[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 54 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E828-E829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2005

  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the week of April 25th 
through the 29th, I was unable to make it to the House Floor to vote 
because I was unintentionally detained in the African nation of Togo. I 
have traveled to Africa on numerous occasions in the past, both as an 
election observer and as a human rights ombudsman and advocate. Most 
recently, I was in Nigeria (in April, 2003) during the momentous 
election which underlined that nation's continual transition to 
democracy. Many Members of the CBC, including myself, attended, and we 
were more than pleased to see that the outcome was just, and that 
popular, fair elections instead of a violent military coup decided who 
would run the government. Africa is a continent that is very near and 
dear to my heart, and is an area of the world that is too often 
overlooked and ignored.
  The recent presidential election that took place in Togo was the 
first election the country has witnessed in the last 38 years. As an 
invited election observer, I viewed with cautious

[[Page E829]]

optimism how people nationwide went to the polls and cast their vote 
for the next President of Togo. From what I saw, a position which was 
supported by 160 ECOWAS (Economic Countries of West African States) 
observers and hundreds of independent observers, the election appeared 
to be ``credible.'' Again, in my view, the election was a success 
overall, and I will be filing a complete report on my observations of 
the election in the near future. I would also like to thank the United 
States State Department for all of their help and support. Certainly, 
when a citizen of the United States leaves our country's borders, the 
Department of State takes over as the guardian and protector of U.S. 
citizens. Oftentimes, they do not get the credit they deserve for their 
hard work, dedication and service to our nation. I would like to 
particularly thank the United States Ambassador to Togo, Charles H. 
Twining, and United States Ambassador to Benin, Wayne Neill, as well as 
their staffs for all of their attention and assistance to me while I 
was in Africa.
  Again, I was unintentionally detained out of the country while 
serving as an Election Observer for the Presidential Election in Togo. 
The airport in the capital, Lome, was closed, and the borders out of 
the country were sealed.

                          ____________________