Chuck Hagel: “the Senate is debating the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. In its current form, this bill is a careful…”

“the Senate is debating the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. In its current form, this bill is a careful compromise that has been months in the making. I had serious concerns about earlier versions of this legislation, but I am a cosponsor of today's compromise. I am confident that we have crafted the right balance among different facets of American foreign policy. Economic freedom and individual liberties are not competitors--they go hand-in-hand! We want nations that are free, that respect rights and liberties, and that have free trade and market economies. This is a bill that will focus America's attention on the desire to advance religious freedom around the world while doing no harm to America's national security, diplomatic or economic interests abroad. This is a bill that will give the President flexibility to craft a complete foreign policy--a foreign policy that does not elevate one facet of our foreign relations above all others. Religious freedom and tolerance have always been America's creed. Freedom of religion is the first freedom guaranteed in our Bill of Rights. No person anywhere in the world--no Christian, no Jew, no Hindu, no Muslim, no Buddhist, no Baha'i . . . no one--should suffer at the hand of the State for worshiping as he or she sees fit.”