Terry Everett, June 2, 2003

Last week I returned from reviewing American military efforts to restore order in Baghdad and Kirkuk, Iraq. Our seven-member Congressional delegation was the first to actually view the current situation on the ground in Baghdad and around the country and meet with American military personnel.

Our delegation was greeted in Iraq by Ambassador Paul Bremer who is the Administration's appointee to lead the political and physical reconstruction of Iraq. He gave us a good overview of America's work to date in securing and stabilizing Iraq. The situation, while far from perfect, is also much better than what is being reported in our national media.

American military forces are doing everything they can to bring order to the streets and quickly restart Iraq's infrastructure and service systems. Food supplies are in good shape, near prewar levels, but sufficient water supplies continue to be a problem for the Iraqi people. Water service cannot be restored until the nation's electrical grid is repaired.

As you may have heard in news reports, Saddam's electrical system was antiquated to begin with and he routinely "stole" power from other parts of the nation to keep the lights on in Baghdad. We are not only challenged with bringing his dinosaur of a power system back to life, but also to ensure that all are fairly afforded access to electricity.

On the political front, local government is taking shape in Iraq. New city councils have been elected by the Iraqi people in 17 of the 26 cities with populations over 100,000. Their local governments are made up equally of Arabs, Kurds, Christians, Assyrians, and Independents from their communities. Money is flowing into the local economies as American authorities are using Iraqi funds to begin paying salaries and pension payments of school teachers, health workers, state workers, policemen, judges, and others.

While driving around different parts of Baghdad and Kirkuk, we saw many street vendors selling goods, mostly fruits and vegetables. We witnessed hundreds of young children during the drives waving and giving us the "thumbs-up"' sign. It was inspiring to see how the Iraqi people were greeting us and how they are now working to weave together the many threads that will make a new, free government for them.

I was fortunate to visit with a number of Alabama soldiers in Kuwait, Baghdad, and Kirkuk during the short trip. They were in high spirits and proud to be representing their country. As I did on my last visit to the region in February, I took the names and telephone numbers of their loved ones back home so I could personally pass on their status and greetings.

Iraq remains a dangerous place. During our visit, two American military personnel elsewhere were killed from ambush attacks by Iraqis. This continued unrest mainly comes from what are described as hardcore Baath party loyalists and Fedayeen troops operating independently with no organized control. I believe this lawless violence will be halted in time.

What you may not be hearing in the American media is the extent to which the Iranian regime is actively working to destabilize the new free Iraq. Tehran continues to send in clerics and other agitators to stir up popular feelings against the American presence there. In some cases, they have spurred the people to complain about a lack of services which did not even exist during Saddam's rule.

It is clear that the United States will maintain a military presence for some time in Iraq. However, it is also clear the Iraqi people want to better their lives and are anxious to rebuild their nation. From what I've seen, we've given them hope for the first time in 40 years.

Congressman Terry Everett represents the 2nd Congressional District of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives.