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Archived: 12/12/2002 at 14:42:27
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Congressman Elijah
E. Cummings |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2002
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Devika Koppikar
(202) 225-4741 or (202) 225-4024
Mike Christianson
(410) 496-2010 or (202) 225-9876
Congressman
Cummings' Statement on Iraq after President Bush's Speech
to the United Nations General Assembly
Washington, D.C. -- "I found some reason for encouragement in the President’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday (September 12). At the same time, serious issues remain unresolved that the President and the Congress must address.
The fact that President Bush sought the legitimacy of United Nations’ support was significant. It was also appropriate for the President to reaffirm our commitment to initiatives that reflect American values and encourage international support for this nation - the continuing struggle for human rights, the international interest in limiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and our shared interest in reducing poverty around the world and limiting the spread of disease.
I also am encouraged by what appears to be a growing understanding within the Bush Administration that the broad-based support of the American people and our allies abroad is absolutely essential to effective management of the threats posed by Iraq.
That the threats posed by the Iraqi regime are real is not open to serious doubt. At the same time, fundamental questions remain to be answered before we commit American men and women to the field of battle in the Middle East.
First, how imminent is any threat to our troops in the region, our allies or Americans here at home? Like my colleague, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California, "I have not yet seen evidence of imminent nuclear or other kind of threat that demands immediate military action.”
As Senators Biden and Lugar noted more than a month ago, a clear assessment of Saddam Hussein’s current military capabilities and intentions is absolutely essential to the judicious formulation of America’s policy toward the region. This is a case that the Administration has yet to fully make -- either to the Congress or to the American people as a whole.
Second, in the absence of clear evidence of an imminent threat to the United States, we must make use of the time available to us to fully consider the consequences of the various courses of action open to us in the Middle East.
There are those who are skeptical of continuing our current policy of containment with the addition of a tougher weapons-inspection program. At the same time, unilateral military action by the United States would pose serious issues under current international law and raise questions about this nation’s respect for human rights.
“Going it alone,” moreover, could well result in the very outcomes we are trying to prevent: the use of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq, regional war, diminished capability to conduct the war on terror, and damage to our economy.
Finally, we need to give serious consideration to our longer-term policy for the region after any military action in Iraq. What would be the impact of military action in Iraq upon the balance of power in the Middle East? Exactly what level of long-term commitment are we prepared to make to the democratic and human rights of the people in the region?
These are just some of the more important and, as yet, unanswered questions that the President, the Congress and the American people as a whole must address in the days to come - and I am confident that the Congress will perform its constitutional duty in a diligent and bipartisan way."
For additional information, please contact Ms. Devika Koppikar at (202) 225-4741 or (202) 225-4024, or Mr. Mike Christianson at (410) 496-2010 or (202) 225-9876.
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