[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 23, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           LETTER TO THE U.N.

  Mr. SPECTER. I ask unanimous consent that the attached letter to the 
Honorable Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, dated 
January 17, 2008, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                 Washington, DC, January 17, 2008.
     Hon. Ban Ki-Moon,
     Secretary-General of the United Nations,
     United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY.
       Dear Secretary-General: By letter dated January 2, 2008, 1 
     requested that the United Nations initiate an investigation 
     into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister 
     Benazir Bhutto. With this letter, I am enclosing for you a 
     copy of that letter and would appreciate a response.
       After considering the matter further and watching 
     developments, it is my view that the United Nations should 
     organize a standing commission to investigate assassinations 
     which would have international importance. We are seeing 
     terrorism, supplemented by assassinations, becoming 
     commonplace to achieve political objectives.
       While a United Nations investigation into the assassination 
     of former Prime Minister Bhutto is still something that 
     should be done, it would obviously have been much better to 
     have had a unit in existence which could be immediately 
     dispatched to the scene to investigate the locale as soon as 
     possible and to interrogate witnesses while their memories 
     are fresh and before others might try to stop them from 
     talking.
       I would very much appreciate your response on these 
     important matters.
           Sincerely,
     Arlen Specter.

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