Pakistan Enduring Assistance And Cooperation Enhancement Act Of 2009
Floor Speech
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Security and Prosperity Enhancement Act. The legislation, originally introduced as H.R. 1318, was subsequently incorporated into H.R. 1886, to authorize Democratic, Economic and Social Development Assistance for Pakistan, introduced by Congressman Berman, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. This legislation is aimed at protecting our homeland and those of our allies in the fight against Al-Qa'ida and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan by providing tools for economic development.
We worked with the Bush Administration to craft the framework of this legislation. This initiative was subsequently embraced by President Obama who specifically incorporated it into his counterinsurgency strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan. This bill authorizes the President of the United States to designate specific trade zones, known as Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs), in Afghanistan and in certain regions of Pakistan to create economic opportunities.
These ROZs will allow qualified businesses duty-free access into U.S. markets for designated products, thereby providing significant employment opportunities where few currently exist. A ROZ program could go a long way to bolster economic development in this critical region of the world where extremists have tried to exploit the lack of economic opportunities to gain recruits for their radical agenda.
Enhanced security efforts by the United States, as well as a strong foreign and military assistance program, are needed to disrupt and weaken Al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. These extremist groups exploit the poor socio-economic conditions, such as high unemployment, in the border areas, to gain adherents to their nefarious causes. With no meaningful alternatives, young men in particular are vulnerable to their entreaties.
This legislation was endorsed by the Washington Post in an editorial on March 22, 2009. Moreover, in a letter to the Speaker this week, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the State Department, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, reiterated the Administration's support and noted that ``ROZs are an important component of the President's comprehensive national security strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and we need enactment of ROZ legislation as quickly as possible to help facilitate success.''
I urge all Members of the House to support this valuable program and vote for this bill today. I ask unanimous consent to insert, into the Record, the speech of President Obama, the letter of Ambassador Holbrooke and the Washington Post editorial with my statement.
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