[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 122 (Thursday, July 31, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           U.S.-AFRICA SUMMIT

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, as chairman of the subcommittee 
responsible for funding and oversight of our Nation's foreign 
assistance budget, I have witnessed firsthand the significant gains 
achieved by many African countries over the last 20 years.
  This progress has been driven by the ingenuity and hard work of the 
African people, and has been supported by U.S. assistance provided by 
the American people and others. I am pleased that so many African 
leaders will be coming to Washington next week for the U.S.-Africa 
Summit to discuss how we can continue to grow partnerships between the 
U.S. and their countries.
  However, I am disappointed by the lack of attention to human rights 
and the rule of law in connection with the summit. There is no doubt 
that for peace and equitable economic development to flourish on the 
African continent, investment is needed to spur economic growth and 
security cooperation is needed to foster stability. But without a 
commitment to fundamental human rights and the rule of law, these 
efforts cannot be sustained.
  That is why I support the administration's exclusion of three of 
Africa's worst human rights abusers, Omar al-Bashir, Robert Mugabe, and 
Isaias Afwerki, who have no place in these discussions. But it is also 
why I am disappointed there will be leaders present who have been 
credibly implicated in gross violations of human rights and significant 
corruption, including President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of 
Equatorial Guinea. President Obiang has used events like these as 
propaganda to shed his image as a brutally corrupt dictator. He should 
not be sitting down to an invitation-only dinner at the White House 
while his political opponents languish in jail.
  While I support the intent of this summit, and the continued growth 
of our relationship with African leaders who are dedicated to improving 
the lives of their people, I cannot support the hospitality provided to 
those who use their offices to silence their critics and treat their 
countries' natural resources as their own personal bank account.
  I hope the White House and State Department will insist that the rule 
of law and fundamental freedoms including the freedoms of expression, 
association, and religion remain a common theme during discussions on 
economic and security cooperation. These are not just American values, 
they are universal human rights.
  In the long run, our commitment to our own principle will ensure that 
the assistance we provide yields sustainable results for the good of 
the people of Africa and the United States.
  Mr. PRYOR. Madam President, I ask that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in the Record of 
Tuesday, July 29, 2014, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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