Howard Berman

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Inglis).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I would just yield myself such time as I may consume to once again thank the minority for working with us, my ranking member, as well as Mr. Pence, particularly to say that my fondest hope is that on these critical kinds of issues we can establish a bipartisan basis for working together. And then simply to say that there are many American interests in U.S.-Iranian relationships. This resolution is not about American interests. It's about American values, which I believe are universal values: the values of the rule of law, of participatory democracy, about individual liberty, and about justice. And it is on behalf of those universal values, not American interests, that I urge this body to support this resolution. General Leave

Mr. BERMAN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. BERMAN. And then if you yield time, he'll have all his time.

Mr. BERMAN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, should I by yielding 1 minute of my time to the gentleman from South Carolina at this point?

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to my dear friend, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentlelady from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Every day since Iran's election, the streets of Tehran have been filled with demonstrators, and each day this past week the number seems to be growing. Even state-run media in Iran has put the number of demonstrators in Tehran at ``hundreds of thousands.'' One British newspaper reports that there were a million demonstrators in Tehran yesterday. What do these demonstrators want? Are they simply in favor of the candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi? Or are they making a more profound statement about the Iranian regime? Nobody knows exactly. We do know one thing, though: The demonstrators feel their intelligence was insulted and their dignity assaulted by the high-handed manner in which the results of the June 12 election were handled. They want justice. This morning the Supreme Leader offered none. It is not for us to decide who should run Iran, much less determine the real winner of the June 12 election, but we must reaffirm our strong belief that the Iranian people have a fundamental right to express their views about the future of their country freely and without intimidation. The Iranian regime is clearly embarrassed by the demonstrations and has not shrunk from using violence to stop them. At least eight demonstrators, and quite likely a number more, have been killed, and hundreds have been injured. The regime has also tried to ban media coverage of the demonstrations. Foreign journalists are consigned to their homes and offices. Several have been expelled from the country. Cell phone coverage has been frequently blocked in order to limit communication among the protesters, and the regime has interfered with the Internet and taken down many opposition Web sites. We cannot stand silent in the face of this assault on human freedom and dignity. I repeat that we have no interest in interfering in Iran's internal affairs. That era has ended. This resolution affirms the ``universality of individual rights'' as well as ``the importance of democratic and fair elections.'' Beyond that, it simply expresses its solidarity with ``Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law.'' I don't know how many of the demonstrators fall into that category, but I do know that many of them do. This resolution also condemns the bloody suppression of freedom. It is not a judgment on who won the Iranian elections; it is an acknowledgment that we cannot remain silent when cherished universal principles are under attack. Mr. Speaker, I want to just offer my appreciation to our ranking member and to the gentleman from Indiana for working together on a resolution which puts the House of Representatives on the side of the people of Iran, and with that, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to my friend from Florida, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Klein.

Mr. BERMAN. I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to an excellent member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 560) expressing support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law, and for other purposes.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. The gentleman for whom I have great respect, the minority whip, spoke about America's moral commitment to speak out on behalf of people yearning for freedom. We have an even higher moral commitment, and that is to do the things that help expand the extent of human freedom around the world. And it is in that context that I know that this House and this administration are pursuing this mission, that higher authority to do the things that produce the greatest likelihood of the expansion of human freedom. I now yield 2 minutes to a member of the committee, a great Member from the State of Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, could I get an assessment or calculation of the remaining time on both sides?

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. My friend, the ranking member, correctly cited a whole series of very important issues that we and the United States has with the Government of Iran; and she is correct. Just this quick note about what the gentlelady from Florida pointed out at the end of her comments. The reason I worked to bring this resolution up-- this resolution is not about a recitation of all those issues. It's about an affirmation of something that this House of Representatives has done in places all over the world, whether it is in Tibet or in Cuba or in Eastern Europe or in the Middle East or any other region, to reaffirm our commitment to stand for certain fundamental universal principles involving human rights, participatory democracy and the affirmation of the rights of the people of any country. Today it's about the people of Iran. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it may be in order today for the Speaker to entertain a motion that the House suspend the rules and adopt House Resolution 560.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, the author of her own legislation on security assistance and the question of the proliferation network in Pakistan.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. Just remember, a decision at this point to give up on Pakistan, it is Pakistan that is providing sanctuary for the people who are fighting us in Afghanistan. It is Pakistan who has nuclear weapons. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentlewoman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, just a few points. There was reference here to the F- 16s. There is nothing in this bill that prohibits the Pakistanis from deciding to buy more F-16s. Two years ago they signed a contract indicating that that is what they were going to do. What this legislation does is say other than some specific adjustments particularly to deal with utilizing the F-16s they already have, in the counterinsurgency, we are not going to give our taxpayer dollars for a weapons system, an airplane, whose counterinsurgency interests are far less important than other equipment or training we could be providing. Secondly, Admiral Mullen came to see me about the problems of utilizing the traditional security assistance program for providing the kind of equipment that is needed for the counterinsurgency in Pakistan. As a result of the case he made, we have created and worked with the Armed Services Committee to create an entire fund that waives every provision of law in the foreign military financing program so that we can get this equipment and training to the Pakistanis. Pakistan is an urgent problem, but doing it right, not just doing it carelessly, is the way to go. I urge that this bill be supported.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to a member of the committee, my friend from California, the gentlewoman Barbara Lee.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman who has made a significant contribution to this legislative effort, the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentlewoman 30 additional seconds.