Pakistan Enduring Assistance And Cooperation Enhancement Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Ms. HARMAN. I thank the chairman for yielding to me and I rise in strong opposition to this Republican substitute, and in strong support of the underlying bill, H.R. 1886, to provide long-term nonmilitary aid to a country in the crosshairs of the effort by the Taliban to expand its reach in South Asia.

H.R. 1886 will help persuade the Pakistani people that their future lies with a stable and moderate democratic government and not with an authoritarian, theocratic terrorist organization. But a key to doing this is important language in the bill ensuring access of U.S. investigators to persons suspected of engaging in nuclear proliferation. This issue is critical, this language must become law, and I disagree strongly with some in this House and in the other Chamber who say these requirements are overly restrictive and counterproductive.

Pakistan's history of nuclear weapons development has contributed to instability in South Asia and paved the way for A.Q. Khan's insidious and highly profitable proliferation network. Additional and substantial nonmilitary support provided by the U.S. must assure that the security threat to the U.S., which is represented by this network, is minimized.

For at least a decade, A.Q. Khan's illicit network was the most attractive shortcut for nations and rogue organizations interested in acquiring the materials and know-how to build a nuclear device. After illegally securing the capability for Pakistan, which made him a hero at home and a pariah abroad, Khan and his network sold it to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Despite billions of U.S. dollars in aid, former Pakistani President Musharraf pardoned Khan, and earlier this year the Islamabad High Court released him from house arrest.

H.R. 1886, but not the Republican substitute, declares that the U.S. will work with Pakistan to ensure our investigators access to suspected proliferators and to restrict proliferators from travel or other activity that could result in further proliferation. It also incorporates, as the chairman said, language from a bill introduced by several of us to require a presidential assessment and restrict military aid in the future.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentlewoman 30 additional seconds.

Ms. HARMAN. I thank the gentleman.

It will restrict military aid in the future unless Pakistan cooperates in efforts to dismantle its nuclear weapons supplier networks.

It is the right thing to do, and I thank the committee for doing it. The world cannot afford another Libya, Iran or North Korea, and we certainly don't want a new nuclear power called al Qaeda.

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