeline for removing US troops. It does not address the speed or pace of redeployment. It does not call for a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. Forces from Iraq. What it does is say that the Iraqi government and its people have the ultimate responsibility for achieving their own security – an imperative if the Iraqi government is to survive.

“Americans and Iraqis need to know that we are not just staying a meandering course with no end in sight. Iraq’s national security advisor recently noted that the legitimacy of the democratically elected Iraqi government is called into question by our open-ended presence. The United States and Iraq need a sense of a clear destination and a distinct path. This amendment asked the President to lay that roadmap out in an appropriate and timely fashion.”

Last year, by a vote of 79-16, the Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation that declared 2006 should be a year of transition in Iraq. The Amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill that Senator Salazar co-sponsored builds on that legislation and outlines the following steps for advancing the chances of success in Iraq:

  • The President is requested to begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year. The President’s authority to decide the size and plans of redeployment is left up to him to decide.
  • The long term mission of the United States in Iraq involves the continued training of Iraqi forces, protection of U.S. assets and personnel, and targeted counter-terrorism activities.
  • By the end of 2006, the President is asked to submit a plan to Congress for continuing the phased redeployment of U.S. forces.
  • The Iraqis are exhorted to take concrete steps to promote political stability in Iraq and to disarm militias and insist on integrity in the Iraqi security forces.
  • The President is asked to convene an international summit on Iraq so that other nations help share the financial burden to stabilize Iraq.
  • The President is asked to assess the impact that our operations in Iraq are having on the overall U.S. campaign against terrorism worldwide.

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