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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement today in response to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's decision to withdraw from the runoff presidentialelection and the Afghan Election Committee's decision to cancel the runoff and declare President Hamid Karzai the winner of the 2009...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, today applauded the long overdue enactment of his legislation by the Obama Administration to finally end a travel ban that prevented those with HIV from entering the United States. Since 1987, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) contained a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry released the following statement today in response to yesterday's developments in the Honduran negotiations. "I welcome the initiative taken by Roberto Michiletti yesterday in his phone call to Costa Rican President Oscar Arias," said Chairman Kerry. Michiletti reportedly...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement today in response to Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti reaching an agreement to return President Zelaya to power: "I welcome the agreement ending the crisis in Honduras. The restoration of democracy...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chairman Kerry released the following statement today in response to news reports about Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai: "Senior American officials have told me repeatedly that there is no hard evidence linking Ahmed Wali Karzai to drug trafficking. However, after reading press accounts which...

The Current Debate Is Fundamentally Flawed "In recent weeks, politics has reduced an extraordinarily complex country and mission to a simple, headline-ready "yes or no" on troop numbers. That debate is completely at odds with reality. What we need, above all, what our troops deserve-- and what we haven't had-- is a comprehensive strategy, military...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) delivered a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations' Washington, DC office today titled, "Afghanistan: Defining the Possibilities." Below are Chairman Kerry's remarks, as delivered: Thank you, David, for your kind introduction and more importantly for your terrific...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the following statement today in response to a Nicaraguan Supreme Court ruling to allow President Daniel Ortega to seek another term: "Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's manipulation of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court this week to circumvent...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chairman John Kerry, who traveled to Sudan in April 2009 to meet with government officials, humanitarian workers, and Darfuris living in displaced persons camps, today released a statement on the Obama Administration's announcement of its Sudan policy: "I support the comprehensive Sudan policy announced today by the President and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today at a joint press availability, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, House Foreign Relations Chairman Howard L. Berman and Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi announced the release of a joint explanatory statement to accompany Senate Bill 1707, the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009. Chairman Kerry made...

The United States wants to transform its relationship with Pakistan into a deeper, broader, long-term strategic engagement with the people of Pakistan. The Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (S.1707), also known as the Kerry-Lugar bill, was designed to help turn the page in our bilateral relationship by moving beyond a military relationship to...

As President Barack Obama urged Muslims to reject violent extremism in Cairo last week, a decisive shift in attitudes was already under way in Pakistan. Over the past month, the Pakistani military has waged an intensive fight against the Taliban and extremist elements in its North-West Frontier Province. This shift could be a major turning point in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) authored the following op-ed in today's Financial Times titled "Time for Diplomacy to End the Stand-off With Iran." The full text of the op-ed is below: Time for diplomacy to end the stand-off with Iran By John Kerry October 1, 2009 Today the Obama administration...

, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) authored the following op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal titled "Testing Afghanistan Assumptions." The full text of the op-ed is below: Testing Afghanistan Assumptions By John Kerry September 28, 2009 In the coming weeks, President Barack Obama will make the most difficult...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following last week's announcement of President Obama nominating Robert King to be the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement: "I applaud President Obama's nomination of Robert King to be the Special Envoy for North Korean...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement today in response to President Obama, President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Brown statement on Iran's secret nuclear fuel plant: "In light of Iran's continuing deception, the international community must step up its demands that Iran...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN) welcomed passage by the United State Senate of a revised version of the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act, which will triple non-military aid Pakistan. The bill, S. 1707, updates and builds uponthe earlier S. 962 passed by the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN) released the following statements following unanimous Senate passage of the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (S. 962), also known as the Kerry-Lugar Bill. "Pakistan is facing a critical moment, and today the Senate has made a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement commending the United Nations Security Council's unanimous adoption of a nonproliferation and disarmament resolution: "I commend the President for reasserting American leadership on the vital issue of nuclear nonproliferation and for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement today following President's Obama's trilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas: "President Obama has shown a commendable commitment to making Middle East peace a priority. I hope...