Doug Bereuter: “this Member, as a cosponsor of the resolution and a committed friend of the Turkish people, rises in strong support of…”

“this Member, as a cosponsor of the resolution and a committed friend of the Turkish people, rises in strong support of H. Res. 453. This Member would like to thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) for introducing this very timely resolution. Mr. Hastings has worked closely with Members and staff of the Committee on International Relations and its Europe Subcommittee--including the distinguished ranking members of the full committee and subcommittee, Mr. Lantos and Mr. Wexler--to craft the resolution that is before us this morning. This Member would also like to thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his leadership on this issue and his very thoughtful remarks. Mr. Smith is the leader of the U.S. delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Mr. Hastings is an active member of that delegation, and this Member commends them for their work. Madam Speaker, this Member serves as President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) and Chairman of the House Delegation. Though such assemblies, Members get to know their counterparts from other nations first-hand and to visit these nations to understand more about these lands and their people. This Member already has written to Mr. Vahit Erdem, the chairman of the Turkish delegation, expressing our deepest sympathies to the Turkish parliament and the Turkish people, particularly the families of the victims.”