Dreier To Thank International Leaders for
Hurricane Katrina Support
Address to World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments to be
Delivered on Behalf of Speaker Hastert

September 7 , 2005

WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, will deliver the opening address to the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments at the United Nations Headquarters in New York this afternoon. He is speaking on behalf of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), who is unable to attend due to the funeral for the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William H. Rehnquist. Dreier will be thanking the Speakers for their countries’ outpouring of support in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

“The offers and contributions of support from the international community are tremendously appreciated by the American people and I am going to New York to thank these leaders directly,” Dreier said. “Countries large and small have offered assistance to us in our hour of need. From Afghanistan to Australia, the international community has truly come together in an inspiring way. This recovery has only just begun. It will require a long term, concerted effort and expertise from across the globe. In the end, the Gulf Coast will be better and stronger than ever before thanks to these efforts.”

According to Conference organizers, the overall purpose of the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments is to present the United Nations with a comprehensive view, and at the highest possible level, of the contribution of the world’s parliaments in strengthening the multilateral system and in furthering peace, security, democracy, and human rights and development. Dreier chairs the House Democracy Assistance Commission, which is designed to aid newly formed parliaments to better function as legislative bodies. In addition to expressing gratitude for Katrina relief, Dreier spoke about the importance of strong, independent legislatures in fledgling democracies to balance executive branches that may be less inclined to foster multiparty democracy. “It’s our responsibility as Parliamentarians to transfer the trust that the electorate puts in us to help strengthen legislatures in weak democracies, and support movements for democratic change.”

During his visit to U.N. headquarters, he will also be meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton. Dreier said he is looking forward to hearing first hand from Ambassador Bolton about the progress he is making in pursuing reform at the U.N.

DREIER SPEEKS TO U.N.: DIAL-UP / BROADBAND