Pete Sessions: “I thank my dear friend, Mr. Pallone, for being here tonight. This opportunity for us to speak deserves to be placed…”

“I thank my dear friend, Mr. Pallone, for being here tonight. This opportunity for us to speak deserves to be placed within the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has the jurisdiction on this matter, the jurisdiction that is very important to the United States and to our friends from Greece. But it also is important to our friend Turkey, who stands, as a NATO ally, ready, prepared to help the United States and its NATO allies in the defense of a region of the world that is important. It is important for us to note that the conversation about this really needs to take place within the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I think the chairman and the ranking member are very able to discuss it. A report to Congress was made from this last prior administration that directly speaks about exactly the circumstances that Mr. Pallone speaks of. The United States Government sent this Section 211, PL 116- 94, and they said: ``The United States Government is not in a position to provide a list of confirmed violations of Greece's territorial airspace.'' This is a basis of what this amendment is about. First, Greece claims territorial space that extends up to 10 nautical miles from its coastline and its territorial sea up to six nautical miles. Under international law, a country's territorial airspace coincides with its territorial sea space also. {time} 0030 In this instance, Greece treats these differently.…”