Release of American Hostages

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUMENTHAL. I thank my colleague from Arizona who led this trip. Very enthusiastically and emphatically I would say the answer is, yes, we should be encouraging these nongovernmental organizations that are committed to the cause of democracy and human rights and civil society. Their work in Egypt and in places such as Tunisia and other areas of the Middle East, as well as around the globe where democracy and freedom are at risk and sometimes at great peril, has been enormously important.

I was so proud and grateful to be part of this trip led by Senator McCain, and to hear and see the kind of respect there is in the world for his views, for his leadership, as well as for Senator Graham's. And ``receptiveness'' is probably an understatement that Field Marshal Tantawi, leaders of Parliament, and others in Egypt had for his statements about the importance of allowing these Americans, these seven Americans, who committed no crime, to leave that country. The power of his and Senator Graham's statements, the ability of our colleagues such as Senator Hoeven and Senator Sessions to speak--not on behalf of the United States, because we were not there to negotiate--but on behalf of public opinion in the United States I think was very instrumental and shows the importance of the interchanges and the relationships that can be built when we interact face to face, on the ground, with our peers and contemporaries in foreign countries. Not that we were speaking as military people or as diplomats, but simply in reflecting the opinion of people in the United States that these Americans, innocent of any crime, should be permitted to leave the country.

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Mr. BLUMENTHAL. I would say, yes, indeed. I was extraordinarily impressed by their eagerness to see what democracy looks like as it works. Remember, some of these individuals have been in prison for long periods of time, some of them under the most brutal conditions, many of them tortured while they were there, with little exposure to the real world of democracy.

In answer to the question of the Senator from Arizona, it would be very helpful to them. In fact, on a number of occasions we invited them to come to this country.

But I would ask the Senator from Arizona and perhaps my other colleagues who are on the floor today to look ahead and to comment perhaps on what we can do to move in a positive way from here, because I think all of us feel Egypt is a linchpin for our relationship to that area of the world going forward. So much that is exciting is happening in that part of the world, and Egypt is so critical to it. So I would ask my friends from Arizona and South Carolina and North Dakota what they feel perhaps are positive steps we can take to build on this good step forward.

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Mr. BLUMENTHAL. It was an extraordinary moment but even more so because Senator McCain asked a number of them--one in particular--about the impacts on their families and in that case, I believe, the impact on his wife. We tend to forget in this country--all too often we tend to take for granted the immense protections we enjoy in this country, the value of our freedoms.

That moment was profoundly moving for me, and his reaction in the realization of how far he has come as a leader in his country, how much he has endured, how much pain and travail for him and his family. It was a striking reminder about the importance of democracy and freedom and the protections we often take for granted and the great work being done by those nongovernmental organizations in fostering freedom and democracy, sometimes at peril or risk to themselves.

The Senator from South Carolina has hit a very important point, and it ties to what Senator McCain said about the suppliers conference in Egypt. These principles and the growth of democracies in that part of the world are important, not just because we like democracy and not just because of the strategic value, militarily, and the interests that our national security has, but also they are potential markets for our exports. The Senator from South Carolina used that word. People should understand that there is an important interest that we have in promoting jobs in those countries because it will be jobs for us. That is, at a very basic level, one of the values of this trip, trying to promote and expand those markets, as Senator McCain did in speaking at the suppliers conference in Cairo to hundreds of Egyptian businessmen wanting to do business, buy our products, and expand their markets.

I yield.

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