Thursday
Feb282008
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hears Testimony from John Negroponte on the Way Forward in Pakistan
Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 1:27PM
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard testimony from United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on “U.S. Policy Options in Post-Election Pakistan.”
Chairman Joseph Biden (D-DE) and committee member John Kerry (D-MA) shared their experiences from their recent trip to Pakistan during the election and the mood was one of agreement on the general direction of support for Pakistani democracy, praise for the skill and devotion of our troops in both military and non-military capacities, and focus on the Afghanistan / Pakistan border as a key front in combating regional and global threats.
Biden recommended tripling non-military aid for education and infrastructure, stating that such assistance yields “enormous bang for the buck.” He urged more focus on Afghanistan, stating that resource diversion to Iraq has caused the U.S. to neglect its interests and obligations there.
Negroponte remarked that the February 18 election, in which President Pervez Musharraf’s party suffered striking defeat, showed higher turnout than prior elections despite an increased risk of violence. In light of the election results, he stated that the administration will support the Pakistani people and whatever government arises out of their democratic actions, while recognizing that Musharraf is still in office for the remainder of his term and the U.S. will continue to work with him.
Tension arose over the issue of reimbursement funds that the U.S. provides to Pakistan for its efforts against terrorism. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) cited a British article claiming that 70% of such funds had been misspent by Pakistan, and quoted Musharraf as saying that his troops are not searching for Osama bin Laden. Boxer also criticized the low priority Negroponte and the administration placed on an independent judiciary for Pakistan in light of considerable emphasis they place on that of Iraq.
Chairman Joseph Biden (D-DE) and committee member John Kerry (D-MA) shared their experiences from their recent trip to Pakistan during the election and the mood was one of agreement on the general direction of support for Pakistani democracy, praise for the skill and devotion of our troops in both military and non-military capacities, and focus on the Afghanistan / Pakistan border as a key front in combating regional and global threats.
Biden recommended tripling non-military aid for education and infrastructure, stating that such assistance yields “enormous bang for the buck.” He urged more focus on Afghanistan, stating that resource diversion to Iraq has caused the U.S. to neglect its interests and obligations there.
Negroponte remarked that the February 18 election, in which President Pervez Musharraf’s party suffered striking defeat, showed higher turnout than prior elections despite an increased risk of violence. In light of the election results, he stated that the administration will support the Pakistani people and whatever government arises out of their democratic actions, while recognizing that Musharraf is still in office for the remainder of his term and the U.S. will continue to work with him.
Tension arose over the issue of reimbursement funds that the U.S. provides to Pakistan for its efforts against terrorism. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) cited a British article claiming that 70% of such funds had been misspent by Pakistan, and quoted Musharraf as saying that his troops are not searching for Osama bin Laden. Boxer also criticized the low priority Negroponte and the administration placed on an independent judiciary for Pakistan in light of considerable emphasis they place on that of Iraq.
Global health care to be analyzed and tested
The purpose of the JCI news conference was to announce the unveiling of Essential, a new program designed to assist health care internationally utilizing worldwide standards. David Jaimovich, Chief Medical Officer at JCI, said these standards are "not the U.S. standards," but "comparable."
President and CEO of JCI Karen Timmons said there are five risk areas JCI will look at in determining the health care in different countries and regions. The risk areas are leadership process and accountability, competent and capable workforce, safe environment for staff and patients, clinical care of patients, and improvement of quality and safety. JCI has determined ten criterion for each of these risk areas in order to determine the quality of health care globally.
Timmons said JCI can provide "educational assistance" to nations around the world in improving their health care. She also said that since many nations don't have enough resources to provide adequate health care, JCI can help make health care "less expensive."
In addition, Timmons added that the need to improve health care around the world is immense. Worldwide, one million people die from surgery complications each year, according to Timmons. She said that one out of every ten patients are harmed as a result of a medical error.