|
Smith Back From |
||
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) returned last night after traveling to According to Smith, the thirty member commission formed last July “offers tangible hope that dialogue among feuding factions can mitigate escalating violence and thus accelerate the withdrawal of Smith met with the Chairman of the commission – the Minister of National Dialogue Akram Al-Hakim – as well as three other commission members and said he was told a planned meeting of Sunni and Shia Islamic scholars may help defuse rising tensions and reduce retaliatory killings. Smith also urged that Iraqi Christians be adequately included in the reconciliation process. Smith said “reconciliation commissions worked in “The Iraqi reconciliation commission deserves more international support and attention than it has gotten thus far,” he said. Smith also met with General Thomas Moore, Chief of Staff of the Multi-National Force in Iraq to assess the military situation on the ground and to determine if DOD contractors are adhering to the new regulations aimed to stop the horrific practice of labor trafficking. Smith also discussed the efforts to end labor trafficking with “Labor trafficking is an insidious problem. Millions of people who lack job opportunities are misled by ads for well-paying jobs and leave their countries for what is presented to them to be the chance of a lifetime only to end up in one of the most dangerous places on earth. With compliance inspections of worksites set to begin this month, one of the major objectives of my visit to Smith – Chairman of the House Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations Subcommittee – wrote three laws to combat human trafficking including the landmark “Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.” This past June, Smith chaired a hearing with Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) on reforms initiated by the Multi-National Force in While in “Our servicemen and women embody what it means to be courageous. They have performed their missions in an exemplary, professional fashion and deserve our praise, profound thanks and continued prayers for their safety,” said Smith. | ||
### | ||
For Immediate Release: September 25, 2006 Contact: Patrick Creamer (202) 225-3765 |
||
| ||