[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8379]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2005

  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the week of April 25th 
through the 29th, I was unable to make it to the House Floor to vote 
because I was unintentionally detained in the African nation of Togo. I 
have traveled to Africa on numerous occasions in the past, both as an 
election observer and as a human rights ombudsman and advocate. Most 
recently, I was in Nigeria (in April, 2003) during the momentous 
election which underlined that nation's continual transition to 
democracy. Many Members of the CBC, including myself, attended, and we 
were more than pleased to see that the outcome was just, and that 
popular, fair elections instead of a violent military coup decided who 
would run the government. Africa is a continent that is very near and 
dear to my heart, and is an area of the world that is too often 
overlooked and ignored.
  The recent presidential election that took place in Togo was the 
first election the country has witnessed in the last 38 years. As an 
invited election observer, I viewed with cautious optimism how people 
nationwide went to the polls and cast their vote for the next President 
of Togo. From what I saw, a position which was supported by 160 ECOWAS 
(Economic Countries of West African States) observers and hundreds of 
independent observers, the election appeared to be ``credible.'' Again, 
in my view, the election was a success overall, and I will be filing a 
complete report on my observations of the election in the near future. 
I would also like to thank the United States State Department for all 
of their help and support. Certainly, when a citizen of the United 
States leaves our country's borders, the Department of State takes over 
as the guardian and protector of U.S. citizens. Oftentimes, they do not 
get the credit they deserve for their hard work, dedication and service 
to our nation. I would like to particularly thank the United States 
Ambassador to Togo, Charles H. Twining, and United States Ambassador to 
Benin, Wayne Neill, as well as their staffs for all of their attention 
and assistance to me while I was in Africa.
  Again, I was unintentionally detained out of the country while 
serving as an Election Observer for the Presidential Election in Togo. 
The airport in the capital, Lome, was closed, and the borders out of 
the country were sealed.

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