tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23426297.post7066952312234177420..comments2023-10-31T09:19:37.899-04:00Comments on My Three Cents: 4 years in Iraq - how we got there (part 3)clammychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00680889340781216855noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23426297.post-53901125920618279822007-03-18T18:43:00.000-04:002007-03-18T18:43:00.000-04:00An Exit Strategy for Iraq- originally and independ...An Exit Strategy for Iraq- originally and independently devised in September 2004.<BR/><BR/>By Howard Roberts<BR/><BR/><BR/>A Seven-point plan for an Exit Strategy in Iraq<BR/><BR/>1) A timetable for the complete withdrawal of American and British forces<BR/>must be announced.<BR/> I envision the following procedure, but suitable fine-tuning can be<BR/>applied by all the people involved.<BR/><BR/> A) A ceasefire should be offered by the Occupying side to<BR/>representatives of the Sunni insurgency and the Shiite and Kurdish communities. These<BR/>representatives would be guaranteed safe passage, to any meetings. The<BR/>individual insurgency and community groups would designate who would attend.<BR/>At this meeting a written document declaring a one-month ceasefire,<BR/>witnessed by a United Nations authority, will be fashioned and eventually<BR/>signed. This document will be released in full, to all Iraqi newspapers, the<BR/>foreign press, and the Internet.<BR/>( The inclusion of Kurdish communities in this sub-section was added in early September 2006-<BR/>as an attempt to define the goals of parity and fairness and to avoid any sectarian splitting<BR/>of Iraq.)<BR/> B) US and British command will make public its withdrawal, within<BR/>sixth-months of 80 % of their troops.<BR/><BR/> C) Every month, a team of United Nations observers will verify the<BR/>effectiveness of the ceasefire.<BR/>All incidences on both sides will be reported.<BR/><BR/> D) Combined representative armed forces of both the Occupying<BR/>nations and the insurgency organizations and major community factions, that agreed to the cease fire will<BR/>protect the Iraqi people from actions by terrorist cells.<BR/><BR/> E) Combined representative armed forces from both the Occupying<BR/>nations and the insurgency organizations/community factions will begin creating a new military<BR/>and police force. Those who served, without extenuating circumstances, in<BR/>the previous Iraqi military or police, will be given the first option to<BR/>serve.<BR/><BR/> F) After the second month of the ceasefire, and thereafter, in<BR/>increments of 10-20% ,a total of 80% will be withdrawn, to enclaves in Qatar<BR/>and Bahrain. The governments of these countries will work out a temporary<BR/>land-lease housing arrangement for these troops. During the time the troops<BR/>will be in these countries they will not stand down, and can be re-activated<BR/>in the theater, if the chain of the command still in Iraq, the newly<BR/>formed Iraqi military, the leaders of the insurgency/community factions, and two international<BR/>ombudsman (one from the Arab League, one from the United Nations), as a<BR/>majority, deem it necessary.<BR/><BR/><BR/>G) One-half of those troops in enclaves will leave three-months after they<BR/>arrive, for the United States or other locations, not including Iraq.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/> H) The other half of the troops in enclaves will leave after<BR/>six-months.<BR/><BR/> I) The remaining 20 % of the Occupying troops will, during this six<BR/>month interval, be used as peace-keepers, and will work with all the<BR/>designated organizations, to aid in reconstruction and nation-building.<BR/><BR/><BR/> J) After four months they will be moved to enclaves in the above<BR/>mentioned countries.<BR/> They will remain, still active, for two month, until their return to<BR/>the States, Britain and the other involved nations.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>2) At the beginning of this period the United States will file a letter with<BR/>the Secretary General of the Security Council of the United Nations, making<BR/>null and void all written and proscribed orders by the CPA, under R. Paul<BR/>Bremer. This will be announced and duly noted.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>3) At the beginning of this period all contracts signed by foreign countries<BR/>will be considered in abeyance until a system of fair bidding, by both<BR/>Iraqi and foreign countries, will be implemented ,by an interim Productivity<BR/>and Investment Board, chosen from pertinent sectors of the Iraqi economy.<BR/>Local representatives of the 18 provinces of Iraq will put this board<BR/>together, in local elections.<BR/><BR/>4) At the beginning of this period, the United Nations will declare that<BR/>Iraq is a sovereign state again, and will be forming a Union of 18<BR/>autonomous regions. Each region will, with the help of international<BR/>experts, and local bureaucrats, do a census as a first step toward the<BR/>creation of a municipal government for all 18 provinces. After the census, a<BR/>voting roll will be completed. Any group that gets a list of 15% of the<BR/>names on this census will be able to nominate a slate of representatives.<BR/>When all the parties have chosen their slates, a period of one-month will be<BR/>allowed for campaigning.<BR/>Then in a popular election the group with the most votes will represent that<BR/>province.<BR/>When the voters choose a slate, they will also be asked to choose five<BR/>individual members of any of the slates.<BR/> The individuals who have the five highest vote counts will represent a<BR/>National government.<BR/>This whole process, in every province, will be watched by international<BR/>observers as well as the local bureaucrats.<BR/><BR/>During this process of local elections, a central governing board, made up<BR/>of United Nations, election governing experts, insurgency organizations, US<BR/>and British peacekeepers, and Arab league representatives, will assume the<BR/>temporary duties of administering Baghdad, and the central duties of<BR/>governing.<BR/><BR/><BR/>When the ninety representatives are elected they will assume the legislative<BR/>duties of Iraq for two years.<BR/><BR/>Within three months the parties that have at least 15% of the<BR/>representatives will nominate candidates for President and Prime Minister.<BR/><BR/>A national wide election for these offices will be held within three months<BR/>from their nomination.<BR/><BR/>The President and the Vice President and the Prime Minister will choose<BR/>their cabinet, after the election.<BR/><BR/><BR/> 5) All debts accrued by Iraq will be rescheduled to begin payment, on the<BR/>principal after one year, and on the interest after two years. If Iraq is<BR/>able to handle another loan during this period she should be given a grace<BR/>period of two years, from the taking of the loan, to comply with any<BR/>structural adjustments.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>6) The United States and the United Kingdom shall pay Iraq reparations for<BR/>its invasion in the total of 120 billion dollars over a period of twenty<BR/>years for damages to its infrastructure. This money can be defrayed as<BR/>investment, if the return does not exceed 6.5 %.<BR/><BR/><BR/>7) During the interim period all those accused of crimes against the Iraqi people,<BR/>or against international law will be given access to a fair trial.<BR/>The extent of the implications of the international nature of the crime, and the<BR/>security standards which exist in Iraq will dictate the place of the trial, and it’s subsequent procedures.<BR/>All defendants will have the right to present any evidence they want, and to<BR/>choose freely their own lawyers.<BR/>If they are found guilty they will be given all necessary appeals provided for by the jurisdiction<BR/>of their trials, and will be sentenced in Iraq, after all these appeals are exhausted.<BR/>If they are found not guilty they will be released and given protection under international law,<BR/>with the strict adherence to these laws by the judicial organs of a sovereign Iraq.sevenpointmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06482791850775174142noreply@blogger.com