Letter to President Bush Calls for Funding of Iraqi Opposition

Monday, March 31, 2003

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback today sent a letter to President Bush calling for funding of the Iraqi opposition. The letter was also signed by Sens. Rick Santorum, Jon Kyl, John McCain and Norm Coleman. The text of the letter is below.

"We write concerning the urgency of fully funding the Iraqi opposition to Saddam Hussein during this time of war. Specifically, the Iraqi National Congress has been in the process of pursuing a grant from the State Department for several months, to no avail.

"Despite several assurances from the highest levels of the State Department that this issue would be resolved, including the most recent appearance of Secretary Powell before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just weeks ago, TV Liberty—the main vehicle for broadcasting into Iraq, remains off the air due to lack of funds.

"We have been informed by Iraqi opposition leaders that they have been given no money for other forms of communication with people inside Iraq—namely money for cell phones, satellite phones and links to radio/TV broadcasting into Iraq.

"The Iraqi opposition remains a vital tool for saving American lives in the process of toppling Saddam's regime. The fact that we are at war with Saddam's regime, and still not fully funding the Iraqi opposition in their struggle to achieve the same goal, is wrong.

"We cannot wait for this to be sorted out through the normal channels. Mr. President, we ask that you personally clear the bureaucratic road blocks from within the State Department and free up the authorized funding now and deal with why this delay has happened at a later date.

"Our troops are on the ground. American lives are at stake. We must support them with every advantage available to us. It is critical that the Iraqi opposition be empowered to speak to the Iraqi people so that they may join us in this important struggle."

Sen. Brownback is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 1997-2003, he was chairman/ranking member of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, which oversees U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and the Middle East.

Signed copies of the letter are available upon request.