IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 231 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of the United States 
should submit to the Government of Iraq a draft bilateral status-of- 
forces agreement. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 10, 2007 
Mr. ISRAEL (for himself, Mr. DENT, and Mr. BISHOP of New York) submitted 
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of 
the United States should submit to the Government of 
Iraq a draft bilateral status-of-forces agreement. 
Whereas the United States is currently maintaining a signifi-
cant military presence within the Republic of Iraq; 
Whereas the people of Iraq have expressed repeated concern 
about the status of United States Armed Forces in their 
country; 
Whereas Iraq is a sovereign nation, having regained its sov-
ereignty on June 28, 2004, meaning that it is capable of 
being party to bilateral and multilateral treaties; 
Whereas the Interim Constitution of Iraq, in recognizing Co-
alition Provisional Order Number 17 (relating to status 
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•HCON 231 IH 
of forces), establishes a precedent that will not be incor-
porated into the permanent constitutional law of Iraq; 
Whereas a status-of-forces agreement is a standard bilateral 
agreement entered into between two countries when the 
military forces of one country operate within the sov-
ereign territory of the other country; 
Whereas a status-of-forces agreement is an important meas-
ure taken both to underline the sovereignty of the host 
country and to protect the military justice system of the 
visiting country; 
Whereas The New York Times reported on November 29, 
2006, that Stephen Hadley, the National Security Advi-
sor, wrote a memorandum to President George W. Bush 
stating that a status-of-forces agreement with the Gov-
ernment of Iraq should be negotiated over the next year; 
Whereas section 1314(e)(2) of the U.S. Troop Readiness, 
Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Account-
ability Appropriations Act, 2007 (Public Law 110–28; 
121 Stat. 125) mandated an assessment of the Iraqi se-
curity forces by an independent private sector entity, and 
that entity, headed by General James Jones (Ret.), rec-
ommended in September 2007 that ‘‘consideration be 
given to pursuing an agreement akin to a Status of 
Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the Government of Iraq. 
. . . Appropriately drawn, it would have the effect of codi-
fying our relationship with the host nation, reinforcing its 
sovereignty and independence, and would be consistent 
with other such agreements we enjoy with many nations 
where we have a military presence.’’; and 
Whereas United States Armed Forces currently operate 
under status-of-forces agreements within the territory of 
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•HCON 231 IH 
Japan, South Korea, and many other countries: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Government of the United States should 
submit to the Government of Iraq a draft bilateral 
status-of-forces agreement; and 
(2) 
the 
draft 
status-of-forces 
agreement 
should— 
(A) address the sovereign rights of Iraq, 
underlining that the United States is not an oc-
cupying power; 
(B) subject to negotiation with the Govern-
ment of Iraq, address the legal status of United 
States personnel in Iraq, including the rights of 
United States personnel in civil and criminal 
matters that are subject to the jurisdiction of 
the Government of Iraq; and 
(C) subject to negotiation with the Govern-
ment 
of 
Iraq, 
establish 
primacy 
and 
coordinative mechanisms with respect to inves-
tigations and operations involving United States 
and Iraqi forces, including civilian police forces. 
Æ 
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