Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Lantos amendment. Madam Chairman, I congratulate the gentleman from California for offering his amendment, because it highlights a particularly important aspect of our current efforts in Afghanistan. Everything we have achieved to the present time is dependent on the security situation in Afghanistan. No level of assistance will be effective if aid workers cannot reach those in need. Indeed, the Committee on International Relations received testimony from AID administrator Andrew Natsios that the current security situation on the ground is unsuitable for rapid or sustainable change. The Secretary of Defense has also said that before anything else can happen in Afghanistan, there must be security. Yet, humanitarian aid organizations have reported threats to their workers and attempts at extortion by local commanders. These conditions will not only threaten the delivery of humanitarian assistance, but they will make it impossible to establish an effective program of reconstruction. Recent events such as the assassination attempt on Defense Minister Fahim, the foiled plot to kill Afghanistan's King Zahir Shah, which delayed his return to his country, and the tragic killing of a United Nations aid worker are all part of a disturbing pattern of rising violence, a pattern that threatens to undermine the Loya Jirga process.”