[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E674-E675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2007

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I would like to share with our colleagues 
information on a new initiative for the Middle East that will combine 
economics and faith. Ambassador Dennis Ross, of the Washington 
Institute for Near East Policy and former presidential negotiator in 
the Middle East, and Ambassador Tony Hall, who served in Congress from 
1979 to 2002, will be key players in the initiative. The initiative 
will be coordinated by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and 
be supported by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International 
Development.
  I submit for the Record my remarks, as well as those of Ambassador 
Tony Hall, at a press conference on March 22 at which this initiative 
was announced.

Frank Wolf's Remarks Before the March 22, 2007 Press Conference on New 
                         Middle East Initiative

       Thank you for coming today. I also want to thank and 
     recognize Ambassador David Abshire and Ambassador Tony Hall 
     for joining me today. Both will be speaking in a few minutes. 
     I have known and worked with both David and Tony for a number 
     of years and have great respect for them. And I can honestly 
     say that Tony was my best friend in Congress and remains my 
     best friend today.
       Today we are here to announce the launching of a new 
     initiative in the Middle East that will combine economics and 
     faith. It will be coordinated by the Center for the Study of 
     the Presidency and be supported by a grant from USAID. We are 
     deeply concerned that time is running out to find a peaceful 
     solution to the issues that separate the people in the land 
     so many call holy.
       In the Middle East, religion plays such an important role 
     in people's lives. If you're Jewish, you have the Western 
     Wall. If you're Christian, you have the Church of the Holy 
     Sepulcher. If you're Muslim, you have the Dome of the Rock. 
     We cannot work toward peace in the Middle East without taking 
     into account the religious roots of its people.
       The U.S. government doesn't have the capacity to deal with 
     this reality in the lives of those who live in that region. 
     That is why I have put together an initiative that includes 
     the faith component. The faith component of this initiative 
     will be led by former Congressman Tony Hall. His depth of 
     faith and experience in building bridges between people is 
     critical to this initiative.
       The economic development component will be led by 
     Ambassador Dennis Ross. Dennis is a seasoned diplomat who has 
     maintained a significant role in shaping U.S. involvement in 
     the Middle East peace process for many years.
       Dr. Bob Cooley, president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell 
     Theological Seminary, recently provided me some insightful 
     observations about the faith dynamics in the Middle East. He 
     has worked with Palestinian Muslims, Palestinian Christians, 
     and Israelis during his 48 years of pursuing Hebrew Studies 
     and Syro-Palestinian Archeology.
       He points out that the three major religious groups in the 
     land are ``all Sons of Abraham, who share a common understood 
     relationship that serves as a basis for living together in 
     harmony today.'' It is largely the past 50 years of failed 
     politics that have undermined communal harmony in the region 
     and modified the relationships between these groups. A 
     complete copy of Dr. Cooley's remarks about the relationships 
     between these groups is attached to my statement.
       The faith dynamic in the region is critical to forming the 
     most effective approach to the political situation. If you 
     buy a young plant, you can't place it in the ground without 
     tilling the soil first. The purpose of this initiative isn't 
     to deal with boundaries, or questions of status. It is to 
     build relationships; to prepare the soil in preparation for 
     the diplomatic efforts of Secretary Rice and others to find a 
     political solution for the region.
       Psalm 122:6 tells us to ``pray for the peace of 
     Jerusalem.'' I do this every day. I believe that this 
     initiative will bring the people of different faiths together 
     and build bridges between them. Now I am going to turn the 
     program over to Dr. Abshire and then Tony. We will take any 
     questions after both of them speak. Thank you.

 Statement by Ambassador Tony Hall at Middle East Press Conference on 
                             March 22, 2007

       I am very pleased to be part of this initiative headed by 
     my friend, Frank Wolf, and supported by other members of the 
     Congress and Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
       As His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan so clearly spelled 
     out two weeks ago to the Congress, the unresolved conflict 
     between Israel and Palestine has resulted in tremendous pain 
     in Israel, the Palestinian territories and other nations in 
     the Middle East. This problem has fueled additional fires 
     outside of the region that have brought fear, destruction and 
     extremism to many countries and people, including our own. 
     The situation is at such a point that it is no longer only an 
     isolated regional conflict in which we can choose to be 
     involved, it is a problem that directly affects the security 
     of the United States.
       I have traveled a number of times to the Middle East, 
     starting in 1979, and most recently having returned from 
     there this past week. We did a lot of listening; and what I 
     have seen and heard leads me to believe that there has not 
     been a more urgent time for peace. There are a lot of people 
     already working on multiple fronts in waging peace, and my 
     role in the coming months will be to support them by 
     fostering additional relationships, understanding, and 
     cooperation among the various communities in the Holy Land.
       I want to clarify that my mission is not to distract from 
     the political side of the peace process, but to lay 
     additional groundwork for an eventual political outcome. 
     However, one cannot speak about peace on the political level 
     without taking into account the religious roots of the people 
     involved--especially in the Holy Land.
       Our service is to support and encourage the people of faith 
     who bear influence in the region. We are connecting with 
     people of faith because as leaders of these communities they 
     can either encourage the way of compassion, sacrifice, and 
     grace in this process--which is necessary to support a 
     political outcome--or they can incite their people in the 
     hopeless path of the status quo. We want to help the Jewish, 
     Muslim, and Christian communities who recognize and labor for 
     peace

[[Page E675]]

     by practicing the commandment to ``Love your neighbor.''
       The Abrahamic faiths have been in conflict for so long, 
     that most of us have forgotten that at the core of each of 
     them lies that universal commandment: ``Love your neighbor.'' 
     By going back to this fundamental starting point ourselves, 
     and encouraging our friends in the region to do likewise, we 
     believe that we can construct some good will that we hope may 
     help support a political settlement.
       We are not under any illusion that we alone can solve the 
     conflict. My good friend Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and 
     other community, political, business and religious leaders 
     are coming together to share in the work of preparing the way 
     for peace in the Holy Land. Together we hope that our 
     combined efforts can, in some small way, assist in paving the 
     way for a just and lasting peace.
       It's worth a try.

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