Bob Menendez

Uzbekistan has emerged as one of the most repressive countries in the former Soviet Union.

I believe from my conversations with you, not only as it relates to the Ecumenical Patriarch, but other concerns I have in the world, that you will be a strong advocate and not a shrinking violet in this respect.

I think it is incredibly important to get someone into this position as the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.

As a matter of principle and longstanding policy, the United States upholds freedom of the press as a vital element of a representative democracy.

The United States has made clear it will not support any such initiative in the Council, vetoing it if necessary.

It seems to me a description of the views of the Government of the United States, at least in the executive branch, and the Government of El Salvador, as well as that of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.

I take a backseat to no one in terms of my advocacy on the question of promoting human rights and democracy in Cuba.

Any action that is taken in New York or Paris or anywhere else is a distraction and undermines the prospects for peace.

There is absolutely no shortcut to a Palestinian state. The only path to a Palestinian state is through direct negotiations between the parties to resolve all permanent status issues.

We look forward hearing from you as it gets finalized, as to what our assistance might be.

I had the opportunity to meet with the First Lady and the Secretary of Social Inclusion, Dr. Pignato, last week.

This change really demonstrates the commitment from this government to transformational change in the areas of security and economic growth.

I look forward to supporting your nomination and working with you in the days ahead.

Cuba is violating the rights of an American, and it appears to be solely for trying to get leverage over America, which we will not tolerate.

The problem with the whole issue with travel, in terms of your own stated purpose, is that you are using a general license.

You don't double their reserves, you don't permit visits for the CDR.

He's a hostage. They took him particularly because he is, in essence, a hostage.

You stop the money; the regime gets the message.

I don't understand how you reward a regime for imprisoning an American citizen. I don't get it.

How do we explain greater repression, unimaginable that it could be more repressive, but nonetheless that's the reality.

Whether it is intended or not--excuse me, for interrupting you. But whether it is intended or not, the hard facts are, before our policy changes, Cuba had X amount in reserves. After our policy changes, it has doubled its amount to $5.6…

Do you think helping a regime that is oppressive of its people; that violates every principle that not only we, as Americans, have, but the International Charter has; that doubling--doubling--its reserves to $5.7 billion, which only gets…

We see a policy that results in trips featuring salsa dancing, cigar factory tours, baseball games, and even visits with Castro's regime's neighborhood repression committees.

Meantime, repression has spiked. Political arrests have more than doubled in the last year.

Since the Obama administration has eased restrictions on travel and remittances in April 2009, the Castro regime has doubled its hard currency deposits in foreign banks.