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“TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR RICHARD SCHIFTER” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2225 on Sept. 9, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR RICHARD SCHIFTER
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HON. FRANK R. WOLF
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ambassador Richard Schifter--a friend and lifelong champion for human rights. His own harrowing experience as a Holocaust survivor has been foundational to his efforts on behalf of oppressed, persecuted people the world over.
In the coming weeks, Ambassador Schifter will be honored by Project Interchange and the American Jewish International Relations Institute for his multi-faceted and important work in this arena. I join them in marking his life-time achievements.
In his two decades of government service at the Department of State and the National Security Council, he never wavered in his support for democracy and human rights--bedrocks of the American experience which shamefully are too often relegated to the sidelines in our foreign policy establishment.
As a former U.S. representative in the United Nations Human Rights Commission and former deputy U.S. representative in the U.N. Security Council, he acquired a keen understanding of how the institution works, and some of the political and ideological forces at play including those which seek to undermine the United States and delegitimize the state of Israel. He has effectively spurred congressional action to help rally friendly nations to support the U.S. position at the U.N.
In a 2008 presentation at the University of Virginia Law School, he said, ``As an immigrant rather than a native of the United States, let me tell you that I believe in the concept of American Exceptionalism.''
I share this belief and would say that Ambassador Schifter is himself an exceptional American.
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