My guess is that the election of the new President will be the primary thing being debated in this upcoming year.

I want to know, first of all, are you aware of the dilemma, and do you pledge to try to work tirelessly to resolve these situations so that this will benefit Guatemalan children as well as our relationship with Guatemala?

I just wanted to conclude by saying that I appreciate the service that both of you have given to our country.

This should be very important for us.

Would you discuss the reasons for that and how this might be resolved so that Guatemala has better ability to work with the United States in terms of border security and the drug trafficking, which we have commented on in our opening…

I appreciate your explaining that in detail as a part of our hearing record because it is very important that we work closely, and that will be your responsibility if confirmed to make certain that all of these details and requirements are…

I commend my colleague, Senator Mary Landrieu, who recently visited Guatemala with a delegation in hopes of prodding the government to resolve these issues.

But in recent years, that regional stability has been shaken as Mexico has struggled with criminal violence, debilitating corruption, and drug financed cartels.

Concern is particularly acute in Guatemala, and it appears that the burgeoning presence of Mexican drug traffickers is adding another layer of violence to a country already burdened by crime and corruption.

Historically, few great powers have enjoyed the type of sustained regional stability that we have experienced.

Regional stability in Southeast Europe is a foreign policy priority of the United States.

But I join you in relief that some progress has been made and that an agreement is important.

I found probably total agreement, I would say, in all your points.

I appreciate this opportunity to examine not only their credentials, but also current United States policy toward Mexico and Guatemala.

Events in Mexico and Guatemala have clear security implications for the United States, Americans traveling in the region and the United States/Mexican border.

Members of the interagency Nuclear Trafficking Response Group (NTRG), which is chaired by the Department of State, have been working closely with the Government of Moldova in recent months to break up nuclear trafficking networks.

The United States supports Macedonia's membership in NATO.

However, it's also important to recognize where we have differences.