U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

September 14, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


  Sen. Salazar: “President’s Proposal on Detainees Could Endanger U.S. Troops”

Denver, CO – At a press conference in Colorado today Senator Salazar voiced his opposition to the President’s proposal regarding Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. Common Article 3 pertains to the treatment of war detainees. Senator Salazar’s statement is included below:

“The language the President has proposed regarding Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention endangers our soldiers in combat and, as former Secretary of State Colin Powell has said, has led others around the world to begin to doubt the “moral basis of our fight against terrorism.” Tens of thousands of members of our armed forces around the world – including thousands from Colorado – are potentially at increased risk.

“I think we need to listen to the voices of great Americans like Colin Powell and Senator John McCain, and we need to heed the warnings of our top military lawyers. When the President asks Congress to undermine the standards that have served us for decades regarding what is right and what is wrong when it comes to interrogation practices, he invites other countries to develop their own “interpretations” of the rules. That puts our troops at risk, and fundamentally at odds with our obligation to protect our national security and our national honor.

“I am also proud of my Republican colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee; Senators McCain, Warner, Collins and Graham are intelligent, commonsense and honest human beings. Their stand on the issue of redefining Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention ought to send a strong message to the Administration.

“I remain confident that Americans understand the vital role that intelligence-gathering operations play in our fight against the terrorist networks that wish to do us harm. I am also confident that Americans have no wish to see their elected officials take action that endangers our own brave men and women in uniform.”

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