Kerry Introduces Legislation that Counters House Panel’s Aid Cuts to Lebanon, Other Countries
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Democratic Sen. John Kerry, introduced a bill to counter a Republican-crafted legislation approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee to bar defense aid to Egypt, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Yemen if groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizbullah and Hamas are part of the government.
Kerry said the country faces "tremendous foreign policy and national security challenges worldwide, from helping countries manage peaceful, democratic transitions in the Middle East, to preventing violence, conflict, and terrorism from engulfing key partners, and to leading humanitarian responses to forestall drought, famine and natural disasters."
He said a robust State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development are critical to meeting those challenges.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also warned Congress that she will fight to block the Republican push to restrict aid for Israel’s Arab neighbors and Pakistan.
Clinton voiced "profound concern" about the bill approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She told its chair, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, that she would ask President Barack Obama to veto the measure if it came to his desk.
The restrictions in the bill "would be debilitating to my efforts to carry out a considered foreign policy and diplomacy, and to use foreign assistance strategically to that end," Clinton wrote Ros-Lehtinen in a letter Tuesday.
"Should this bill be presented to the president, I will recommend personally that he veto the bill."
But even without a veto, it remains unclear if the bill will survive. Obama and Clinton's Democratic Party retains control of the Senate after losing the House of Representatives in elections last year.(AP-AFP-Naharnet)
28 July 2011, 13:58
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Kerry should be advised not to send any help to Lebanon now knowing that it will be stolen by Assads proxy Mikati govt and its mukhabarat (Abbas Brahim and other spies) and used against NGOS & Civilians & democrats in Lebanon. Lebanon is occupied by agonizing Assads gang through terrorist salafi organizations as Hizballah and others. Any US aid should be postponed untill Assads gang is defeated and ousted from Syria and Lebanon regains Independence and its historical democracy and Rule of Law. Helping Suleiman's Lebanon means "helping" a whole people falling in status of hostage of terrorism.
28 July 2011, 16:09
02
The US Government’s military adventurism, bailouts to Wall Street and general subservience to Corporate America and lobby groups is bankrupting the nation. With the August 2nd deadline looming and House, Senate and Obama still deadlocked over raising the debt ceiling, I think US needs all the money it can have.
So let them keep their aid. Lebanon need not continue being a client state. The real priority for the Lebanese Government should be the offshore oil and gas issue.
Break free from American influence and instead form close ties with China which is rapidly emerging as the only real superpower. Giving Chinese oil companies exploration rights to Lebanese offshore resources would be an excellence first step.
28 July 2011, 23:44
00
"U.S. Contingency Plans Give Bondholders a Priority". This is a recent headline from Bloomberg and is consistent with other signals the U.S. Treasury Department has been sending about their "plan B" if House, Senate and Obummer can't reach a deal on the debt ceiling prior to August 2nd.
So here's another clear indicator of who the U.S. Government really serves: Wall Street. And where does paying the salaries of government employees and the social security and other government benefits to millions of Americans fit in this priority scheme? a very distant third (i.e. little or no money left to make any payments)... after paying the bills of defense contractors.
