Reply #4: Hearing has started

[karynnj]

Kerry is speaking now. After introducing Burns, he is saying many of the same things he said yesterday - though less formally.

Dick Lugar stated that if the US enters is to enter into Libya, through a no-fly zone or more, Congress needs to declare war and he wants the Arab countries to foot the bill.

Burns: moment of enormous promise and potential. Repudiation of AQ, but it is a time of challenge. Need to know what is in play and what are the stakes. Tunisia and Egypt were not about us - but about them - and Obama's universal values spoken in Cairo. Stability is not a static thing. (Political systems are like bicycles, unless pedaled forward, they fall over.)

They recognize that things are explosive. We need humility - though it is in the interest of the US to welcome democracy, but there are likely to be fallbacks. There will be hard trade offs - with new governments being less supportive than their autocratic predecessors. There are real opportunities in front of us. Need a positive agenda - against AQ's negative agenda. Need energy independence.

4 parts of policy:
Support area's move to democracy
- support for peaceful transitions (Egypt, Tunisia)
- those where things are uncertain ???( Bahrain) - (I got this badly)
- For countries trying to stay ahead of the wave, urge and support reform (Jordan)
- For violence (Libya)

Economic help (K/L/M's bill), trade

Need resolution of Israel/Palestine

Need to deal with terrorist, Iran etc