We think what is really important in the near term is that the Government of Afghanistan agree on what electoral reforms are absolutely necessary to conduct elections as soon as possible.

There are issues that are under consideration right now, consideration of electronic I.D. cards, of the question of constituencies.

I would ask unanimous consent to submit for the record testimony from Senator Cardin, who was not able to be here.

If there are attempts by Russia to punish Montenegro for its joining NATO, are there ways in which NATO can help Montenegro respond to Russian action?

I wonder if you could talk about what kind of a signal we would send by expeditiously approving Montenegro's accession to NATO.

The door is open if they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary.

It is my hope that the Alliance will continue to invest in this region where the U.S. and NATO have historically played such a crucial role in resolving serious conflicts.

I want to thank both of you for your testimony today and hopefully we can move this forward as expeditiously as possible in the Senate.

I think it is an important message not just to our allies but also to Russia as we look at the future of NATO.

I'm disappointed... that we have not been responsive in the way that we should in order to address the future challenges.

I am a big believer that stability in the Balkans is very important to the security of Europe.

I have a full statement that I will submit for the record. But I did want to reaffirm several points.