Ed Royce: “this goes to the issue of $50 million in economic support funds for Liberia. What I wanted to say, on this issue, is…”

“this goes to the issue of $50 million in economic support funds for Liberia. What I wanted to say, on this issue, is that the United States has been very generous with Liberia. We have committed nearly $1.5 billion, and that includes the funding for U.N. peacekeeping, and of course President Bush deployed U.S. Marines in Liberia to end the fighting there. My concern is that the former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, frankly, is first among warlords. He faces a 17-count indictment by the U.S. backed Special Court for his crimes against humanity, and yet he is living in cushy exile in Nigeria. This is a problem on several counts. Taylor must face justice for the killing and maiming that he engineered. Bringing him to the Special Court will end the cycle of impunity that destabilizes West Africa, and most pressing to today's business, Taylor remains a threat to the progress that the U.S. has done so much to achieve. It is probable that left in exile, Taylor will return to Liberia, as he has pledged to do, and knock over all that we have helped build up, throwing that region back into chaos. Congress passed a resolution calling for Taylor to be sent to the Special Court. Yesterday, Liberia's new President addressed this Congress. She had an inspiring message. But what many human rights and civil society groups were hoping to hear was a loud and clear call for Taylor to be turned over to the court now before it is too late.…”