[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 72 (Friday, May 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING IRAN FROM 
                  ACQUIRING NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY

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                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2012

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, on May 17, 2012, the House of Representatives 
overwhelmingly passed H. Res. 568, a resolution expressing a sense of 
the House regarding the importance of preventing the Government of Iran 
from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Despite agreeing with the 
overall intent of the resolution, I was compelled to vote ``present'' 
due to concerns about how the resolution was drafted.
  I wholeheartedly believe that stopping the proliferation of nuclear 
weapons is necessary to ensure the peaceful security of our Nation, and 
the world. Accordingly, I am gravely concerned about the prospect of a 
nuclear weapon-armed Government of Iran, which has vehemently 
antagonized its regional neighbors, particularly our ally Israel. H. 
Res. 568 expresses this concern and supports a permanent agreement with 
Iran that assures its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. I also 
agree with the support expressed in H. Res. 568 for the universal 
rights and democratic aspirations of the Iranian people, many of whom 
have suffered greatly in pursuit of these noble causes.
  Unfortunately, H. Res. 568 employs dangerously ambiguous language 
when reframing U.S. policy to prevent this potential nuclear weapon 
threat. The resolution references nuclear weapons ``capability'' as a 
new basis for U.S. policy. A loose interpretation of the undefined 
``capability'' term, combined with the resolution's strong rejection of 
any policy--U.S. or otherwise--that does not prevent a nuclear weapons-
capable Iran, can easily accelerate the rhetoric for military action 
against Iran. Furthermore, the resolution's policy restrictions can 
only hinder the upcoming P5+1 negotiations with Iran. For these 
reasons, I voted ``present'' on H. Res. 568.

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