the american islamic relations and an attorney for this family. it is probably the largest civil rights advocates organization that has full-time lawyers that help in florida and victims of as american attorney, what tariq at the hands of a nation that claims to be a democracy boggles my mind. what i saw happened to my client, and what i am seeing happening to this cousins and family members, is unconscionable for someone who has grown up in a legal system such as ours. there are three things that disturb me from a legal perspective and how -- in how tariq and his family were treated.

israeli army can beat a child whose arms are restrained without all the officers being -- multiple officers were involved. one set on him. the other kicked him. and then dragged him by holding his hands behind his back. you can see the pool lot where they became. only one officer has received any repercussion and that is a 15 day suspension. he may face amount charges. noted the other officers involved faced any charges. the police department, which denied him medical care and then took him to see a doctor -- the bleedingid tariq has and he needs to see a specialist immediately -- the israeli

police denied him that request. none of those officers have been suspended or brought to justice. what kind of message does that send? it shouldn't matter whether he is a citizen or not. it is enough he is a child. only one of those officers faces any sort of repercussion. it almost gives the green light for the police to teach -- treat the palestinian people inhumanely. i am sure they do not know he was american nor would they risk -- realize the repercussion. the palestinian people will see the israeli officers can do whatever they want. well nothing can ever justify it onlyim -- terrorism, pushes people toward destructive engagement. those officersre

are brought to justice. dollars arepayer not funding those kinds of police forces. the second issue that disturbed me is the israeli police can detain without attention palestinian children. tariq went through all of this. day, he is not facing charges. his cousins are in jail without charges. it is unconscionable that a country that claims to be a democracy can lock children without charges. we are funding this nation. this is something that we need to reconsider. issues -- israeli officials can retaliate by ransacking his home and arresting his uncle and cousin. they went in the home.

they ransacked the place. they arrested his uncle and cousins. charges in jail without because he spoke out about the injustice the palestinian people are facing. what has become clear to me and is the israeli government has a double standard. a classs a different -- of people as second-class citizens. i clients have not been treated equally before the law in israel. homeer standard we see -- demolitions. not only did they attack him, but they burned him alive through their homes were not alive. i do not believe the homes of

any suspect should be demolished. terrible of those terrorists who brutally killed theirree israeli teens, homes were demolished right away. this is a clear double standard. it will only escalate the conflict. continuenment can not to fund israeli police and israely as long as engages in human rights violations and treat a group of people differently as they are of efferent ethnic or religious origins. this is contrary to u.s. national security as victims may hold the u.s. accountable. the billions of dollars congress authorizes, we are calling on members of congress and the administration to ensure officers involved

brought to justice -- are brought to justice. it doesn't matter whether the child is a rajoy -- israeli, palestinian. all children should be treated equally under the law. two, we are calling on the state department to help secure the release of his cousins and family members wrongfully arrested. three, we must condition further israel adoptswhen provisions that make all people treated equally under the law. we are calling on the government to do everything in their power to pressure israel to make sure people have due process. there should not be a country that calls itself an ally of the u.s. that can indefinitely detain children without charges.

failure for the u.s. to take strong action to ensure individuals who attack tariq are brought to justice will only escalate the conflict as israel will feel it can act with impunity. think what kind of message that sends to the world. ensuring everyone has due bestss is in everyone's interest. officersens to all the and what action the u.s. takes will be telling. u.s. tolerateshe the mistreatment and that kind of the hater. may god bless america and israel with leadership that values human rights equally. that will bring peace to the world. thank you. god blesserica. -- america and god bless you all.

[applause] >> thank you. in the times we are working and now and living in to see a full room. to have people flowing out into the hallway. it is refreshing for the work we are involved in. and the things we are consumed with day to day. i would like to thank everybody for being here and sharing stories. that are difficult to speak about. i can't imagine. as american with the privilege we do have any rights and freedoms we take for granted, to think about a prolonged occupation that has gone on since 1967 where soldiers live near communities regularly, cut throughout the

west bank, east jerusalem. the occupation is just. injustice. at the heart is systematic immunity. you have communities where -- that are located near settlements, military bases. anything where the occupation has infrastructure, this is where palestinian children particularly are impacted. i work fortion -- defense for children international palestine -- the only organization that focuses specifically on children. we started in 1991 to provide legal aid to children charged and is a rayleigh -- in israel

he military courts. withinn are brought israeli civilian courts . the treatment is very much the same across the occupied territory. ,'s case is terrific but not exceptional. it is a typical case. document hundreds of cases each year. provide legal representation to kids. you have a system that provides little legal protection, little legal rights. they are arrested in the middle of the night from their homes. blindfolded. their hands are tied behind their backs. and 75 percent of the cases, there are some form of physical violet. -- violence. is set up to control

people. the military -- is not a justice system. it is a system of control. you see it in the way arrest play out. you don't see many kids being arrested in the center of ramallah. if you go to the northern west bank. or have ron. -- hebron. these are the communities being impacted. the the cases we document, kids we represent, it doesn't matter if you throw stones are not. it really doesn't. the system is not based on evidence. it is not based on the rule of law. international juvenile justice standards or any at all. based on the that, location in the west bank, maybe it is a village with weekly demonstrations against the

occupation. the confiscation of land. these communities are infected. violently abused. monterey criminal justice system that provides very little legal protection. we take for, granted the right to counsel. everybody can probably recite the miranda warnings. they are privileges we enjoy that protect us. maybe not all the time, but in theory, they should. those rights do not exist. a child is arrested in the middle of the night. if they are arrested at 2:00 a.m., they may show up at an interrogation center in a settlement being interrogated by an israeli police up with her.

-- police officer. they have been in the back of a jeep, bound and blindfolded. beaten. they are placed outside in the rain. cold temperatures. they might not have shoes. this is the systematic ill-treatment that has been documented by our organization and others. u.n. agencies. really, everyone. you have very little article changes. -- practical changes. when there are practical changes , in the military law system, they do not affect anything. childrene used to be, were considered anyone below 16 under military law. if you are 17-18, you are an adult. under israeli law, anyone under 18.

you are treating people differently based on their identity. that has been changed. what did it do? not much. it's not affect sentencing. if you are a 16 or 17-year-old, you can be sentenced as an adult. time periods.nge if you are 14 or 15, you have to be brought within the judge for a 48 hours. changes have not happened. that is why we need to push for challenging the systematic impunity that exists as part of the occupation. when people think of military law, international law, there is a strong focus on laws. not much focus on the rule of law. implementation of law to read

what those protections actually mean. does one thing in our organization works to do -- that is one thing our orders a she works to do. we documented a case of two palestinian teenagers shot with live ammunition at a demonstration. they were killed. it was caught on video. at the time, this felt like a significant shock. it can't be worse than this. case isence for this insurmountable. we have so much, is on video. there has to be some sort of accountability. to this day, the soldiers responsible for those actions have not been brought to justice. have not even had any accountability of any sort. produced by the israeli

military. the investigation is ongoing. there is a gag order. we do know from representing , documented violations of children, there is very little accountability. that is the heart of the problem. gaza can't say enough. it is systematic impunity. kids are dying, being bombed. they have been shot and bombed for years. the sees of gotcha -- the seizure of gaza violates international law. they are not pressing for an end to the humanitarian crisis. a cease-fire needs to happen immediately. it needs to be accompanied with an actual lifting of the siege.

the status quo is not sustainable. children will continue to bear the brunt of the violence as long as the status quo is perpetuated. it has been depressing. you bring a smile to my face because the room is full. i want to thank you for being year -- here and listening. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for coming today. i amps the folks in. --

the mideast director for amnesty international. it is my privilege to join you today. i want to thank the members of the press. folks in the community who have been concerned. congressional staff. thank you for your opinion piece in the washington post. think you were calling for a lifting of the gaza blockade. thank you. [applause] the going to talk about human rights violations. we have heard the experiences of tariq and their extended family. sadly, they are not alone. is in a human rights

crisis. is worth talking about the crisis that i think has brought us into this room today. that is what is happening in gaza right now. latest numbers are terrible. 1400 palestinians, perhaps more, killed. some 50 israelis killed. perhaps a quarter million theirans displaced from homes. some numbers higher than that. 10% of the 1.8 million civilians now having fled their homes and sitting in line huddled in you and facilities. this is a terrible time for human rights. that only because hamas rockets are flying into israel, which do civilians between --

-- but also because the israelis are engaging in likely war crimes in gaza. is common in the backdrop of a blockade. every time there is a press release for allowing humanitarian shipments into gaza, remember the following. they don't want humanitarian shipments. the only reason they are coming in is because the israeli government has shut down the gaza economy. palestiniansgaza no longer have factors to work in. jobs. unheard of double-digit unemployment rates which reach 40-50% of the population. it is a terrible problem that amounts to a collective basement. the blockade has to be lifted immediately. we have the problem of what are

likely war crimes by the israeli government. for example, in the main power plant, it has largely been shut down by strikes originating from the israeli military. that would not only be a war crime but also amount to collective basement. much of the gaza strip is dropped into a situation without power for some 22-24 hours a day. the twitter pictures you are seeing of gaza civilians being if the people cannot charge their phones or turn on their computers, how is the world going to know what is happening? this is the problem that is faced by the 1.8 million civilians living in the gaza strip. international is deeply concerned and calling for some bold and significant moves that have to happen. the un security council needs to immediately establish an arms embargo.

that includes israel, hamas, and palestinian armed groups. until they do so, individual armsns and party supplying busstop. international is calling on the u.s. government to stop supplying weapons, arms, and military aid to israel. party to theajor conflict. it is time to stop the u.s. supply of weapons. it is ridiculous that u.s. secretary of state john kerry is talking about a cease-fire while simultaneously be u.s. government is releasing more artillery shells and other forms of munitions to the israeli government. they released the latest information on $275 million worth of arms, equipment, and other forms of military aid released over the past 2.5 years your -- region from rifle cartridges to the israeli

government. and munitions do not include the big-ticket items like jets and naval equipment. all of this needs to stop. all countries supplying weapons to israel or hamas need to stop immediately. that includes the u.s. to seetion, we have referral of the entire matter in a binding resolution to the international criminal court. so there can be a prompt investigation and potential prosecution of everyone involved in violations of international law. whether we are talking about israeli soldiers or those firing artillery, which by its nature is indiscriminate and untargeted. for hamas though since firing rockets into civilian populations.

everyone violating law needs to .e held accountable i went to move to the question of what is happening in the other parts of the occupied palestinian territories, specifically the west bank. what we have heard to date is one example of many in which palestinian civilians have suffered greatly under israeli occupation forces. and their conduct in the west bank. in february,year, amnesty international released its latest report called trigger-happy. there are copies outside and i have a copy with me on the table. we documented how israeli soldiers and forces have repeatedly violated their obligations under international freedom of dissent and expression.

the report shows how israeli forces have been permitted to do so with virtual impunity and perhaps just one exception, none of the soldiers or combatants have been prosecuted by the israeli government. to give you an idea of some of the numbers we are talking andt, between january 2011 2013, over 8000 palestinians including 1500 children were injured by means other than live it ammunition. including rubber coated metal bullets and the reckless use of tear gas the 8000, some 261 palestinians including injured by live ammunition. in terms of deaths, according to some.n. office, in 2013,

27 palestinians were killed in occupied palestinian west bank. eight were killed in 2010. is a numberseeing of deaths due to excessive use of force by israeli security forces more than 2011 and 2012 combined to read -- combined. i want to be clear about what numbers are not included. they do not include cases of and cases of to -- injuries in search-and-rescue. or in protesters against the gaza strip in the so-called buffer zone. we are talking about numbers of deaths and wounded outside of those numbers. this leads to a situation in which you have no accountability and israeli soldiers and security forces are never held

accountable with perhaps just one exception i know of. all this happens in the -- against the backdrop of oppressive laws. were you have a racist dual track law. palestinian civilians live under israeli military law well -- well is the israeli settlers live under civilian law. to give you a couple of examples of the laws civilians live under, that they are forced to violate by engaging in freedom of expression, military order 101 regarding the prohibition of acts of incitement issued by the israeli army commander. that law has remained in place since 1967. it prohibits gatherings of 10 or more persons for political purposes or even to discuss such

a topic unless they have received authorization in advance. let me break that down for you. under order 101, it is illegal for palestinian civilians to peacefully protest the occupation they live under without the permission of the israeli military commander. may violate military order 101 -- when they violate military order 101, they are at risk of becoming one of the palestinians who have experienced injury. one more example. the -- its roots in forgot to mention the penalty for breaking the order. they face imprisonment for 10 years or a hefty penalty.

this is what we are up against. one last case. of a man i met a year ago when i participated in the research mission to the occupied territories, specifically the west bank. i visited a village whose main road has been blocked by similars -- the israeli military. i-70 home of a community leader who has been -- i sat in the home of a community leader. he is in jail under a combination of false charges for supposedly for throwing rocks, but also for -- by the israeli security forces -- for a demonstration without a permit. which is an example of how harsh crackdowns simply for peacefully protesting

the reality of their occupation. today, thevernment time is coming for it to start holding the israeli government accountable. that should have happened a long time ago. with world opinion shifting in the images of so many dead 80's and -- did babies, it is time for a shift in the way the government approaches this issue. the u.s. government should stop supplying weapons and start holding its allies accountable. whatever their ethnicity, nationality, or religion. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon everyone. thank you for joining us here today. author andstinian social activist from gaza city.

i live in columbia, maryland. my tax dollars killed eight members of my family this morning. i would like to take a moment to read their names. they were fleeing their home when the second israeli missile follow them and killed them. i would to take a moment of silence and prayer for these: and the thousands of others -- for these fallen in the thousands of others. thank you. i would like to talk to you about gaza. is why we are here. i would like to start by giving you a little bit of context.

all too often, we hear about this is the latest cycle of violence. as a response were justified retaliation by israel. as self-defense. to the killing of three israeli teens. gaza is being, bombarded. it is completely blocked out. besieged and blockaded. this is a situation unheard of in modern history. for a population that is largely bombardedto be mercilessly with no intervention. sizeis roughly twice the of washington dc. million little over 1.5 inhabitants. most of those inhabitants are under the age of 18.

they are under the age of 18. and three quarters are refugees, meaning there are not from the place they are compelled to live every day our towns and villages , -- compelled to live. they sought refuge in gaza. they are not allowed to return to their native lands. which has a.n., mandate to provide for the refugees, it does not have a protection mandate. they literally have nowhere to one. -- run. and no one to protect them. there are no bomb shelters or sirens. no one to protect them. to refer to gaza as the world's largest open-air prison. this assumes there is a crime

that is punishable. i would like to refer it to more as a internment camp. or a zoo. a holding pen for animals where it is open season. where the question of freedom of the inhabitants is never raised. if gaza is still legally occupied -- we hear about, israel disengaged in 2005. what more do they want? the reality is all of gaza's affected markers of solitary -- sovereignty are controlled by israel. the sea. the population registry system. families. tens of thousands of families are split apart, including my own, because one member of the family is a resident of gaza and

the other is not. the family denies them the right to be able to live. he is not allowed to come visit gaza.n i come to again, all be affective markers of sovereignty are controlled by israel. gaza has been subject to some form of closer to more than two decades. a hear of it being a result, response to the hamas election. hamas is a red herring. the blockade started prior to the blockade of hamas. i was a reporter there the israelifter discouragement in 2005. they shut down all the commercial crossings, resulting in billions of dollars of loss to the palestinian economy. plunging it into crisis.

this is before hamas was elected to power. they cut off gaza from the rest of palestine and from the world. it is not just gaza. gaza cannot survive on its own. it is part of the greater palestinian nation. in the west bank, east jerusalem. season that has gotten more and more stringent over the that -- this is a seize has gotten more and more stringent over the years. israeliords of the architects, it was designed to target the productive sector. design them -- deny them their most basic human rights. about the purpose of the seas, the siege is

prosperity.stifle but not make things so bad that it creates a media outcry. enough foodstuffs are allowed in , just enough to keep them teetering on the edge. there is a caloric equation very just enough are allowed in to make sure there is food for the population. universal the unemployment, people cannot access. this has resulted in a dependence. something like 80% of palestinians are food insecure. this should not be the case. this is artificial. this is deliberate. siege is also, in the words of the israeli army, and then this -- intended to fragment the

palestinian population. it is a season that has restricted the fishing zone -- it is a siege that has restricted the fishing zone 23 nautical miles. to 20ave them the right miles. markets ine fishing gaza, all the fish you will see our about this big. there is nothing for them to fish. that restricts farmers ability to reach their farmland, half of which is along the border area now under israeli control. restricts their ability to reach their farmland at the risk of being shot or incarcerated. which we often hear of. we don't hear the palestinians being killed. this is what is happening as a

result of besieged. -- of the siege. it bans palestinian students from studying in the west bank and other universities. they make up the majority of gaza's population. it is a season that largely bans the export of any gaza goods. people in andf out of gaza as well as the import of construction materials. to be able to reread both -- rebuild the factories. the result is universal male unemployment which has resulted in increased poverty rates there is no shortage of food. just radically reduced access to the food. zero purchasing power. all this is happening while israel preserves its right to strike in gaza at any moment.

any facility anywhere. blockade gaza. it preserves this right. palestinians are asked to remain silent and all of this. -- silent in all of this. we have only the right to remain silent. painted, picture is you can begin to understand what life is like and has been like for palestinians in gaza. that no sane person would tolerate, no people would tolerate, the status quo. carefully designed to crush the will to survive. the normalcy and freedoms and productivity. nobody would accept this. as spoke about the fishermen. the farmers. one farmer i met, he was at a

farming workshop put on by a union learning to rebuild his life. and do not sit quietly resign themselves to the status quo. they want to survive and exist. for them, existence as a former resident. i asked him why he was there. he said five acres were razed to the ground. he was trying to make a difficult decision whether he should replant those trees that take years to become fruitful. or resort to horticulture or some other method of likelihood. -- livelihood. i saw a farmer planting for the third time his all of gross. -- olive groves. he was going to continue to plant his land because this is resisting. of

fishermen have created in water -- inland freshwater fish farms. this is the ingenuity of the population that continues to survive and to be resilient. under the current situation. killedlestinians is not just figures and statistics. or than 55 families in their entirety completely eviscerated. huddled together in their homes. children love my family members running for safety. thousand and thousands maimed and traumatized. more disturbing our accounts of schools taking direct hits despite multiple reports to the israelis of their location. just as recently as two days ago. we heard about the power plant being bombed. which i am very active on twitter.

lter it was bombed, 24 hours ater, it went silent. there were eyewitnesses giving minute by minute account as they were being bombarded. it went silent. you can draw the connection there. i would like to end with this cap for my aunt who is a physician and a woman's and human rights activist. she was seen a couple of young children being sent from the main hospital which is flooded to ritchie gave this account to me in this e-mail -- which is flooded. she gave me this account to me in this e-mail. i had identifying stickers on his arm, saying unknown. nurses and ambulance

drivers, what his name was. no one knew. they found him in a mass of destroyed houses. he was the only survivor of his family. he had a head injury and wins to other parts of his body. i asked if anybody remembered where the house was. sometimes children are thrown from one area to another. nobody knew where he lived. unntalized, my onset, -- a number six so there were five other children's before. i stopped asking questions because i needed to do my work. of -- she is a story was the only surviving member. she lost her parents and all her brothers and sisters and was injured in the head.

two small examples of what is being done in gaza. we hear a lot of talk of israel's need to defend itself. it security. israeli security can never be derived from imprisoning, bombarding, and incarcerating. oppressing the indigenous population. gaza today.g about gaza is just a symbol of the broader struggle for palestine. is a brutal lesson. a pilot project. i will end with this. a spokesperson has said that after the attacks, there have been two other since this tweet. using military aid, u.s. military aid, we should all hang our heads in shame. with that should come justice and dignity.

security, freedom, and accountability. thank you so much. [applause] >> before we take a few questions, would like to ask congressman keith ellison to come and deliver arcs -- remarks. [applause] >> i would like to welcome all you to capitol hill. ask you to continue to come here. this is your house, the people's house. whatever answers might be found here, giving the u.s. involvement in this matter, that you would knock the doors and

talk about the cases. talk about the people. i want to give a special thank you and congratulations to tariq who told his story. came to visit me yesterday. i want to thank you for visiting. i want to thank your mother and father. i am a father of for myself. i don't know what i would do if i saw my son's face looking like that. i guess i would be grateful he was still alive, but i would be heartbroken. i seem -- say that my prayers are with you. and with you, ma'am. i want to thank the experts who gave good testimony. and say if there is one thing we is to be in the space on capitol hill more.

we are contemplating another meeting, briefing, after the august recess. hopefully we can get a bigger room. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much.. we appreciate all your courageous work and standing for a cease-fire and lifting of a lock aid. -- of a blockade. of like to open this up for brief questions from the audience. in turn over the floor to any congressional staff people or media who may have questions. we will take maybe three at a time. than the panelists can decide which particular one they would like to answer. i would like the panelists to speak into these two been mike's -- thin mics because these are

the one that pick up the sound. are there questions? yes please? if --ant to know [indiscernible] >> yes please. people --f [indiscernible] have you counter that? framing it in such a way that israel is not the victim in this situation but the palestinians are? >> a third question in the back? ini was wondering if --

violation of the 1976 arms control act. >> i will turn this over to the panelists. when anyone might be first question -- would anyone like the first question? i think in the context of what is happening now, we have to place it in the context of a seven year long siege. is not accurate to situate it in the present. when it comes to indiscriminate attacks, hamas is guilty of that. all the international human rights agencies -- indiscriminate rocket attacks on a civilian population amount to a war crime. so does targeting u.n. schools,

hospitals. civilians directly. children directly. those also amount to war crimes. it is important to think about the context in gaza. someone else's war crime does not justify your war crime. humanitarian law is individual to a state. party to a conflict violates international law, that justify widespread attacks on a civilian population. both parties should be held accountable. that is the starting point. nobody's a victim. he it doesn't matter about victims. andbout rule of law implementing specific and precise calculations into who can be targeted. lationvilian popu cannot be targeted no matter who

is a victim. and does not raise itself within the broader context of the occupation. the impact it has on the palestinian population. was one on the capture of an israeli soldier. one on the question of rockets. on the first question, with regard to the capture of an israeli soldier, there are extensive provisions with regard to prisoners of war. i don't have the full text in front of me to read i will point out a few things that apply to soldiers captured in battle or combatants captured in battle. they should not be treated as a hostage to read -- a hostage.

they should not be treated as bargaining chips. ,hat applies to all parties hamas as well as the israeli military. with regard to the specific individual who may have been captured, they should be allowed to communicate freely with their family. they need to be well treated and held in humane and dignified living conditions. be given access to the committee of the red cross. there are more details we can talk about later. with regard to the second question, no policymaker or elected official should be forced to take sides on the question of human rights. human rights means every civilian should be protected in the context of conflict. no collectivee punishment which applies as a description to the blockade. andcy makers ought to have

exert the freedom to stand up for human rights, whatever the at the city will or nationality or religion of the people in practice. -- of the people impacted. the u.s. government provides funding for the iron dome which .rovides israeli protection where is the iron door and -- iron dome for civilians in gaza? which is supplied by the u.s.? where is the iron dome for civilians in gaza? is the government going to hold its adversaries accountable but also its allies for standing up for basic human rights? >> i think it is important that speakpth -- death tolls for themselves. before any israeli citizens were

killed by rocket fire, 300 palestinians had been killed. 4/5 had been civilians. the death tolls speak for themselves. we need to value all human life equally. i believe that had the lives of palestinian children been valued, we would not have the high death tolls we do. it it is important to note right now, we are not funding hamas rocket fire. we are firing -- funding israeli rocket fire. let's not forget the human bodies have said israel is targeting civilians. this is happening in our name as americans. is our duty to stand up for -- against it. friends kill

children. >> briefly on the question of the arms export control act, the uses to which weapons can be put our limited by internal security and self-defense. what we have here at -- heard clearly is the use of four is in no way legitimate self-defense. it it is used being what are likely war crimes. the challenge for this audience on capitol hill is to ensure these laws are being applied. israel should not be held to a different standard. it should be held to the same standard we have four other countries. the arms export control act, there are clear consequences. a nation cannot receive

deliveries if it is in violation of this law. if congress is serious about the laws which it passes, it has to apply this law to israel. we have time for two more quick questions. will be due one and two. go ahead. >> a lot of the justification for the attacks on the palestinian territories is hamas is hiding rockets in civilian controlled areas like mosques and hospitals. what would your response be to that argument? that israel'sact iron dome is successful in blocking rockets, is it correct to say any rocket conciliation giving meis illegal dense civilian population? and that it should not launch

any rockets? if it had not done so, it would have been there -- better for ?ts own security >> the first question. briefly. it is similar to what i said previously. the justification that human shields allows somebody to disregard civilian casualties, that is not international humanitarian law. that is wrong. if israel knows there are missiles under a school, in a hospital, they know civilians are their. the presumption is that is not a military target. you can't attack the target. is the calculation.

each target needs to be evaluated in that way. you have to distinguish between military objects and civilian objects. once you do that, if the military object is going to cause disproportionate impact to civilian life, you still cannot bomb it. there is the principle of distinction. currently, attacks previous attacks by the israeli military have been characterized by disregard of international law. complete disregard of civilian life. it goes back to the blockade. the blockade is characterized by complete disregard of civilian life. there is no distinction or very little proportionality in any of this. did you want to add something?

>> we have not seen any evidence that gaza civilians were compelled to be human shields as the israeli government has said or any evidence to support that as a hamas members have pushed or forced. incidents where hamas members have stored rockets near civilian areas and there are the road ports of several u.n. schools where rockets have been found. that important to note those goals were not actively being used. the question, if the extent is focus on rockets being stored in or around actively so billion hockey populatedructures -- civilian structures, they are in facilities where

civilians are refugees are internally displaced people. should added there is ample evidence, well documented evidence of israeli soldiers using palestinians as human shields and that is never discussed in the media. children and their parents and grandchildren killed this morning had no weapons and their house. the boys who were playing soccer on the beach who were targeted as they ran for shelter. hamas hides in civilian areas has been doubled. it was similar to this weapons of mass distraction does were aq. we still have not found a dumb. nbc reporter witnessed 4

children playing on the beach and there were no weapons and he saw the blown to pieces. that talking point about hamas hiding those weapons is straight out of a playbook. thousands of dollars to come up with talking points. look at the realities. >> a very similar story. claim to my client was throwing molotov cocktails. that was completely false. he was not engaging any illegal activity. he witnessed what happened. police tried to claim he was throwing molotov cocktails. nonetheless, it is a history of blaming the victim and fabricating lies. we have documented that.

sayingnt to profoundly all of our panelists -- thank all of our panelists for their expert testimony and work for justice and for peace. brad parker. for attending. for more information, please see the website of the u.s. campaign endtheocccupation at cupation.org. [applause]

>> the senate approved $225 million in emergency funding to replenish israeli's system. mitch mcconnell joined other republicans to speak on the senate floor. let me say my friend the majority leader, this a good example of us being able to put

aside partisan consideration and work together to have our good friend, israel. to salute senator graham and senator mccain. we have been relit lives in their effort to make sure that we sent this important signal to israel at a very tough time for them. view,re being in my criticized by everyone for pursuing a policy that i am certain we would pursue. if someone across our border was a launching rockets at our civilian population. i think it is important for us to send a signal that the u.s. stance when i one of his best friends in the world. i think the prime minister summed it up when you said there is no equivalency here, hamas launches missiles on civilians.

warns civilians when it attempts to attack. civilians tos own protect its missiles. evelso much of the world l at israel, i think is important for the u.s. to suggest that the israelis are doing anything that almost any country in the world would've citizens had been threatened by a neighbor as israel has experience. obviously, i do not abject -- object. >> the senator from arizona. >> i would like to take a moment to thank both the leaders for their effort in bringing about this much needed -- not only the funding but the signal that congress will send and the

president will sign that it we are supportive of them. we know the latest news is tragically that a cease-fire has broken down. an israeli soldier has been captured and all of us know the ramifications of that in the future. this really government and eache rightfully put on one of their citizens that serve. i want to say again our majority and republican leader for coming together on this most important signal. about the money but a signal from the american people and american taxpayer that we are with the israelis because if they do not have a iron dome, they cannot defend themselves. it is that simple. dome is the ability to keep innocent civilians and

families from being destroyed i literallynd by these of thousands of rockets. i thank my friends. there's been no one more relentless than the senator from south carolina and i would like to yield to noun. >> the gentleman from south carolina. early thisy or morning, a very bad things happened to the people of israel. during a cease-fire they agreed israeli was attacked by a hamas suicide bomber. there was a charge against the unit and a soldier has been kidnapped and taken into the tunnels. so appropriate that today of all days of the united states was one voice. senator reid i cannot thank you enough for making it happen to

stop senator mcconnell, you have measure it cleared on our side. of iron running out dome missiles to protect themselves. who do they turn to? us. $225 million is a lot of money in the budget. it is not only the missiles that matter but the message. we are with you. here are the missiles. using them to defend yourself. we will stand with you on the battlefield and the court of public opinion and we will push back against the united nations that is becoming more anti-israeli. as dysfunctional as the congress has been, this is one of our finer moments. said that we didn't have the foresight and ability and quite frankly the moral decency to end on a positive

note. thisan say a lot about congress and much criticism is determined -- is deserved. manner, we were there would they be to us the most. to our friends in israel, stay as long as a you need to. in palestinian, we grieve when children are killed. there is no more innocent person than a child. seek peace. we are not you're into me. we stand to help you. denied this terrorist organization. they would put your children at risk. reject the ideology. while you still can. to our friends in israel, there is more to come when it is standing by your side. they both leaders of the senate for rising to the situation.

the support of my friends. mr. president, there are times when partitions the -- partisanship does not exist. there was a time when we cannot get this cleared. there was no finger-pointing. a person object and he is a fine man and a man of principle. institution.n this our sticking by our friend. i am happy to be here today and be part of this. now, the situation with israel is grave. the iron dome protects a lot of israel. israel does not have another iron dome's to protect. they need more. this would be a step in the

right direction. firedhe rockets have been in the last 2.5-three weeks. the technology perfected by the israelis. that we cannotar imagine. let us be realistically. are we going to benefit for what they have done? we are.e, this technology they are sharing with us as we speak. there was a cease-fire that lasted about 2.5 hours. it is terribly unfortunate what is going on over there. said on the brooks -- he said hes

had never known of a conflict in --tory were ones side killed [indiscernible] notifiedhe israelis there is action that will be gaza, the leadership in tells them to stay there. and a lot of them do. this is something that is hard for me to comprehend. something like this goes on. that little country, that tiny, is the onlyry, it democracy in their area. that is it. netanyahu, i may have voted for someone else. the israeli people determined who leads the country.

i do not know if a bond of friendship that we have or ever had in world history better than this one. i will stand by israel. for a lotnd by israel butersonal reasons certainly for political reasons. i have no hesitation. that is how i feel. >> the unanimous consent. thehe measure to fund defense system pass and the house. inprovides $225 million funding. it goes on to president obama for his signature. >> c-span will be live in kentucky. it gives local residents a chance to hear from the politicians. mcconnell and his

democratic challenger allison grimes will be among those speaking. we'll have that tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. eastern. >> a book tv and american history tv take you on a trip across the country. theuding the beauty of points robertson building and the oyster industry of olympia. and in the restoration of the super sabre. see the laboratories of thomas edison. and a choir in salt lake city. 2:00 p.m. onoon at c-span 3. >> the president of the republic of congo spoke after the national press club about security issues in central africa includes his role as a mediator in the conflict that

has left thousands of civilians dead and driven thousands more from their home. he talked about the african response to the ebola outbreak. this is one hour. >> good afternoon and welcome. my name is myron belkind. i'm an adjunct professor at the george washington university school of media and public affairs, a former international bureau chief for the associated press, and the 107th president of the national press club. [applause] no need to applaud. the national press club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists committed to our profession's future through our programming with events such as this while fostering a free press worldwide. for more information about the national press club, please visit our website at www.press.org.

on behalf of our members worldwide, i'd like to welcome our speaker and all the guests of our speaker at the head table and in the audience. and i would like to just remind you that our head table includes guests of our speaker as well as working journalists who are club members. and so if you hear applause in our audience, i'd note that members of the general public are attending, so it's not necessarily evidence of a lack of journalistic objectivity. and we always make this announcement because we feel it's important to do so. i'd also like to welcome our c-span and public radio audiences. you can follow the action today on twitter using the #npclunch. after our guest's speech concludes, we'll have a question and answer period. i will ask as many questions as time permits. now it's time to introduce our head table guests. when i do, each one will stand briefly as their names are

announced. from your right -- one minute please. from your right, bob booth, retired former managing editor, "national geographic magazine." [applause] please hold your applause. marine lorengeti, communications lead of the government global practice of the world bank group. [applause] yaya moussa, founder and president of africa today tv, which launches its operations on tuesday, august 5th. and i'm also pleased to introduce mr. moussa as a new national press club member. [applause]

mr. jean jacque bouya, minister of infrastructures. [applause] margaret ryan, north american correspondent, interfax energy london. [applause] minister moundele adelaide, the minister of -- one minute -- no, we have it right. we have before every head table announcement, we double-check everything. the minister is minister of small and medium businesses and handicrafts and former minister of trade. [applause] donna leinwand leger, reporter for "u.s. today" and vice-chair of the national press club speakers committee and former president of the national press club. and next to her, between her and

the president, is claudia lambuma sassou-nguesso, who is assisting with our translation services today and who helped plan this lunch. thank you so much. [applause] skipping over our speaker for a moment, tony cerise, director of academic seminars, the washington center for internships and academic seminars. [applause] gilbert odongo, state minister, economy and finance. [applause] heidi shoup, president and ceo of the world affairs council of d.c. and a new press club member. [applause] nashwan talib, journalist and tv news anchor for the middle east broadcasting network. [applause] tita misok, senior communications officer of the united nations foundation. [applause] last year, the "new york times"

listed the republic of congo on its list of 46 places to visit for its remarkable safaris, the world's second largest tropical rain forest, and its rich culture. but beyond the tourist attraction, our guest today, president denis sassou-nguesso, has, for many years, made stability, modernization and industrialization his priorities in the republic. economic progress in the last 10 years has led to a cancelation of large amounts of debts through the international monetary fund. that has allowed the country to dedicate larger percentages of its budget to infrastructure development than it has been able to invest in any other time in the republic's history. president sassou-nguesso's current seven year term will end in 2016. and it's his second and final term allowable under the republic's current constitution. his last term is focused on a

new hope to bring peace and stability to the republic after years of unrest and civil war. in his latest term, his focus has been on the path to the future, to attempt to invest in aging infrastructure, further reduce the still-high rate of poverty, and to pursue efforts at peace-building and predicting human rights. he also has worked to resolve conflicts in the central african region and promote peace and development throughout the area. president sassou-nguesso joins us today in advance of next week's u.s.-africa leaders summit where president obama, who visited africa last summer, hopes to focus on trade and investment in africa and highlight america's commitment to africa's security, its democratic development, and its people. president sassou-nguesso joins

the ranks of other heads of state to speak to the national press club, including many u.s. presidents, indira gandhi, yasser arafat, nelson mandela, nikita khrushchev, fidel castro, and mahmoud ahmadinejad. the national press club is truly known as a place where news happens. i'd like to thank the world affairs council for partnering with us today to bring president sassou-nguesso here today. please join me in welcoming president denis sassou-nguesso to the national press club. [applause]

>> madam president, mr. president, i thank you for the honor you have evtended to inviting me in this hallowed hall. you have a loud and african voice to be heard -- allowed an

african voice to be heard. the universal nature of keys and insult. in an roosevelt hadthe with such insight at the beginning of the second world war and he stated and i broken,herever he's is it is the entire world -- peace is broken, it is the entire world that suffers." today still in europe and latin , peopleand in africa are at each other's throats. e bombs that fall stifle

the voices. [speaking french] center in the mecca of the america. peace and security in central africa. this is a region of the hemisphere, of course, where my own country is found, the republic of congo. and in speaking to you today, i will highlight three main points. first of all, i will refer to the state of affairs in central africa in general, underscoring a number of actions undertaken by the congo in its contribution to the resolution of conflict

and the consolidation of peace and stability in the region. secondly, i will evoke the multidimensional character of the security challenge in africa. and thirdly, and in conclusion, i will take the liberty in the spirit of humility and friendship to invite america to deepen its links with africa for the sake of bolstering our respective interests. now, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by giving you a clear idea of the african region that we're going to be talking about this afternoon. central africa is at the very

heart of the african continent. it links the north and the south. it spreads from the gulf of guinea to the great lakes region. it offers significant natural resources on its surface and underground. the tropical forest of the congo basin represent 250 million hectares. that is properly 40% of the overall central african region and constitutes, in fact, the planet's second ecological lung, right after the amazon region. now central africa includes some 10 countries -- angola, burundi, the cameroon, congo, gabon, equatorial guinea, the democratic republic of congo, the central african republic,

rwanda, são tomé and príncipe, chad. all these countries represent 5 million, -- 6 million, 6 million, 500,000 square kilometers and a population of some 150 million, mostly very young people, which certainly is a great advantage for the region, one of its greatest assets. now most of the countries of central africa are at peace. but the peace is, nonetheless, threatened by the persistence of conflicts in the central african republic and to its east by that in the central african -- the democratic republic of congo. terrorism, piracy on the seas, and other forms of violence

remain constant sources of concern. the deep reasons for this insecurity and conflict in central africa and everywhere in africa in fact are quite diverse in nature. let's try to run down some of the basic elements that we would have to consider -- poverty, certainly, the lack of jobs, the absence of hope in the future, the ongoing search for a means to get by, the armed conflicts that seek to exploit natural resources, a sense of injustice, exclusion, frustrations that are born of inequitable and unfair distribution of national wealth. the absence of state institutions or extreme weakness of the same.

electoral problems that come from ethnocentric claims at ongoing cleavages that are either professional or religious of nature. the loss of moral and ethnic values. and certainly, world geopolitical struggles that are being carried out on african soil. so, madame president, mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, that is the background. let me now look at the security situation in central africa as i see it. first, we have the situation in the east of the drc, which has been explosive for a very long time. it is less intense than it once was, but remains fragile and requires ongoing vigilance. second, the more recent phenomenon of piracy on the seas and the gulf of guinea, which has become extraordinarily worrisome.

third, terrorism that reaches from the sahel towards the south of the continent, and that has outbursts in a number of different localities. i can mention, for instance, here, the boko haram sect which has nigeria in its grip, and is trying very hard to extend its tentacles toward the cameroon and who knows, the central african republic in the next few days if one doesn't watch it. fourthly, the lord's resistance army of joseph kony that continues to be present in the central african republic, and the drc, and in uganda. finally, the social, political and security crisis that the central african republic has been facing, it remains

worrisome. and this, despite numerous initiatives undertaken for peace and security by the community of central african states, the african union itself, france, the european union, the united states, and the united nations. the lack of security and grave violation of the rights of man are rampant. it is estimated that somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of the 4 million citizens of central africa have been displaced because of the current crisis. despite this grim picture, let us pinpoint a few glimmers of hope. in december 2013, in nairobi, the former rebellious group

m-23, which was rooted in the east of the democratic republic of congo, began abandoning its armed conflict and adopting a law of amnesty. at the same time, in the eastern region of the drc, the disarming of the combatants of the ugandan liberation army and the fdr, the rwandan rebels, is ongoing. as to the central african republic, my own country, congo, which serves as international mediator as established by the african union and the united nations, has hosted the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd july, just recently, in brazzaville, an inter-central african dialogue.

this is a first step, a first stage in a process, that will deepen in central africa itself. the parties in conflict came to brazzaville and signed a treaty of cessation of hostilities, even if, as we have learned this morning, there are always those who are eager to break the ceasefire. there have 4 been a few instances of combat to the north of bangui. and a number of deaths were noted, 20 principally among civilians. these glimmers of hope, nonetheless, show the success of african initiatives towards the preservation of peace. the african institutional

framework that has been set up to promote peace and security is, without question, the main reason for hope. the first element of that institutional framework that i'd like to point out is the peace architecture. the architecture for peace and security in africa, which aims to ensure the prevention of conflicts and to ensure solution of these via operational instruments that are being crafted as i speak. we're talking about an african force that stands in readiness. a second element, a second instrument of that framework is the non-aggression pact for the common defense of the african union. it was adopted in abuja in nigeria in 2005, the 31st of january of that year. this was an initiative initially

of the republic of congo. and it is the first line of defense in the case of conflict. that is our last instrument. it would be a fast intervention for us which would become operational in 2015. quick mobilization where needed. beyond this institutional framework for peace and security, there are various regional mechanisms for peace and security that have also been set up. and i'd like to mention a few of these here. we have the council for peace and security of the central african estates. the pact for peace, stability and development of the great lakes region. there's also the framework agreement for peace and security in cooperation in the drc and the great lakes region. ladies and gentlemen, let me come back now to the action that

my own country, the congo, has undertaken in this context. and i would like to point out here that we have been unstinting in our efforts for peace and stability and security in africa. in south africa, under apartheid, in darfur, in the sahel, in the great lakes region, in all of these places, the congo has always been present and made its presence felt in a constructive manner, in the promotion of peace and security and national reconciliation. in the case of south africa, under apartheid, i am very pleased, indeed, to see here ambassador cohen. we worked quite actively and quite closely with ambassador

cohen. and i greet him, and i'm pleased to see him here. and also, the under secretary, together we worked very hard to bring south africa, angola and cuba together. we worked for the retreat of cuban troops in angola and the independence of namibia. but a few of the areas in which we collaborated. to illustrate, i will speak briefly about specific action my country has undertaken in the drc and in the central african republic. in the democratic republic of congo, my country plays the role of facilitator in the national dialogue, bringing the main political factions together. in the central african republic, the congo is contributing in various forms and fashions toward search for solutions to

the conflict. let me mention but a few. amongst others, we sent 1,000 men to participate in the peace-keeping contingent cosponsored by the african union and the un security council. the congo is also the mediator as between the armed conflict and the opposing political forces. my country has also offered a loan to the central african state in order to ensure at least minimal functioning of its public administration. ladies and gentlemen, whatever the presence or the intensity of armed violence and terrorist threats, we can never forget the many other challenges that africa must face and take up in

order to ensure its security in the long term. and this brings me precisely to the second main point of my speech to you today. that is, the multidimensional character of our security challenge. as independent nations that we are, most african countries are only about 50 years old. this relative youth for us africans cannot certainly excuse any mistakes or weaknesses on our part. but it is useful, i believe, to bear it in mind, in the overall historical perspective that i believe we must take. and i would like, here, to insist on the need to remember the time element, the dimension

in terms of history, that our young african countries offer. the turmoil that we live, in fact, is very much the cut-and-thrust, the ups and downs of our adolescences, of our young adulthood, as it were, as emerging nations that we are. as states that are becoming full-fledge, of institutions that are consolidating, of democracies that are seeking maturity, of economies that are emerging. and so, the notion of security, i believe, must be put in a context that goes beyond the question of defense, and one that addresses the viability itself of our states.

this is how i believe we must cast the matter in terms of our broader political economic and social development. in fact, as i mentioned earlier, the lack of security is often the very result of a number of problems that converge, most especially, surely, poverty and injustice. poverty is, without question, the first factor in lack of security. and all this, i think, that must be looked at in the face of the enormous challenge that africa has to construct simultaneously, in terms of our nations, of the state of democracy, of the rule of law, and good governance. surely this should urge our partners to be a little more patient at a minimum level, at least more realistic and pragmatic. and, dare i say it, a little

more humble in their assessment of our young nations. furthermore, the concept of the nation-state itself, so firmly rooted in the philosophy and political culture of europe, is a recent idea in africa. here, the arbitrary manner in which the continent was carved up, following the berlin conference in 1885, and the subsequent colonization, has, in fact, turned our countries into fragmented ethnic entities. and so, dear friends, your country has two major political parties and a limited number of other groups. you may be surprised to learn that we african countries juggle, in some instances, hundreds of parties. can you imagine how hard that is? how can we foster a multi-party approach while, at the same time, guarding against perilous

ethnic quarrels that can be of religious or regional origin? how can we safeguard the integrity of our fragile states and the unity of our young nations, when we face centrifugal forces that stem from a mistake in usage of political pluralism, and a mistake in notion of democracy itself? the burgeoning of lasting democracy is something that will take time, that is laborious, that is intensive. and it's something that the people, themselves, must carry out, as they will, following the rhythm of their own drum. history is full of studies of this sort.

when i cast my mind back to 1789, and i look back to the emerging french revolution under the slogan liberté, fraternite, égalite, equality, fraternity and liberty, we know that women certainly didn't get the vote, by the way, they got it after world war ii. so sometimes good things take time. stability and a minimum of order, certainly, is essential to security. this is what will anchor a climate in which freedom and economic and social progress will flourish. having tried to paint a picture of the security situation in central africa, one that encompasses the very notion of security that must necessarily address the challenges of

democratization and development, i'd now like to move to my third and last point in this set of remarks. and here i will hone in on the expectations of africa as to its cooperation with the united states of america. ladies and gentlemen, i call for a deepening -- dare i say, a regrounding of relations between africa and the united states of america. it seems to me that africa and the usa are two continents that ignore each other, rather than recognizing everything that should bring them together. it's time to change this anomalous state of affairs and specifically, to that end, i would offer america five

propositions. first, i invite the united states to intensify the training and equipping of african defense forces so that africa is in a position to ensure its own security. that's part one. secondly, i invite the united states to work with the whole of africa. i say this because i have said, at some point, that with regard to the electrification program that president obama has spoken of, a number of countries were chosen. and i would like, here, to urge that it's the whole of africa that should be the partner in that instance, not just a handful of countries. the whole of africa. of course, remaining aware,

beware -- bewaring, i should say, of prejudice or over-simplification or other facile characters of element. i also envisage a solid partnership, and a broad partnership in the field of education between africa and the united states. the united states, which has the best universities in the world. i also urge the u.s. to support and accompany our efforts to consolidate integration in africa. i invite the united states to become more present, also, in african economic affairs, now quite competitive. this country, which so celebrates the spirit of competition, should surely face it wherever it may come from. and the u.s. will find a very important and productive place,

perhaps a pride of place, in africa, which offers such promise. and it's rightly described as the continent of the future. distinguished guests, i would like to conclude these remarks by offering the three following messages. first, the necessary buttressing of security in africa is essential. not only for itself, but for its development partners. second, security in africa is a matter much vaster than military security alone. it is multidimensional. third and last, america has a great deal to offer africa.

but it also has a lot to receive from africa. madame president of the world affairs council, mr. president of the national press club, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, let me thank you very much for your kind attention. [applause] >> thank you very much for your

speech. we now will have our traditional question and answer session. sir, we are just a few days away from the u.s.-africa leaders summit. what do you hope this gathering will achieve? >> well, i think i expressed that expectation in the five propositions that i made. let me certainly begin by

stating that it is a deep honor for us to meet with president obama. we thank him for convening this summit in the framework of his ongoing efforts. but in terms of my expectations, per se, i really summed them up in the general remarks i offered and the five proposals i made toward the end. >> thank you. do you think african governments and the united states have a serious economic partnership that will allow for broader economic development and lower unemployment? what more needs to be done? >> well, in a very brief answer, i would simply say that the

african continent is, in a sense, the hope of the world. many have said that this is africa-centric. and if we look at things closely, and follow everything that analysts and observers say, it would appear that the set of measures that african leaders have taken, and the growth that is registered in the continent, the potential that is offered at present in africa, that would be true. i spoke of the wealth that africa has on its surface and underground. but i also spoke of its people. analysts say that by 2050, there will be two billion inhabitants in africa. this is the continent of the future, we believe, and a great

powerhouse, i believe, as the united states itself is. that is my deepest conviction. >> recently, the republic of congo mediated a ceasefire between factions at war in the central african republic. what is the status of that agreement? what more needs to be done to end the violence? >> we believe that after three days of intense discussion in brazzaville, at which all parties were present, the agreement to sign an agreement

to cease hostilities is certainly noteworthy. that was certainly the first step forward. all friends of the central african republic should certainly bolster that decision and help the country to respect its decision and stand by its commitment, so that the organization of the state can, in fact, occur. the state in central african republic is quite weakened and needs help. we also need to ensure that the free flow of people and goods occurs within the four corners of the central african republic. all of this will certainly help the ngos and other friends who are so inclined to come and lend a helping hand within the country and in the neighboring countries. i think, above all, this should pave the way for the

populations, the peoples that were in strife for religious reasons, to achieve a meeting of the minds, to come together yet again. we know that the christians, the muslims, the animists in the past got along very well and lived in peace for years. and therefore, square one had to be a cessation of hostilities. without it, it would be, frankly, quite difficult to imagine the holding of elections in the central african republic. and i think a key part of the decisions taken in brazzaville recently will have to be rooted in further work to be accomplished within the country, always efforts toward reconciliation. and eventually, a large reconciliation forum could be organized in bangui itself, where all would participate. and i certainly exhort all

friends of the central african republic to rally around and help us see that day. this is a logic of peace, of peace and reconciliation. and i think it is offering some hope as it did in brazzaville. >> turning the subject to a subject that is on page one of newspapers around the world, it seems inevitable that ebola will spread. have you, or do you intend to be, with other african heads of state, to create a comprehensive regional plan to address the disease? and what is congo's plan to deal with ebola, if the virus spreads? >> well, we have already had to face that challenge twice.

the ebola epidemic has struck us. so this is not something that may happen. it has already occurred. and i believe that when one faces as such exigent circumstances, it is essential that draconian measures be taken to render the area affected as secure as possible, to try to sanitize as best as possible, the general area, and avoid the spread of the epidemic. and, as i say, we have, in the past, had to struggle with this specter. and at the time, i say, we took draconian measures. we isolated the area. we offered treatment to those who were afflicted. and we eradicated the epidemic. not long ago, just before taking the plane to come here, my good

friend was on the phone with me. i wanted news, because of course, there's a great deal of activity in conakry. and the president of côte d'ivoire, liberia, sierra leone and guinea are meeting in conakry to discuss the very thing. and i do believe they are considering very, very serious measures to try to stop this as best they can. but i'm quite certain, and you are yourself, i'm sure, the entire international community must lend a hand. this is bigger than all of us. >> turning to congo domestically, congo has had robust economic growth, and the latest imf report from congo was positive. tell us, sir, how you plan to invest more of congo's wealth to improve the health, education