III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 494 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for Iraq’s neighbors and 

other international partners to fulfill their pledges to provide reconstruction assistance to Iraq. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 1 (legislative day, MARCH 13), 2008 

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. CORKER) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

APRIL 23, 2008 

Reported by Mr. BIDEN, without amendment and with an amendment to the 

preamble 

MAY 1, 2008 

Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for Iraq’s 

neighbors and other international partners to fulfill their 

pledges to provide reconstruction assistance to Iraq. 

Whereas a sustained flow of international economic reconstruction assistance to the Government of Iraq and provincial and regional authorities in Iraq is essential to the 

restoration of basic services in Iraq, job creation, and the 

future stabilization of that country; 

Whereas reconstruction assistance should be administered in 

a transparent, accountable, and equitable manner in 


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SRES 494 ATS 

order to help alleviate sectarian grievances and facilitate 

national political reconciliation; 

Whereas the United States has already spent approximately 

$18,500,000,000 on reconstruction assistance and Congress has authorized the expenditure of $24,000,000,000 

for reconstruction assistance; 

Whereas, on December 18, 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that, as of October 2007, 

international donors had pledged a total of approximately 

$16,400,000,000 in support of Iraq’s reconstruction since 

2003, of which roughly $13,600,000,000 was pledged at 

an October 2003 donor conference in Madrid, Spain; 

Whereas the GAO reported that international donors have 

provided only approximately $7,000,000,000 for reconstruction assistance, or less than half of the original 

pledged amount; 

Whereas the conclusion reached by the Iraq Study Group 

(ISG) in December 2006 that ‘‘[i]nternational support 

for Iraqi reconstruction has been tepid’’ remains true and 

reinforces the ISG’s subsequent recommendation that 

‘‘[a]n essential part of reconstruction efforts in Iraq 

should be greater involvement by and with international 

partners, who should do more than just contribute 

money. . . . [t]hey should also actively participate in the 

design and construction of projects’’; 

Whereas Iraq’s regional neighbors, in particular, carry a special imperative to bolster reconstruction assistance efforts 

to Iraq, given the vital importance of a peaceful and secure Iraq to their security interests and overall regional 

stability; and 


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SRES 494 ATS 

Whereas those countries have prospered in recent years due 

to the rising price of their oil exports and enjoy expanded 

government revenue from which funds could be allocated 

for reconstruction assistance to Iraq: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) Iraq’s neighbors and other key international 

3 partners should fully carry through on previous 

4 pledges of reconstruction assistance to the Govern5 ment of Iraq, working to mitigate and circumvent, 

6 where necessary, potential obstacles to the effective 

7 implementation of those pledges; and 

8 (2) the United States should consider a rec9 ommendation proposed by the Iraq Study Group to 

10 coordinate United States reconstruction assistance 

11 funds, in whatever form they are provided, with 

12 funds from international donors and Iraqi partici13 pants to help ensure that assistance projects in Iraq 

14 are carried out in the most rapid and efficient man15 ner possible. 

Æ 


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