Thomas Daschle: “I simply wanted to come to the floor before the end of the debate to express my strong support for the Jordan Free Trade…”

“I simply wanted to come to the floor before the end of the debate to express my strong support for the Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act. This is the first-ever U.S. free trade agreement with an Arab country. I think at these very tenuous and challenging times, there could be no stronger statement for us to make than to pass this legislation. I appreciate very much the work by all of those involved to see that it is done. I note this agreement was negotiated before the events of September 11. We are moving ahead today because forging this agreement is the right thing to do for the people of the United States. It is also the right thing to do for the people of Jordan. It serves as a statement that our enemy is terrorism, not the Muslim world. More than a year ago, President Clinton and King Abdullah began discussions about how we could more closely link the United States and Jordan, which, as everyone knows, is an increasingly important and strategic friend in the Middle East. This act is the result of those efforts, an important step in deepening that bond.”