Political Quotes

“today, Senator Lautenberg, the Senator from New Jersey, submits for himself, myself, and Senator Lieberman a resolution that deals with the Arab summit that has been called for on June 21. It calls together a number of Presidents and leaders of countries in the Middle East. Presumably, included in their discussions will be the peace process and its progress thus far. That meeting, taking place in Cairo, is an important meeting. The resolution that Senator Lautenberg and I and Senator Lieberman have offered today expresses concerns about that. I think President Clinton expressed many of our concerns, as well, when he stated his hope "that the Arab leaders who attend the summit will give Mr. Netanyahu an opportunity to constitute his government and set policy and not presume that we cannot pursue peace." I think that is terribly important. I had hoped this resolution would be considered today and adopted unanimously. Unfortunately, there have been some problems getting that unanimous-consent process today. I do not believe it relates to the substance of the resolution in any way. Our resolution suggests three things, and I believe all Members of the Senate join in this. One, that the governments in the Middle East should reaffirm their commitment to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Mr. President, that is vital. If economic and civil rights progress is to be made in the Middle East, peace has to be the lubricant that brings it to the forefront.”