Robert Torricelli: “I rise on an issue of great importance to me, personally, and I believe many other Members of the Senate. Winston…”

“I rise on an issue of great importance to me, personally, and I believe many other Members of the Senate. Winston Churchill once noted that nations whose sons fight and die together forever change their relationship. Seven years ago, the United States and Kuwait tragically shared this experience. The liberation of Kuwait forever changed the relationships between our two peoples. Though our cultures and the faiths of many are different, we share a sense of national independence and, I believe, a growing awareness of a burgeoning potential for democracy in Kuwait. It was, therefore, extremely disturbing on November 19, 1997, when several members of the Islamic faction in Parliament in Kuwait sought the ouster of the Minister of Information, Sheikh Saud Al-Nasir Al-Sabah. It did so because of an allegation that he permitted books to be displayed at a book fair which fundamentalists deemed to be offensive. Members of this Senate--indeed, many people in the administration--not only know Sheikh Saud Al-Nasir Al-Sabah well, they consider him a friend.”