Tom Lantos: “peace is fragile anyplace, but it is particularly so in the Middle East. Only time will tell whether the agreement…”

“peace is fragile anyplace, but it is particularly so in the Middle East. Only time will tell whether the agreement reached by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in Baghdad will hold. There are two things, however, which are nondebatable: that the presence of our military forces is the best guarantee that the agreement will be kept; and that the extraordinary diplomatic skill of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, needs to be honored and recognized. I ask all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in recommending and nominating Kofi Annan for the Nobel Peace Prize. This great international public servant deserves this recognition. His impeccable integrity and commitment to the finest values manifested itself in his negotiations, and may in fact save untold human lives in the region and beyond. I ask my colleagues to join me in nominating Kofi Annan for the Nobel Peace Prize.”