HomeMy WebLinkAbout998 - SUPPORTING Cessation of combat operations operations in Iraq and the return of U.S. TroopsRESOLUTION NO. 998
RESOLUTION URGING CESSATION OF COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ
AND THE RETURN OF U.S. TROOPS
WHEREAS, The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of
2002 was passed by the U.S. Congress on October 1 l, 2002, and that Public Law 107-
243 cited Iraq's possession of weapons of mass des[ruction as a primary reason for the
use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq; and
WHEREAS> On January 12, 2005, President Bush officially declared an end to the search
for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, The United States initiated combat operations in Iraq on March 19, 2003;
and
WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of inembers of the United States Armed Forces have
served with honor and distinction in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, More than 2,400 members of the United States Armed Forces have been
killed and more than 17,000 members of the Armed Forces have been wounded in the
Iraq War ("Operation Iraqi Freedom"); and
WHEREAS, Iraqi deaths have been estimated at over 30,000, and tens of thousands of
Iraqi residents have been injured: and
WHEREAS, The United States military occupation of Iraq has placed significant strains
on the capacity of the United States Armed Forces, both acdve duty and reserve and the
National Guard; and
WHEREAS, The Congressional Research Service has estimated the cost of the war to
date at $320 billion and projects that the total cost is likely to more than double before the
war ends; and
WHEREAS, The federal government has had to cut or eliminate funding to many needed
domestic programs to offset the costs of the Iraqi war; and
WHEREAS, The war and continued occupation have resulted in the devastation of Iraq's
physical and social infrastructure and led to widespread and continuous resistance to U.S.
occupation that threatens the lives of Iraqi civilians and the men and women who
compose the ranks of U.S. and other occupying forces; and
WHEREAS the U.S. imports approximately 17% of its oil from the Persian Gulf, and
President Bush stated in his 2006 State of the Union address, "America is addicted to oil,
which is often imported from unstable parts of the world"; and
WHEREAS, On 7anuary 21, 2003, the Boulder City Council passed a resolution
opposing a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq supporting instead a genuinely multilateral
diplomatic approach; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That the City Council of the City of Boulder, Colorado strongly
supports the women and men serving in the United States Armed Forces in Iraq and
recognizes the sacrifices that each of them is making; and
BET IT FURTHER RESOLVED That the City Council of Boulder recognizes the
impacts that the war has had on Iraqi civilians; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of Boulder urges the United States
government to immediately commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States
military personnel from Iraq; and
BE TT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of Boulder urges the United States
government to commit to the people of Iraq that upon withdrawal, the United Sates will
abandon any claim to maintain military bases, either temporary or permanent in Iraq,
unless the elected government of Iraq requests that the United States government
maintain a presence in Iraq; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of Boulder urges the United States
government to fully recognize Iraq's rights of self-determination; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of Boulder urges the United States
government to fully recognize and accept Iraq's possession and control of its oil and
other natural resources; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of Boulder, recognizing that the
stability of Iraq is crucial to the security of the residents of Boulder and to all Americans,
urges the United States govemment to provide the people of Iraq with all necessary non-
military material aid as shall be necessary for the security of Iraq's citizens and for the
rebuilding of Iraq; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the financial resources used to prosecute the war be
redirected to address urgent domestic needs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of Boulder urges the federal
government to move towards energy security for our nation by developing and
implementing a national energy strategy that: reduces our dependence on foreign oil,
increases our use of this nation's abundant renewable energy resources, and aggressively
pursues the energy efficency potential available in our nation's economy, doing so in an
environmentally sustainable manner; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution shall be sent to George W.
Bush, President of the United States, Senator Wayne Allard, Senator Ken Salazar, and
Representative Mark Udall.
APPROVED, this ~~ day ofJl9 `~.~, 2006.
ATTEST:
C1
City Clerk on behalf of the
Director of Finance and Reco
Mayor