Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise to announce that Representative Chris Shays of Connecticut and I have introduced an important bipartisan bill in…”

“I rise to announce that Representative Chris Shays of Connecticut and I have introduced an important bipartisan bill in the House today that can help bring desperately needed reconciliation to the people of Iraq. The bill is called the International Partnership for Reconciliation in Iraq. By the standards of the Federal Government, it is a tiny outfit. But few government agencies have delivered more bang for their buck or done so much with so few people. The USIP Institute has an impressive track record of conflict management and peace building in the Balkans, the Philippines, Nigeria, the Sudan, Rwanda and other parts of the world, including Iraq. This bill is vitally important, because, as Ambassador Ryan Crocker has said, 'reconciliation is perhaps the most critical challenge that Iraq faces right now.' Our bill would encourage reconciliation by supporting the work of a remarkable but unheralded organization called the United States Institute of Peace.”