[Peace-discuss] Senator Warner speaks up on Lebanon

[Robert Naiman]

>From the Arab American Institute:



> Last night, the Senate was set to vote on a

> resolution defending

> Israel's attacks on Lebanon.  That vote was blocked

> by Senate Armed

> Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA).

> Warner noted the

> following on the Senate floor:

>

> "I urge those...to make sure there is not an

> ambiguity there because the

> people of Lebanon are suffering enormously at this

> time, as are the

> people in Gaza. Many of those people are not aligned

> with either

> Hezbollah or Hamas.

>

> "There is no mention in the resolution of some

> perhaps 25,000 Americans

> who are trapped or engulfed in one way in this

> conflict. How best do we

> address this conflict to help protect those 25,000

> persons? That is an

> essential part of this debate.

>

> "Now we see today that so many nations say the

> United States must take a

> stronger role in trying to work our way through this

> conflict, yes,

> supporting Israel but at the same time trying to

> bring about some

> resolution to spare the life and limb and suffering

> in Palestine,

> Lebanon, and Israel, to see that it not spread to

> other areas.

>

> "I conclude our support for Israel is very strong,

> Mr. President, but it

> cannot be unconditional."

>

> It is very important that Arab Americans and

> supporters of peace THANK

> SENATOR WARNER for his comments and action!

>

> Thank Senator Warner for:

> addressing the suffering of Lebanese and Palestinian

> civilians

> protecting Americans who are currently trapped in

> Lebanon

> advocating for the United States to be a fair and

> honest broker for

> peace in the region

>

> If you are not a Virginia resident, please call Sen.

> Warner's Washington

> office at (202) 224-2023 and ask to speak with his

> foreign affairs

> staff.

>

> If you live in Virginia, call both the Washington

> office and the

> district office closest to your home.  Ask for the

> district

> representative and be sure to let them know where

> you live.  Abingdon

> (276) 628-8158, Midlothian (804) 739-0247, Norfolk

> (757) 441-3079,

> Roanoke (540) 857-2676

>

> Call us and let us know about your success at (202)

> 429-9210.  Ask for

> Rebecca Abou-Chedid or Ryan Dunigan in Government

> Relations or e-mail us

> at rabouchedid at aaiusa.org

>

> Below are Senator Warner's full remarks.

> ________________________________

>

> THE MIDDLE EAST -- (Senate - July 17, 2006)

>

>

>    Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank the

> distinguished Presiding

> Officer.

>

>    During the course of the day, there was brought

> to the attention of

> the Members of the Senate a resolution regarding the

> situation in the

> Middle East. It was my understanding this resolution

> would be brought to

> the Senate tonight and that presumably it would be

> agreed to by the

> Senate.

>

>    My concern is that there are certain additional

> matters which should

> be included. If the Senate is going to exercise the

> important act of

> bringing this up, seeking unanimous consent, and the

> message goes out

> all over the world that the Senate has spoken, I

> would support what is

> in this resolution. I believe now that is not going

> to take place

> tonight for various reasons.

>

>    It is imperative that I address what was to have

> taken place, what I

> was told was to have taken place, assuming the

> unanimous consent could

> be achieved on both sides.

>

>    No. 1, this matter is so important, it deserves

> an opportunity for a

> number of Senators to speak on a resolution of this

> import. I am now

> advised by our cloakroom that it will not be taken

> up tonight, but I

> will take this opportunity to address parts of it or

> at least one part

> that I think should bear further careful drafting

> and possibly be

> changed. Otherwise, it is only one section, on page

> 3, item 3, which

> says:

>

>    (3) urges the President to continue fully

> supporting Israel as Israel

> exercises its right of self-defense in Lebanon and

> Gaza;

>

>    There is no question about their right of

> self-defense against

> Hezbollah and Hamas, but I wondered whether we

> should draft it in this

> way.

>

>    I urge those, since we are not going to take it

> up tonight, to make

> sure there is not an ambiguity there because the

> people of Lebanon are

> suffering enormously at this time, as are the people

> in Gaza. Many of

> those people are not aligned with either Hezbollah

> or Hamas.

>

>    I am also concerned about the Government in

> Lebanon and the actions

> which are taking place now, what do we do if that

> Government were to

> fall.

>

>    I would vote for this resolution if it were

> brought up tonight. I

> would have addressed the Senate and brought up other

> matters which I

> will now discuss.

>

>    I turn now again to the fact that this is so

> important, it deserves

> the consideration of every Senator and a debate of

> some length. I don't

> know about the schedule of the Senate, but if we are

> going to go forward

> and send a message to the world about our position

> in the Senate with

> respect to the conflicts in Palestine, Lebanon, and

> Israel, and the

> suffering that is taking place on all borders, each

> side of the various

> borders, then it deserves very careful

> consideration.

>

>    The purpose of me taking the floor is to point

> out some areas which

> deserve full consideration in that debate which are

> not included. I

> don't criticize the drafter of this resolution, but

> it requires the

> consideration of the whole Senate rather than a

> unanimous consent with a

> number of Senators who may not be here tonight.

>

>    In the course of that debate, I urge a larger

> focus. For example,

> there is no mention in the resolution of some

> perhaps 25,000 Americans

> who are trapped or engulfed in one way in this

> conflict. How best do we

> address this conflict to help protect those 25,000

> persons? That is an

> essential part of this debate.

>

>    Second, I said the following on Friday night in

> response to a press

> inquiry when I first learned of this conflict:

>

>    While I fully recognize that Israel was a victim

> of provocative

> attacks on her people and sovereignty, I urge the

> Administration to

> think through very carefully how Israel's

> extraordinary reaction could

> affect our operations in Iraq and our joint

> diplomatic efforts to

> resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

>

>    This is a very critical time for the United

> States in the Middle

> East, and the Israeli actions will certainly have an

> impact beyond just

> Lebanon and Gaza.

>

>    I stand by that statement. That is why I urge,

> and I am pleased to

> say this resolution, at such time as it would be

> brought up, will be

> broadened to cover the other points.

>

>    First, are the 25,000 Americans trapped? Second,

> this Nation has made

> a very great sacrifice to achieve goals established

> by our President and

> a coalition of forces associated with our country in

> both Iraq and

> Afghanistan. Over 2,500 have lost their lives in

> Iraq; over 300 have

> lost their lives in Afghanistan. That is U.S.

> forces. Our coalition

> partners have lost. We have 20,000-plus wounded,

> many severely wounded

> in Iraq and Afghanistan. And $436 billion is a rough

> calculation of just

> a part, not all, but a significant part of the

> investment of our country

> in achieving our goals in those nations, of

> stabilizing their

> governments now with free elections in both

> countries and hopefully

> enabling those governments to gain the strength to

> provide for the

> peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan, a measure of

> liberty and freedom and

> possibly democracy which we enjoy here and in other

> nations.

>

>    What is the effect of any statement made by the

> Senate? What is the

> effect on that very fragile situation in both

> countries? There is a

> resurgence in Afghanistan. I was just there a short

> time ago--and each

> of us have followed the news to date--a resurgence

> in the fighting. NATO

> has come in.

>

>    We cannot just address one portion of the Middle

> East conflict

> without seeing how the manner in which we address

> that could affect the

> other areas, notably Afghanistan and Iraq.

>

>    So I say to my colleagues, as I said Friday

> night, we urge our

> President, our administration, as they take such,

> hopefully, bold and

> firm and convincing initiatives in regard to the

> conflicts in Israel and

> Gaza and Lebanon, to be mindful of how it could

> impact on our conflicts

> in Afghanistan and Iraq and our negotiations thus

> far with Iran in

> participating with other nations--not

> unilaterally--to try to bring

> about some resolution of what many of us considered

> up until this

> conflict--and I am not sure how we are going to

> eventually characterize

> the magnitude and the future potential spreading of

> this conflict--but

> certainly up until this conflict, in my judgment,

> the potential of Iran

> gaining nuclear weapons was absolutely--there was

> nothing more serious,

> in my judgment, than to try to resolve that.

>

>    There is no reference in here to the other Arab

> nations. It is quite

> interesting; some of those nations have come forward

> in strong

> condemnation, joined our country, joined other

> nations, in condemning

> Hamas and Hezbollah. That is of importance.

>

>    Now we see today that so many nations say the

> United States must take

> a stronger role in trying to work our way through

> this conflict, yes,

> supporting Israel but at the same time trying to

> bring about some

> resolution to spare the life and limb and suffering

> in Palestine,

> Lebanon, and Israel, to see that it not spread to

> other areas.

>

>    Now, our President has indicated that the

> Secretary of State will

> soon embark on a mission. What we say in the Senate

> must be carefully

> drafted so it does not remove the flexibility that

> our Secretary of

> State--a very able person--will need in helping to

> resolve this problem.

>

>

>    So I say that historically this Nation has stood

> steadfast, and I am

> proud that I have been among those in this Chamber

> in my 28 years here,

> to strongly support Israel. Our Nation is viewed

> upon as an honest

> broker--recognizing our support of Israel but as an

> honest broker. If

> the world is going to look to us as to how we can

> provide that

> leadership, I do not want any loss of flexibility on

> the part of the

> President and the Secretary of State and such others

> who may be tasked

> to try to work out this situation.

>

>    Yes, I conclude our support for Israel is very

> strong, Mr. President,

> but it cannot be unconditional.



-- 

Robert Naiman

Just Foreign Policy

www.justforeignpolicy.org
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