Senator Joe Lieberman: United States Supports New Government in Tunisia
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Senator Joe Lieberman with US Ambassador Gordon Gray
Today Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) announced the U.S. Government’s support for the change in Tunisia’s Government at the American Embassy in Tunis.
Lieberman praised the leadership of the new Tunisian government for acting to provide the country with stability and for moving forward in the process of rewriting the country’s constitution.
“Although in my meetings with the President and Prime Minister they expressed that they did not think we have done everything we could do, I give my firm commitment that our support has been all we can provide now,” Lieberman declared, after reiterating that the U.S. Congress passed $30 million in loan guarantees as well as $20 million for a U.S.-Tunisia Enterprise fund to promote increased American private sector investment in Tunisia.
The recent visit of Ennahda’s leader Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi to Washington DC was hailed as widely successful by Lieberman. During his visit Ghannouchi reassured the officials he met with that there is no inconsistency between Islamism and protecting the rights of women and minorities.
“When we talk about Islamism in the U.S. and around the western world, we have to be careful, because that covers a wide spectrum… Ennahda can do a tremendous service to the entire world by demonstrating that there is no inconsistency between democracy and Islamism,” Lieberman said.
Lieberman also reiterated that there are no forces in Congress against US support for Tunisia’s transition. However, he stated that the one barrier holding back greater US monetary support for Tunisia is the American federal government’s current budgetary problems.
He reiterated that he would like to work towards a US-Tunisian Free Trade Agreement in the long term, which would strengthen economic ties between business communities in both the United States and Tunisia.
I live in New Haven where Joe was born and still own a house.
The guy is a fraud. He’s a complete hypocrite.
Whether that fact is related to this article or not is another story.
I think the current environment, with the sovereign crisis in Europe and the sub prime mortgage mess in US, does not certainly help. The US could commit more money when things become brighter.
this guy is the chief turncoat in the US…he has committed treason against his own party just to get reelected, he supported McCain against his former party nominee Obama. He is a blind supporter of all the crimes that Israel has committed all over the world. In my 20 years of following US politics, this guy does not want good for Tunisia nor the US. His sole goal in the US senate is to harness support for Israel. Just look at his voting record or bill proposals.
Americans are just generous and tolerant, in an other country he would be kicked out or prosecuted for high treason!
@Kouichi:
Thank you for the clarification and for the link! The CRS report is very instructive. I recommend that everyone read it in order to have an idea about the Eagle’s perspective.
@Riyadh Tunisia is receiving the most assistance from multilateral organizations, which the United States government supports.
To read a full description of assistance and programs the Congressional Research Service has compiled the following useful report:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21666.pdf
@Afif Senators have a budget for travel and it’s up to them to make trips. They are not “assigned” by their Committees or the State Department to make any foreign trips.
@Chedley Senator Lieberman left his press conference to catch a plane to Israel. The Senator is not the leader of any Jewish organization or lobby group that I know of, although many American Jewish civil society groups work with his office.
Thank you all for your comments!
$30 million in loan guarantees as well as $20 million for a U.S.-Tunisia Enterprise fund, You can do better than this.
Western wourd including the US are just playing the arab people as foul.
Every dog will get his day including you Joe.
Take it from me Riadh
@Kouichi:
As you know, Senator Lieberman is the current Chairman of one the important Congressional committees, namely, the Senate Committe on Homeland Security and Govermental Affairs, and he also sits on several other Congressional committees. He also switched from a Democrat to an Independant,before he was re-elected, and a staunch supporter of the State of Israel. He has not been a supporter of President Obaman’s domestic programs,,and I doubt that the administration or the State Department asked him to tak this trip. However, we also know that Congressional Committes can give assignement to a number of its members for one reason or another. (Wikipedia has a good breakdown of his political life).
Since you worked as a fellow for the Foreign Affairs Committee before, any thoughts that you may have to shed light on to the real purpose of the Senator’s trip will be appreciated. If this is an assignment by Congress, what is the assignment? Thank you!
Senator Lieberman is also a well known liberal leader of the Jewish lobbies and political action committees in the US. As such, his nodding or approval of Tunisia’s new Islamist government is essential to the continuation of the US support for Tunisia’s transition.
Note that his term as Senator ends in 2012, and that he is not seeking reelection.