Porter says Iraq provision doomed defense measure

WASHINGTON -- The new government of Iraq should not be held responsible for torture and other misdeeds committed by ousted leader Saddam Hussein, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said Thursday.

Porter said he supported President Bush's veto last week of a sweeping defense bill containing a provision that the Iraqis protested. It would have allowed Iraqi assets to be frozen in U.S. banks by Americans wanting redress for acts perpetrated by the former regime.

"The new government should not be held responsible for Saddam Hussein," Porter said. "The reason they are building a new government is to become a democracy and I don't think they should be held responsible for these crimes."

Iraq thanked Bush on Thursday for the veto, according to Reuters. "The Iraqi government has expressed its gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of President George Bush in using his veto against the congressional bill, which would have canceled the immunity of Iraq," the government said in a statement, the news agency reported.

Congressional leaders including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada have not disclosed whether they will try to override the veto or work with the White House to rewrite the bill.

Bush said the bill could have tied up billions of dollars that Iraqis are counting on for reconstruction projects. The Iraqis had threatened to withdraw $25 billion in assets from U.S. banks if Bush had signed the bill.

Porter said he expects the bill will be "fixed" soon after Congress returns later this month. The Iraq provision was a small section in a measure authorizing $696 billion for military programs including raises for military personnel and health care improvements for returning service members.

"The White House was very specific that the only area they wanted corrected was that provision," Porter said. "From what I can tell, Democrats and Republicans agree that it needs to be fixed."

"It is my hope that Congress can work together to resolve this issue as quickly as possible," Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said in a statement.

Aides said they could not reach Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., for comment. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., in remarks last week criticized Bush for casting the veto under pressure from Iraq.

Porter said that U.S. citizens with complaints against the old Iraq should be allowed to petition the new government, but that the country's new leaders should be allowed to decide on a response.

"We need to allow the Iraqi government to control its own destiny," said Porter, who has visited Iraq four times since the U.S. invaded and overthrew Saddam Hussein, who was later executed.

The disputed section of the defense bill was inserted by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. He said it would allow "American victims of terror to hold perpetrators accountable, plain and simple."

The bill would have altered Iraq's immunity to lawsuits, exposing it to new challenges and the refiling of old lawsuits stemming from Saddam's treatment of Americans.

One case involved Jeff Tice, a former lieutenant colonel from Las Vegas who was one of 17 U.S. soldiers who sued Iraq after being taken prisoner in 1991 during the first Gulf War. He was held for 76 days.

The former prisoners won a $959 million court award for themselves and 37 family members in 2003 after charging they were brutalized during their imprisonment. But the plaintiffs were blocked from collecting after the Bush administration sided against the former service members and won an appeal.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@ stephensmedia.com or (202) 783-1760.