[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5924]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  REACH OUT TO MODERATE PEOPLE OF IRAN

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, anyone following the news knows that 
tension is growing in our relations with Iran. But as we consider our 
response to this situation, let us be clear about where the problem 
lies.
  The problem is with the radical new leadership of Iran, President 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his extremist regime. It is not with the good 
people of Iran, who have shown openness to freedom and moderation.
  Historically, Iran has been a center of culture and civilization. 
Millions of Iranians still value these things and seek a future with 
greater freedom and individual liberty. We must be reaching out to 
these people through diplomacy, person-to-person diplomacy and other 
ways to encourage their desire for freedom.
  The idea of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of a leader who 
calls the Holocaust a myth and openly says Israel should be wiped off 
the map is unthinkable and must be addressed. But the best way to do 
that is through reaching out to the moderate people of Iran who want 
better for their country than the current regime, not through military 
action.

                          ____________________