Political Quotes

“And I rise in support of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Donovan for his work on this resolution which reaffirms America's relationship with Liberia and calls for the Government of Liberia to hold accountable those who carried out mass violence and atrocities during the country's civil war in the 1990s. That war resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people and was marked by gross human rights violations. In the wake of this conflict, the Liberian Government started working to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the war. In 2005, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission put forward recommendations to follow through on those efforts. But now, 10 years later, the Government of Liberia still hasn't fully implemented those recommendations. Liberia, as the chairman pointed out, and the United States share close historical, political, and economic ties. We in the United States are committed to helping Liberia prosper as a stable democracy. The 2017 elections were an important turning point. This was the country's first peaceful democratic transition of power since 1944. Today's measure rightly congratulates Liberia for this achievement. For Liberia to fully move forward, it must deal with its past. So this resolution urges Liberia to implement the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.…”