James A. Leach: “In conclusion, let me just stress as strongly as I can that the regime in North Korea is one of the most difficult in…”

“In conclusion, let me just stress as strongly as I can that the regime in North Korea is one of the most difficult in the world. Economically, it is based upon the selling of weapons, the selling of drugs, and the selling of counterfeit money. We would like what is best for the North Korean people, that is, the possibility that this regime can come into this new century in a way that is acceptable in behavior to the international community and, therefore, in a manner that gives hope and prosperity to the North Korean people. We would like a rogue state that, quite frankly, is partly a criminal state, to become a civilized community. But we have nothing in this bill that is aimed at doing anything except providing incentives for a regime to do better and for a society to be better off. With that emphasis on a humanitarian goal, not a geo-strategic one, a humanitarian one, we urge the greatest possible support from this body and for a new policy and a new kind of era for United States and North Korean relations.”