Eagle Bridge, NY — April 9, 2007 — Last week Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Damascus to visit with Syrian President Bashar Assad. While there, she delivered a message that “Israel was ready to engage in peace talks” with Syria. The Israeli prime minister denied he had given Ms. Pelosi any such message. The United States has severed high-level contacts with Syria, and the White House strongly critized Pelosi’s visit.
The Assad family gained power during a coup in 1971. President Assad is suspected of supporting the terrorist groups Hazbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, and is widely credited with the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri in 2005. The U.N. is considering charges against Assad. On her visit, Speaker Pelosi declared: “We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace.”
Any American citizen, including members of Congress, may meet with foreign governments on fact finding missions. However, the Logan Act, passed in 1799, forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments under penalty of fines and up to three years in prison. The Supreme Court has stated: “Into the field of negotiation the Senate cannot intrude, and Congress itself is powerless to invade it.” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos declared: “We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy” and “this is only the beginning of our constructive dialogue with Syria.”
2007-04-09
06:00:02
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16 answers
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asked by
Rachel M
1
in
Government