standard of capability. the major question we started with is the faa said in the 1990s, passengers get on an airplane, passengers should expect the same standard from the cockpit commuter carrier. mr. prater says the enforcement of that standard is not as rigorous as passengers would expect. what is your impression of that? >> mr. chairman, we all adhere to 421, the single standard which was established in 1995. mainline carriers more regularly far exceed the standard than

regional partners do. with virtually no exceptions programs, more robust training, as part of the recommendations that we have made before you today, in the house, we would suggest many of those programs be instituted at the regional level. >> the fact is, it is your name, the name of your company that you represent on the fuselages of these airplanes and in many cases, you own the regional carrier or a substantial portion of equity. it would seem to me in the interests of the network carriers, to require the things you recommended to day prior to these recommendations. >> i understand that thought.

there was actually a proposal made by the ntsb in 1994 when this whole debate came to pass when 121 was created, to have the mainline carriers be the enforcement of 121, for the regional partners. congress and the faa, they want to have a single level of enforcement as well as a single level of achievement. that decision was the correct one. it remains correct that the faa needs to be the principal and force her. we have a family said and we will continue to say if we need to change those standards and upgrade them, that is something we ought to look at doing. my enforcement needs to rest

with the faa. >> just another committee earlier, federal agency that was willfully blind and cheerfully ignorant for 10 years. i have had a bellyful of enforcement requirements by certain agencies that the cleat -- completely neglected the opportunity to do so. cfa, the new administrator last week, we need new diligence in making certain we have one standard, that passengers can rely on one standard, that will require some effort by the faa and might require some effort by this committee. senator rockefeller, senator hutcheson and myself are going to be working on -- we are putting together, with my colleagues, the faa reauthorization act. we are in the middle of that

process which will include modernization of the air traffic control system and many other things, all of which have to do with safety. i would say to those that raised the questions this morning about pilot records and so on, my first expectation is administrator begich will move quickly but we will introduce legislation to be sure it is done the right way. senator begich, would you wish to make any other comments? let me thank the witnesses for being here. we will have an additional hearing with the airline companies themselves. we appreciate mr. may and cohen, other question i have not asked, i know there is a term of art called crew rest, and one of the

senators raised the issue, but i have been on plenty of airplanes, plenty of airplanes that fly in the air late because of storms, we land at midnight in washington national and i know there is a requirement for a certain number of hours of rest, but i have sat with pilots and walked out of the plane with pilots who have set i have to be back here at x our, that meets the test of the number of hours i have for rest but by the time i get to the hotel, by the time i checked in, by the time i get to bed, i'm going to have maybe four hours of sleep. that is a crew rest issue and it is a regulatory issue. i don't want people to think fatigue is the only issue here. there are other issues with respect to crew rest that we have to talk about as we move forward. >> it leads to the fatigue of that next day. if you are not allowed adequate time to recuperate from 16 our

duty that you had the day before and you are only a way from the airplane for 8 hours, 8-1/2 hours, it is not enough, we need to ensure the pilots and getting at least an adequate opportunity behind the hotel door to get eight hours of rest. >> one thing is certain of this country, we are all pretty mobile, we rely on a transportation system that is modern and safe and reliable, and no insignificant part of that is the commercial airline industry. very important to our country, very important to all regions of our country, and we want it to be made as safe as possible. the tragic crash in buffalo, new york, has activated a lot of interest in asking questions. did we drift along here and allow the creation of a couple different standards in training? we will know more about that as more disclosures come from the ntsb and we are learning some

from last week's hearing at this week's hearing and we are indebted to the people in the system. mr. maurer, we are indebted to you and the families, in the name of those who loved, find a way to make a difference and make certain that others do not experience the same fate. we appreciate all of you being here, this hearing is adjourned. [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> over the july 4th weekend, notable americans on c-span, stories from inside the white house, domestic policy advisers on their presidents, from richard nixon to george w. bush. honoring president ronald reagan.

ken burns on his career, an upcoming series on america's national parks, a tribute to john updike, 12 time winner of the pulitzer prize, a reunion of the apollo 8 astronauts. starting friday morning on c-span2's book tv, in depth sunday with historian and author john firming. find out what is on any time on c-span.org. >> the state department briefing with the u.s. special representatives to muslim communities. farah pandith has worked with the state department. this is about 20 minutes. >> good afternoon, everybody, welcome, sorry for the delay.

we had some technical difficulties. i am pleased to have with us today special representative to muslim countries, farah pandith. miss pandith will brief you on her new position and the it ministration's efforts to create opportunities for dialogue with muslims around the world. i am going to turn it over to her in just a second. before asking your questions, if you could identify yourselves and your news organization, we would greatly appreciate it. >> good afternoon. i am sorry you had to wait. technical difficulties. my name is farah pandith, i am special representative to muslim communities. what i want to do before q&a is take a minute to tell you about my background because there were a lot of questions about that and tell you about the role of the secretary envisions for me and open it up for questions. i was born in india and grew up in massachusetts. i did my education in

massachusetts, i went to an open academy, smith college, i went to the fletcher school of law and diplomacy. i had experience working in public and private sector, i was vice-president of international business for a company in boston. i had a chance to really think about the international -- from a lot of perspectives. that is important when you think about the way in which we're looking at this world. how do you harness the different sectors and how do you think about things in a creative way. this has allowed me to think about what is possible. i have worked since 2003 in 3 different parts of the united states government, the national development, i was in the national security council at the white house and for the last two years i have been at the the province of state. the role created for me in the bureau was the first of its kind in u.s. history, an opportunity for me to engage with our

embassies with muslims across western europe. i did that for two years. it is important when we think about how we are doing things globally. a strong part of thinking about engagement is to wonder stand and nuances that are taking place in different regions. i did have a european portfolio, i had an opportunity over the last couple years to work with our embassies in south asia, africa and middle east. what that brings to the table is an opportunity to think about the grass roots level. to think about how they're going to figure out ways to create dialogue. that is where this leads us. this new role is a historic role, the secretary's division for engagement to our embassy overseas. i had the opportunity to brief her at the end of january. in that briefing, she completely got it, she understood the nuances, the need for our

country to build relationships with muslims overseas. she has been doing engagement for long time. she was the person who created the white house. this is something she got when we talked. she asked me to leverage my experience in europe and other parts of the world. to speak about how to have the department work on muslim engagement in a way that is out of the box, innovative, dynamic, worked with embassies so we are getting to know the next generation of thinkers. in his role i will be doing that. the office of the special representative to muslim communities is a way for us at the state department to execute her vision. on the heels of cairo when we heard the president talk about the need and his commitment to engage with muslims, this is our effort to work on that important

agenda. the history behind this, that is a little bit about me. through the questions we have today, you will last deeper questions than that but i do want to say i hope this is one of many briefings, you're just getting to know me and i have to get to know you over the months and years ahead. certainly, certainly. >> i am mama, i cover the state department for reuters. can you sketch out how you hope to reach out -- what concrete things you hope to do, whether it is town halls, academic exchanges. we talked about reaching out to mainstream muslims around the world. the much harder target are not mainstream muslims.

the you have any ideas on how to try to reach out to, and improve the image of the united states, with muslims who may be on the fringes but have strongly held and perhaps negative views of the united states? >> i am an american muslim. the way in which i look at things, if you look at diversity in america, it is multifaceted, it is nuanced. muslim americans, from 80 different ethnic backgrounds, why do i mention this? when you think about approaches for engagement, i take that with me as i think about things. there is no one bullet that it's going to fix everything, no one program that will be the magic program to engage with muslims. it is really listening, really understanding what is taking place on the ground, finding opportunities through our embassies to get to know what

others are saying and thinking and dreaming and believing and acting as a facilitator and convene her and intellectual partner when we can, the might of the united states government is not only one way, it is two ways, how do you approach, bring ideas together? how do you find initiatives that make sense? my experience in europe tell me how diverse europe is. the first generation turkish german is not going tap the same approach to thinking as a third-generation turkish german in berlin. or fifth generation ethnic german. how do you think about the differences? i am your thing -- using a european example but i can turn into any part of the world. it is now wants, is respect, it is listening, being creative. it is creating many different types of initiatives to be able to do that. you mentioned town hall, fantastic mechanism but not the only way to do that. there are large and small ways

in which our embassies will want to engage. i have been on edge to work with the embassy overseas. they are creative people with super ideas and they're looking at ways to do what you said, engage. but to whom and how? you ask another important question, i use the term mainstream. as we think about the different demographics and the different types of communities and different parts of the world, i will be reaching out to a broad range of them. what i am trying to do is foster more dialogue, to find ways to listen where we haven't before. and to build opportunities for dialogue. >> can you be a little more concrete, other than the town hall example, can you be in the more concrete about other ideas

you may have for way to do this? >> you very well know that the public--the state department has for decades engage with communities around the world, they use a lot of mechanisms, whether it is exchanges or town halls or round tables or developing and convening meetings with like-minded thinkers and entrepreneurs, creating a community project to work on a specific event, creating a network that didn't exist before. it really is important to listen to what is needed. and to be the arm that helps rehabilitate. absolutely, please. >> first of all,

congratulations. in india -- among all of the muslims, what do you think you will bring? >> i was overwhelmed with the response in india. i really have to say it was very special for me. the way the secretary is thinking about engagement, 1.2 billion muslims around the world. that is an important component for how we think about actions overseas and how we facilitate dialogue. the president made it clear as well, it is a priority for him. this is our effort to engage with in the department of state and embassies with that demographic. i actually have no plan right now. thank you. >> what do you hope to do? >> not even a week.

i promise i will tell you where i am going but i have to consult with my colleagues to figure out the first few steps. >> a country where you feel there are problems? >> i think the important thing to do is to really think about the right approach, what the right trip is going to be and there is no perfect place to make sense for this schedule and really look forward to being diverse about my visit and hitting all the regions of the globe. yes? >> the previous administration under secretary karen hughes went to saudi arabia and egypt and covered this story and also appointed a special envoy to the organization of the conference

and they realize the problem is not about opening a dialogue to the muslim world, but american foreign policy. this fundamentally change this, do you think you're going to run into the same problem and realize that is actually something? >> what i do now is through the opportunity to facilitate a strategic, nuanced and multifaceted approach to engagement, there will be a wide range of questions that come up. i did this on the ground in europe, foreign policy does come up. but the vast majority of young muslims that i met were very interested in thinking about their futures and thinking about how to participate in their communities and thinking about what they need to do to engage in building a communication with other countries and themselves and the united states. i hope the approach is going to be one in which a lot of questions come up for sure. it is going to be important for

us. i said the word listen, i said it meaningfully, respectfully listen, respect and dignity are so important to me and how we approach, the tone in which we talk, the way in which we think about what people are saying, when i meet the young person who is 16 in oslo who is talking about a critical issue or the young man i met in bangladesh or any of the countries in between, those are real issues and they have their young, they are a decade ahead and we have to build a bridges of dialogue, it is critically important. >> indian moslems and asian muslims, you have a problem with arab muslims and that is the focus. will you give more consideration to the arab world and support the muslim community? >> i am going to be doing half the world to engage.

>> most visible points of engagement so far by the u.s.-led ministration would-be visited by the secretary to indonesia, the president's trip to cairo for the speech. how do you build on those specific visits, and indonesia is a great vehicle to build a network with muslim countries and muslim organizations since they are an example the secretary says of a budding democracy. >> indonesia is certainly a very important country. i will not deny that. what you have seen, the priority of the president and the secretary is an interest in very old and different and diverse, we talk about diversity, how important is it for understanding the difference -- the diversity of is long, what is happening with muslim communities in northern africa is not the same as what is happening to muslim communities in indonesia, nor is it the same as what is happening in muslim communities in brazil, how do we

think about that? the engagement you are using, indonesia, it is very important, we have to be able to understand the nuances. >> south asia has one of the largest concentrations of muslims in the world, bangladesh, india, pakistan, how do you engage muslims in that part of a world? is it difficult? >> if we do our job right of course it is. it is not just a country, it is understanding the different regions within the country. i can't hit the word nuance enough. what i have understood about successful models of engagement and listening means you don't just take a 1-stop shop and say i am going to do it everywhere, it is really taking the time to listen to what is taking place on the ground so you understand even within cities with the differences are, even within

generations and ethnicities, so you're beginning to build a dialogue in different ways, not just using a one phase approach to everything. >> you put a lot of emphasis on listening to the muslims. what is it you think muslims misperceive about the united states? and when you try to reach out to them, what is it you want to give them as a message of the u.s.? >> i would never say muslims are saying one thing, that there is one misunderstanding, because there are so many perspectives. what i know is depending on, again, what age group we are talking about, what the background is of the communities we are dealing with, there are misperceptions about our nation and some folks have a misperception of history or young people in america. it depends on what you are

talking about. >> there is a need to have a special representative to reach out to muslim communities. they have to be a concern, you perceive that muslims misunderstand the united states. i am basically asking, if you had come up with a special historic representative position, what is the need for that? >> what you want to do is build a dialogue, not because we think there is a misperception, to offer an opportunity, different types of mechanisms to have a dialogue. that is very important. if misperception would come up, that can be addressed but not an approach that says we don't understand the 3 things--that is not what this is about. it is about a conversation, communication. >> can i ask the question?

pakistan and bangladesh, 20 times, i am not sure exactly what you mean by that. in your special position, up to reflect a question, the perception of the muslim world is the americans support israel to the hill, that is the big problem. and how are you going to change that? what specific ideas, of changing this kind of thing? >> the opportunity to engage in dialogue means your opening at infinity for conversation on wide range of issues. the envoy to the middle east, to address those types of things, that is not what i am doing. i want to go back to what the young woman was talking about. i am working with embassies to find ways that we can approach a

younger generation as well. in terms of listening to how they want to engage. when i talk about nuance, the reason i'm hitting it as part of i am, it is important to understand that it isn't just one thing from washington that is going to be shoved into everybody's face is. it is fighting an opportunity for our embassies to listen to the diversity of thoughts and opinions and ideas and find ways to engage in matters that makes sense for a wide variety of communities in that country. >> we have time for two more questions. >> congratulations on your position. will you be irresponsible in charge of contact with the organization of islamic states? or will you represent to replace ambassador satatambor? >> the organization bureau of the state department, you have

to ask the assistant secretary, i don't know. >> we discuss it? >> no. >> you focused also on the fact that you are trying to listen to the problems of the muslims for also trying to engage with the organizations -- the christian conference just concluded in damascus, making a big case of the state of jerusalem. president obama's promise to the islamic world, that his policies are built on international law and u.n. resolutions and not ideological interpretation of such a group.