US peace delegation meets with Iraqi Parliament members In Amman Jordan.

Amman—On the 9th of August what began as the words to a bad joke – A priest, a shrimp boat captain, an ex-diplomat, and an ex-soldier walk into a room of Iraqis… - ended as a successful mission of diplomatic communications which found four of its members continuing on into Lebanon to do humanitarian work, including being human shields if necessary.
When CodePINK cofounder and former shrimp boat captain Diane Wilson was confronted about the usefulness of the Troops Home Fast she stated “I got this deep faith, and sometimes you just got to believe cuz ya’ll never know what it will make for ya.” In her simple southern way Dianne somehow knew that this fast would bring something special and on the day the New York Times published an op-ed on how hunger striking was simply not a successful tool for social change the shrimper from TX was packing her bags for Amman Jordan as part of a 12 person Peace delegation which included CodePINK Cofounders Medea Benjamin, Jody Evens, Gale Murphy; former US Army Colonel and US diplomat Ann Wright; ex-state senator from California Tom Hayden; United For Peace and Justice national co-chair Judith Le Blanc; an Iraqi-American Raed Jarrar of Global Exchange; Franciscan priest Father Luis Vitale; congressional candidate against the war Jeeni Criscenzo (D from CA); Businessman and peace activist Dal LaMagna; a member of Iraq Veterans Against the war; and others.
Not knowing the reactions of Iraqi Parliamentarians to Americans caused some bit of nervous energy in the room which awaited its first honored guest, but the excitement ran just as high knowing that this group was to embark on a road that the Bush administration was refusing to go down. This delegation of peace workers came across an ocean in order to find out what different Iraqi reconciliation plans existed and how they could best get the Iraqi people involved in the US discussion of their future. These plans differed in some details but the over all themes where clear, set a timetable for withdrawal of US troops, dissolve the militias, recognition of the resistance as legitimate, strengthen the Iraqi army, repeal the Bremmer laws, and a reworking of the US pressured Constitution.
The US timetable for withdrawal was the most important to all parties concerned and ranged from an actions related timetable of more than a year promoted by the Iraqi Front For National Dialogue’s Dr Saleh Al Mutla (an Iraqi parliament member) to the more radical timetable to begin immediately presented by others to include Dr. Ahmad Al Kubaisi of the Association of Muslim Scholars based in Baghdad. This issue was a sticky one as it was discussed because of the militias, which now plague Iraq and are commonly called death squads, running the country with impunity. Some to include Dr. Al Mutla feel that this is something that the US must do before withdrawing its troops and even hinted at an increased troop level in the mean time, while others like Dr. Al Kubaisi feel as though “this is an Iraqi problem and when the Americans are gone we as Iraqis will solve it and no longer fight.” Either plan seems much closer to the Murtha or Kerry plan for exit of the region than the Bush doctrine of “stay the course” which now dictates American Troop levels in the war.
The Us timetable for withdrawal would in all Iraqi plans go hand in hand with solving the other problems of Iraq especially the elimination of the death squads which most believe to be the cause not the manifestation of the highly touted sectarian division now facing Iraq. Once the US sets a timetable and the militias are dissolved it seemed in agreement that the Iraqi government could, if given the proper authority to do so, successfully solve the remainder of Iraq’s many problems. It must though also be said that the Iraqi delegation which included victims of torture at the hands of the occupation to include at Abu Ghraib would also require a financial commitment by the United States for some time in order to see all reconciliation fully through.
For the Iraqi delegation it is clear that the US must leave its country and for those who feel more security is a necessity, until these death squads are dealt with, all involved agreed that a UN peace keeping force comprised mainly of countries who would not participate in the invasion and occupation of Iraq and/or Arab countries (who would ultimately have most at stake in the region) would be preferable to the United States merely staying the course.
So what does happen when a priest, a shrimp boat captain, an ex-diplomat, and an ex-soldier walk into a room of Iraqis? Peace! Well, at least an example of what could happen should the Bush administration choose to begin a diplomatic solution to the Iraq quagmire and set a new course with a timetable for withdrawal of American troops rather than stay a course which only guarantees more death squad rampages and more flag draped coffins coming back to American shores in cargo planes.