Military operations in Iraq “led to the destruction of the country”

The Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing on “The Future of U.S.-Iraqi Relations: The Perspective of the Iraqi Parliament.” Chairman William Delahunt (D-Mass.) said that the most important relationship Congress can build is one with the Iraqi Parliament.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said that he believes everyone has the right to self-determination, and that the U.S. is suffering the consequences of “bad decisions” that could have been prevented, such as loss of life and financial chaos. He said the “sooner we get out of the way” and turn responsibility over to the Iraqi people, “the better,” and asserts “Iraq is capable to defend itself.”

The Honorable Nadeem Al-Jaberi from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said the Iraqi government still does not have full reign of the sovereignty because of the thousands of foreign troops in the country. He believes any bilateral agreement with the United States would be better if made after the withdrawal of American troops. He said a stable and strong Iraq is in the interest of the U.S. and the region, and that negotiations between the U.S. and Iraq will not be successful if both parties are not equal. He believes Iraq has the capabilities to defend itself and to build up military forces, and that U.S. troops are no longer needed in the way they had been before.

The Honorable Sheikh Al-Ulayyan from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said he salutes the American people for standing against the war with demonstrations and protests. He said the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq needs to be organized in a way to guarantee the integrity of Iraq and to keep order everywhere in the world. He said he would like to see the U.S. invest in all aspects of reconstruction. He said he would have preferred if the U.S. had not conducted military operations to rid Iraq Saddam Hussein because it “led to the destruction of the country.”