12.13.05

Cantwell Joins Bipartisan Senate Delegation to Witness Iraqi Elections, Meet with Washington Troops During Holiday Season

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) will depart late Tuesday evening with U.S. Senators Joseph R. Biden (D-DE), Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) to serve as an official election observer in Iraq. She will meet with Washington state troops, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, U.S. military officers stationed in the country and high-ranking Iraqi officials. On Thursday, the final day of Iraq’s elections, the delegation expects to visit several polling places around the country.

In a statement in advance of her trip, Cantwell said:

"Last month, I was one of 79 senators calling for 2006 to be ‘a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of forces from Iraq.’ The elections in Iraq are an important act of democracy and an initial milestone for independence.

"The administration and Congress must do a better job in 2006 making sure that troops are trained, infrastructure is secured and the international community is engaged to help the new government that emerges on Thursday stand on its own two feet. First we must do a better job of training Iraqi troops and preparing them to take over their young nation’s defense. We must focus on and protect critical assets like the electricity grid and pipeline security. Finally we must galvanize international support for this new Iraqi government.

"In Washington state, thousands of families are approaching the holidays with a loved one serving overseas and it is critical that we do everything we can to support our troops and their families.

"Thursday’s election is a clear benchmark for Iraqi sovereignty. Now we must demand more accountability and milestones to be met from this administration. During this trip I will be looking at what progress is being made and what still needs to be done."