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| English, Wilson Call on Administration to Launch New Diplomatic Effort to Stabilize Iraq |
June 07, 2007 |
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Members Highlight Success of Dayton, Camp David Accords
Washington, D.C. – Two Republican House lawmakers are calling on the Bush Administration to intensify diplomatic initiatives in Iraq. U.S. Reps. Phil English (R-Pa.) and Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) urged the president to facilitate an intensive diplomatic effort, along the lines of the Camp David and Dayton Conferences, between leaders of Iraq’s various factions to help expedite reconciliation and promote stability in Iraq.
“Our letter is an attempt to impress upon the President how strongly some of us in the House feel that a new diplomatic initiative is needed at the highest level to head off further sectarian violence in Iraq and avoid a collapse of order,” English said. “Peace and security can only be brought to Iraq if its factions participate in a workable national settlement.”
“We cannot do for the Iraqis what they will not do for themselves, but we can bring the various factions to the table in a way we haven’t tried yet,” Wilson said. “We are urging a new diplomatic approach drawing on the lessons of the Dayton Accords that resolved the civil war in Bosnia in 1995.”
In June 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a 24-point plan to establish national reconciliation in Iraq. This plan has stalled and national reconciliation is the key to stability in Iraq.
English and Wilson called on the president to launch an intensive diplomatic effort convening Iraqi leaders from all factions to accelerate progress toward reconciliation. In a letter sent yesterday, the members highlighted the successes of past peace conferences. In 1995, after a brutal war that took the lives of thousands of innocent civilians, the Serbs, Croats and Bosnians were pressed to convene at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton Accords were ratified by all vital parties, managed by the international community, and have helped to maintain peace in Bosnia for more than 10 years.
“In my view, the experience with the Dayton Accords suggests a path toward a workable resolution. Unless the Administration moves forward now with a dramatic initiative of this sort, I fear that the current situation can only deteriorate,” English said.
“Our men and women in the military are taking great risks to give the Iraqis time and space to resolve their differences, but there is not a sense of urgency among the Iraqis to pursue reconciliation. We need an intensive diplomatic effort to move the parties forward. Only the United States can provide the leadership to convene this conference,” Wilson said.
*Copy of the letter follows:
June 6, 2007
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We are writing to express our concerns regarding the current situation in Iraq and to propose a possible means of stimulating cooperation between Iraqi factions.
Current Iraqi efforts at national reconciliation have stalled. In June 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a 24-point plan for national reconciliation. One year later, there has been a great deal of posturing but little progress. The Iraqi Parliament has not enacted any legislation needed to foster national reconciliation. The draft of a new, less draconian de-Baathification law has languished because Shiite factions oppose it. A draft oil law, designed to ease Sunni fears, is opposed by the Kurds. Failure to complete a review of the constitution continues to impede efforts to promote national reconciliation. Dialogue with Sunni groups is deadlocked because the parties to the coalition government cannot agree on which groups are acceptable. It is time to try a new path forward in Iraq.
Previous successful efforts to craft peace agreements may provide useful lessons for Iraq. In 1978, despite having fought four wars in less than 30 years, Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin were able to come together at Camp David to craft a peace treaty that provided mutual peace and security for the next 30 years. In 1995, after a war that left hundreds of thousands dead, the Serbs, Croats and Bosnians were pressed to convene at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton Accords were ratified by the key parties, overseen by the international community, and have kept the peace in Bosnia for the past 12 years.
While there are obvious differences between the current situation and these examples, we believe you should consider an intensive diplomatic effort involving leaders of Iraq’s various factions facilitated by the United States and its allies. This type of intensive diplomatic effort, similar to the Camp David and Dayton Conferences, might promote and accelerate reconciliation and stability in Iraq.
The paramount problem in Iraq is the disagreement among Iraqi factions fighting each other for control of the country and their reluctance to compromise. A stable government in Iraq will only be achieved through mutual agreement among these internal factions.
As desirable as regional and international agreements may be, they cannot provide a solution. Countries in the region can exploit opportunities for mischief provided by the fissures within Iraq, but they cannot mend these fissures. In our view, national reconciliation can only be achieved by agreement among internal Iraqi social and political groups. Only then will international agreements be relevant. Most importantly, the international community must focus on helping Iraq’s various factions reach such a mutually acceptable settlement of their differences. Laws and constitutional revision must be outcomes of a national agreement, not preconditions.
To help achieve this settlement, the United States should convene a Camp David/Dayton-like conference for the leaders of Iraq’s various factions to meet on neutral ground to discuss the future of their nation. This conference should be convened in a location that provides relative seclusion and isolation from the world press, regional pressure groups and other external pressures that could impede compromise and conciliation.
We also feel that the U.S. must make clear that its continued financial and military support for Iraq depends on their leaders’ willingness to participate in this conference and their ability to reach agreement. Finally, concerned countries, including Iraq`s neighbors, must endorse this accord and agree to respect it.
The question is not whether the war in Iraq will end but rather when and on what terms. We offer our proposal because we truly believe it is in America’s national interest to foster reconciliation and stability in Iraq. We cannot guarantee the success of an Iraqi reconciliation conference, but such an intense diplomatic effort might focus minds on the important decisions that need to be made by Iraqi leaders and impart a needed sense of urgency where it does not currently seem to exist. We hope you will give our suggestion serious consideration and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Phil English
Member of Congress
Heather Wilson
Member of Congress |
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