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“THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2O08” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1387-E1388 on June 22, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2O08
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speech of
HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2764) making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes:
Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Chairman, during times of crisis, the United States has always supported her friends. Egypt is our friend. Egypt is not only our friend, Egypt is our strategic partner, our peace partner and our military partner in the Middle East. It is shameful how we are treating our friend with the restrictions on military aid to Egypt in this bill. As such, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment by Rep. Anthony Weiner removing $200 million in military aid to Egypt, and in strong support of the amendment by Rep. Charles Boustany allowing military support to continue to Egypt without conditions. Egypt and the United States have a valuable, key and strategic partnership, one that has been underscored by the recent developments in the Gaza Strip. It would be toxic to the relationship that the United States has with Egypt, and our relationship to those moderate Arab states in the Middle East, for this bill to be adopted with these restrictions.
In April of this year, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that:
``I have long considered Egypt one of America's most important, even indispensable, partners. . . Security challenges in the Middle East are significant, but can be overcome by Egypt and the United States working closely together in the region.'' Just last week, the world saw Hamas take over the Gaza Strip. Hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women, children, senior citizens, and the disabled are fleeing this region as refugees, many ending up in Egypt.
In response to this crisis, Egypt's President, Hosni Mubarak, has invited Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Jordan's President King Abdullah II for a summit this Monday, June 25, 2007 in an effort to negotiate peace in this region. I commend to my colleagues the following portion of an article dated June 21, 2007 from the Associated Press that goes into more detail about the summit:
Ramallah, West Bank.--Closing ranks against Hamas, Egypt's president invited Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders to a peace summit, officials said Thursday, the biggest show of support yet by moderate Arab states for beleaguered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The meeting will take place Monday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, said Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has invited Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Jordan's King Abdullah II. Jordan confirmed Abdullah would attend.
Abbas will call for a resumption of peace talks with Israel, arguing that only progress toward Palestinian statehood can serve as a true buffer against Hamas, which took control of Gaza by force last week, Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said.
``The most important thing to realize is that time is of the essence,'' Erekat said. ``We need to deliver the end of occupation, a Palestinian state. If we don't have hope, Hamas will export despair to the people.''
As immediate steps, Abbas will ask Israel to remove West Bank checkpoints that disrupt daily life and trade, and to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian tax funds Israel froze after Hamas came to power last year.
Also on Thursday, Palestinian dual nationals and foreigners working in Gaza were allowed to pass through Israel for other points. About 60 Palestinian-Americans left Gaza for Jordan, and eight World Bank employees left the coastal strip, an Israeli army spokeswoman said.
Late Wednesday, 35 Gazans who had been stuck at the main Gaza-Israel passenger crossing for several days were sent to Egypt via Israel, the spokeswoman said. Among those who left were gunmen from Abbas' Fatah movement, their wives and children.
Hundreds of men, women and children rushed to the crossing after the Hamas takeover, among them Fatah loyalists who feared they'd be harmed by Hamas, despite the militants' offer of amnesty. By Thursday, the passage, rank with the stench of urine and garbage, was nearly empty after it became clear that a mass exit to the West Bank was not approved.
Earlier Wednesday, Israel took in several of the sick and wounded in the crowd.
In Washington, Olmert said he would propose to his Cabinet on Sunday that it unlock frozen funds, though he did not say how much money he thought Israel should free. Israel is holding about $550 million in tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.
Despite the talk about peace, however, the Hamas takeover has dealt a setback to statehood efforts, with the Islamic militants in charge of Gaza and Abbas in charge of the West Bank.''
This Amendment is even opposed by the President. In a statement of White House policy, the Office on Management and Budget says:
``The Administration opposes the prohibition on a portion of the foreign military financing to Egypt contained in section 699. Military assistance is critical to our strategic partnership with Egypt and has contributed to a broad range of U.S. objectives in the region. Such a restriction will undermine the U.S. relationship with Egypt and send the wrong message to this important ally in the region.''
As a former Member of this subcommittee, I personally appreciate the challenges that Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Minority Member Wolf not only face, but surpass. This bill provides significant funding increases for many programs that I have, and will continue to, support.
My objection is to Section 699 of the bill, a new provision, which sets conditions on $200 million of the $1.3 billion in military assistance to Egypt. This assistance is pending certification of the Secretary of State that Egypt is taking steps toward enactment of a new judicial law, including the principal components of the law and separation of the budget of the judiciary from that of the Ministry of Justice; steps to review criminal procedures and mass demonstrations by Egypt's police force; and steps to detect and destroy the smuggling network into the Gaza strip.
The Thirteenth Congressional District of Michigan contains one of the highest concentrations of Arabs in the United States. These tax-paying, hard-working Americans demand that the United States respect not just their homeland, but the past, present and future effort that Egypt has made manifest over the years as a strategic partner and toward peace. To remove this key support from Egypt, at this point, would signal an unnecessary reticence by the United States toward one of the few allies we have in the Middle East.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support Egypt, to support peace in the Middle East, and to support the amendment offered by my colleague from Louisiana, Congressman Boustany and oppose the amendment offered by my colleague from New York, Congressman Weiner.
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