Rep. Anna Eshoo hears directly from Iraqi women Rep. Anna Eshoo hears directly from Iraqi women (April 20, 2005)

** Needs are overwhelming, women tell congresswoman.

By Renee Batti

Almanac News Editor

As part of a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation that traveled late last month to Baghdad, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, D-Atherton, met with a number of government and military officials to gather more information about the situation in Iraq.

But it was at a luncheon with Iraqi women, some of whom were members of the National Assembly, that the congresswoman heard some of the most instructive discussion.

"It was a different take on what embassy and military officials say," Rep. Eshoo said during an interview with the Almanac last week. The women, she added, "live in a very real and very cruel world."

Among the topics of discussion during the luncheon were what Rep. Eshoo called "overwhelming needs" that the Iraqi people want addressed, such as unsafe streets, child labor and lack of electricity.

The visit to Baghdad was part of a weeklong trip to the Middle East by eight members of Congress, a delegation led by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. The trip began in Cairo, then progressed to Beirut, Israel, Jordan and Baghdad, Rep. Eshoo said.

Her experience in Iraq was significantly different from what it was when she was part of the first congressional delegation to travel to Baghdad and Northern Iraq in May 2003, soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Although the earlier trip was far from danger-free, Ms. Eshoo noted that nearly two years later, there is far more need for security. One road the earlier delegation was allowed to travel by vehicle from the airport is now called Death's Alley, and surface travel is not allowed.

The eight delegation members were flown into Baghdad early in the day from Jordan, and were not allowed to remain through the night, she said. "As soon as we landed, we had to don a security vest," she said. Machine-gunners protected the aircraft, providing "a constant reminder of how deadly it is."

The Green Zone, which is where the U.S. military and government officials conduct their business, is "an armed camp with cement walls that surround it," she said.

Ms. Eshoo said the main purpose of the trip was to collect information to take home to Congress, but some of what she learned left her disappointed and seriously concerned. Particularly troubling was the situation involving the training of Iraqis to take over security responsibilities from the U.S. military.

"The claim is that close to 150,000 (Iraqis) have been trained, but when you look closely (the claim) doesn't hold up," she said. That's because the duration and level of training is inadequate, with some Iraqis completing their training in as few as three weeks, she explained.

"There's a direct correlation between their (ability to) secure their own country and our young people being able to come home," Rep. Eshoo said. "My take is that we will be there for a longer period of time rather than a short period of time."

Rep. Eshoo was part of the minority in Congress who voted against the October 2002 resolution authorizing the use of military force in Iraq. And though she still believes going to war was a mistake, she also opposes pulling troops out before a strong Iraqi security force is in place.

In spite of the level of danger and the lack of adequate water, electricity and other needs, there was some hope.

"The elections lifted the spirits of everyone there and really have helped to shape a spirit of 'can do' and some optimism -- even though it is very, very tough," she said.

The delegation met with leaders of the other countries they traveled to, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Vice Premier Shimon Peres. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was away, but they met with other Palestinian officials, she said.

Rep. Eshoo said she returned from the trip exhausted, but soon after headed for the Vatican. She had been chosen to be part of the congressional delegation attending the funeral of Pope John Paul II. "It was a huge, huge honor," she said.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.