Subject: RELEASE: Senator Clinton Calls on President Bush to Renounce Permanent Bases in Iraq
From: "Clinton, Press Office (Clinton)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:00:25 -0500

For Immediate Release

November 27, 2007

Contact:

Clinton Press Office 202-224-2243 or 

[email-masked]

 

SENATOR CLINTON CALLS ON PRESIDENT BUSH TO RENOUNCE PERMANENT BASES IN
IRAQ

Senator Urges President to Clarify Declaration of Principles with the
Iraqi Government

Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called on President Bush
today to clarify the recently signed Declaration of Principles for a
Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the
Republic of Iraq and the United States of America to confirm that the
United States does not plan to place any permanent bases within Iraq and
instead plans to begin the phased redeployment of U.S. troops. In a
letter to the President, Senator Clinton expressed great concern that
the Declaration of Principles did not explicitly indicate that the
United States will not seek and will not maintain permanent military
bases in Iraq, despite the clear will of Congress and the American
people.

"The President must make it crystal clear that the United States will
not maintain permanent bases in Iraq," Senator Clinton said. "They would
damage U.S. interests in Iraq and the broader region, and I will
continue to strongly oppose them."

The full text of Senator Clinton's letter follows:

 

November 27, 2007

 

The Honorable George W. Bush

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I write with great concern over the text of the Declaration of
Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship
Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America that the
White House released yesterday.  I am particularly concerned that this
document did not contain any explicit reference or language that
indicates that the United States will not seek and will not maintain
permanent military bases in Iraq.  Moreover, the document's failure to
note any intent to begin the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq is a
missed opportunity to pressure Iraq's leaders to make the compromises
necessary to achieve political reconciliation in Iraq.

As you know, in 2006, Congress explicitly passed a restriction on the
use of any funds to establish any military installation or base for the
permanent stationing of United States Forces in Iraq.  However, the
Declaration of Principles that you signed with Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri Al Maliki does not explicitly rule out permanent U.S. bases in
Iraq.  Rather, the Declaration instead calls for agreements between the
two governments "with respect to the political, cultural, economic, and
security spheres" to be achieved by July 2008.  Indeed, press reports
indicate that Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, your coordinator for Iraq
policy, stated, "It's too soon to tell" what shape and size the future
U.S. military relationship with Iraq would take.  Given the express will
of Congress and the American people to oppose permanent U.S. military
bases in Iraq, the failure to include express language addressing this
issue in the Declaration of Principles with the Iraqi government is
deeply troubling.  To be clear, attempts to establish permanent bases in
Iraq would damage U.S. interests in Iraq and the broader region, and I
will continue to strongly oppose such efforts.  

Furthermore, the Declaration of Principles does not reference any
agreement to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq.  When you first
announced the escalation of U.S. troops earlier this year, the
ostensible purpose was to provide the Iraqis with the "breathing space"
to achieve political reconciliation.  By any meaningful measurement,
that political reconciliation has not yet occurred.  The absence of any
reference to a redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq in the Declaration
of Principles is a missed opportunity to put pressure on the Iraqis to
engage in the compromises necessary for political reconciliation.

I urge you to clarify the Declaration of Principles with the Iraqi
government to confirm that the United States does not plan to place any
permanent bases within Iraq and instead plans to begin the phased
redeployment of U.S. troops.  Such a clarification would make clear to
the citizens of both nations that the U.S. military presence in Iraq is
temporary and encourage Iraqi political leaders to make greater efforts
towards political reconciliation. 

Thank you for your consideration

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

cc:  The Honorable Condoleezza Rice

       The Honorable Robert Gates

       The Honorable Stephen Hadley

       Lt. General Douglas Lute

 

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