January 15, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, submitted the following statement today for the hearing to confirm Susan Rice as the Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations:

 

“The United Nations is an imperfect institution, but it is still a remarkable one that serves vital humanitarian needs for the world’s most vulnerable and in many cases forgotten populations.  From the thousands of troops deployed on peacekeeping missions, to providing vital services to millions of refugees, from combating global disease, to feeding the world’s hungry, tens of millions of men, women and children have been given a lifeline by United Nations programs—programs which the United States must continue to support.  Dr. Rice, I look forward to working with you in advancing America’s interests at the United Nations and to reforming and strengthening that institution to better serve us all.” 

This morning I gave my opening statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the nomination hearing of Secretary-Designate of State, Hillary Clinton. I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on a wide range of issues for many years, and I look forward to our continued partnership and to her leadership as Secretary of State. I have no doubt she will do a remarkable job.

January 13, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today made the following statement at the Foreign Relations Committee hearing to confirm Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State:

December 1, 2008

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of its subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs, today issued the following statement after President-Elect Obama announced several nominations for his national security team:

 

“I applaud President-Elect Obama’s nomination of an experienced national security team.  Hillary Clinton, James Jones, Robert Gates, Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder, and Susan Rice each have a proven record of pragmatic problem-solving and bipartisan cooperation on a host of complex challenges to U.S. national security. 

October 3, 2007

I want to thank Senators Menendez, Casey and Brown for agreeing to share the gavel during this important hearing, of vital interest to Americans concerned about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and the unspeakable suffering of millions of innocent men, women and children there.  The hearing offers an opportunity to focus here in the Banking Committee on what more Congress can do – and what all Americans can do – to increase pressure on the regime in Khartoum to radically change its behavior, and that of its proxies in the region. 

July 31, 2007

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today endorsed a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at bringing an end to the genocide in Darfur. The resolution, which passed the Security Council today, significantly expands the hybrid UN/African Union force to protect civilian victims of the genocide. It calls for this bolstered hybrid force—UNAMID—to take command of the region by the end of the year.  The resolution also calls on the Sudanese government and all rebel groups to enter into peace negotiations to reach a political settlement which will ultimately end the conflict in Darfur.

April 30, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), and Bob Casey (D-PA) today sent a letter to President Bush in response to a speech he delivered on April 18 on the genocide occurring in Darfur and his decision to delay implementing additional sanctions.  The letter expresses concern about the open-endedness of the time frame he has proposed for implementing these sanctions and notes that these sanctions had been scheduled to take effect over 100 days ago, when the Government of Sudan failed to meet the Administration’s January 1^st deadline to accept a robust United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force.

Letter expresses concern over Administration-sanctioned sale of North Korean weapons to Ethiopia

April 12, 2007

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), along with Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), today sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice requesting that she disclose information to Congress concerning the sale of military equipment by North Korea to Ethiopia. This type of trade with North Korea may have violated United Nations Resolution 1718, which was passed in October 2006 and sanctioned North Korea for having conducted a nuclear test.  Senators Dodd, Boxer, and Feingold are seeking to determine why the administration assented to this transaction and whether the United States’ failure to report it to the Security Council violated UN Resolution 1718.

December 4, 2006

“I’m glad to see the Bush Administration has decided not to press Mr. Bolton’s nomination any further. I would encourage the Administration to put forward an individual who believes in diplomacy and has strong bipartisan support.

“From day one, I’ve had reservations about Mr. Bolton. The most fundamental reservation is rewarding someone who has done serious harm in attempting to skew intelligence at the very time when our nation needs careful and accurate information and analysis. That’s what Mr. Bolton did when he attempted to intimidate two U.S. intelligence analysts. In addition, I don’t understand how someone who disdains the UN as much as Mr. Bolton did and does can be an effective representative for U.S. interests in that international organization. I would hope that the President would select from a wide bench of qualified career diplomats or political appointees who are committed to pursuing diplomacy to advance U.S. interests. I’m ready and willing to support such a nominee.”

October 9, 2006

“The people of our nation sent a very strong message on election day. They want a new tone and direction in Washington. They also want a new policy on Iraq and a fresh start that can help bring this war to a successful conclusion. Sadly, Mr. Bolton doesn’t represent change but a failed status quo. The fact that Mr. Bolton tried to fire intelligence officers for disagreeing with him and has been disdainful of using diplomacy to forge important alliances in the war on terror are evidence of that.  Not surprisingly, there continues to be bipartisan opposition to his nomination.