[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 8631-8632]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          DIPLOMATIC NOMINEES

  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise to address the body this morning on 
the importance of Senate action to confirm pending nominations for 
ambassadorial and other foreign affairs posts.
  Together, Republicans and Democrats on the Foreign Relations 
Committee have worked to move nominations as expeditiously as possible. 
During the past few weeks, the committee has held hearings and 
considered nominations for more than 30 such posts. As a group, these 
nominees received bipartisan support. Our members voted unanimously in 
favor of confirmation of each one at a business meeting last Thursday.
  I was pleased last night when the Senate confirmed Paul Applegarth to 
be chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. I 
appreciate the work of Senator Frist and Senator Daschle to move this 
important nomination. The launch of the Millennium Challenge 
Corporation presents an important opportunity for the United States to 
enhance the effectiveness of its development assistance. Last year, 
Congress appropriated $1 billion for the MCC, and having a chief 
executive officer in place and ready to provide leadership in this new 
enterprise is a vital first step to ensuring its success.
  I hope the Senate will now move with some dispatch on the rest of the 
pending diplomatic nominees. The posts for which these individuals have 
been nominated hold great importance for our country. A few examples 
will illustrate that point.
  Among the nominees pending before the Senate is that of John 
Negroponte to be U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. As I said at Ambassador 
Negroponte's nomination hearing, the post will be one of the most 
consequential ambassadorships in American history. The Ambassador to 
Iraq not only will be called upon to lead an estimated 1,700 embassy 
personnel--that is 1,000 Americans and 700 Iraqis--he will be the 
epicenter of international efforts to secure and reconstruct Iraq and 
provide the developing Iraqi government with the opportunity to achieve 
responsible nationhood.
  American credibility in the world, progress in the war on terrorism, 
relationships with our allies, and the future of the Middle East depend 
on a positive outcome in Iraq. What happens there during the next 18 
months almost certainly will determine whether we can begin to redirect 
the Middle East toward a more productive and peaceful future.
  The stakes for the United States in achieving success in Iraq could 
not be higher.
  I understand there is leadership activity that may make it possible 
for the ambassadorship of John Negroponte to be considered by the 
Senate very soon. I very much appreciate that effort.
  The pending nominees also include individuals to be ambassadors to 
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone, 
each of which is struggling in the aftermath of ethnic conflict. They 
include nominees to be ambassadors to Poland, Romania, and Slovenia, at 
a time when these countries are joining the European Union and looking 
to deepen their ties to the United States. They include nominees to be 
ambassadors to Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and 
Yemen at a time when the United States must improve its relations and 
encourage democracy and reform in the greater Middle East. They include 
also nominees to be ambassadors to important regional anchors, such as 
Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa, and South Korea.
  The ambassadorial nominees currently awaiting Senate confirmation 
would represent the United States in countries with a collective 
population of more than 700 million people.
  Foreign governments notice when U.S. ambassadorships to their 
countries go unfilled for lengthy periods of time. An ambassadorial 
absence can be read by some nations as a sign of declining American 
interest. The United States needs strong and effective diplomatic 
representation abroad to ensure cooperation in the fight against 
terrorism, to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to 
build trade and investment relationships that will strengthen our 
economy and advance freedom and democracy worldwide.
  We also must remember that ambassadorships function not only as 
representation of the United States, but as managers of their 
embassies. Given that U.S. diplomatic missions have been terrorist 
targets and remain the most visible American symbol in many countries 
with a terrorist presence, we need leadership at these embassies. 
Needlessly depriving an embassy of its ambassador in a time of 
terrorist threat may have consequences as grave as depriving a military 
unit of its commander in time of conflict.
  Over the years, the Senate generally has done its duty to efficiently 
move ambassadorial nominees. We should proceed carefully and 
thoughtfully when we evaluate diplomatic nominations. But we should 
proceed with dispatch. Nominations must not be delayed by inattention, 
bureaucratic arguments, or political motivations, and when our 
examinations are complete, we should send the nominees to their post as 
quickly as possible.
  I am confident the Senate understands the importance of confirming

[[Page 8632]]

nominees who will be on the front lines of efforts to advance U.S. 
interests around the world, and I ask all Members to join the Foreign 
Relations Committee in moving these nominees. I thank the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Murkowski). The Senator from Missouri. How 
much time does the Senator yield to himself?
  Mr. BOND. Ten minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized for 10 minutes.

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