mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , i rise in strong support of h.r. 2601 , the foreign relations authorization bill for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 as it was reported out of committee . 
at the outset i want to pay tribute to the chairman of the committee , my good friend , the gentleman from illinois ( mr. hyde ) xz4001920 , for conducting the complex discussions and debates leading to this legislation with statesmanlike dignity . 
mr. chairman , today our great nation continues to face a grave terrorist threat . 
despite our many successes at disrupting al qaeda and other violent and brutal islamic extremists , our determination to defeat terror remains unshakable , and we know we shall prevail in this struggle . 
we saw a tragic demonstration of terror this month in london 's underground and on its famed double-decker buses . 
while a number of osama bin laden 's top lieutenants have been captured and killed , he remains at large , as do otherkey terrorist figures . 
in this security environment , mr. chairman , legislation on foreign policy should be bipartisan . 
and our legislation , passed unanimously by the committee on international relations by a vote of 44 to 0 , is a tribute to my friend , the gentleman from illinois ( mr. hyde ) xz4001920 , and his effort to work in a bipartisan fashion . 
chairman hyde has outlined many of the features of our legislation , and i will merely add a footnote . 
to address the dangers of terrorist attacks on our embassies , which are the platform abroad for every agency of the u.s. government , our bill fully funds the administration 's request for worldwide embassy security . 
mr. chairman , in 2003 , when an extremist involved in attacks against the british consulate in istanbul and other british facilities was captured , he said that he had explored the u.s. consulate as a possible target but had decided to move elsewhere , and i quote , `` because even a bird can not fly into the u.s. embassy. '' this statement is a dramatic demonstration that our embassy security program , begun after the east africa bombings in 1998 , is bearing fruit . 
i am pleased that our bill fully funds the administration 's request for the state department and contains most of the provisions that secretary rice has requested and needs to help her administer the department more effectively . 
our bill , mr. chairman , also launches a critical initiative to address the key issue of disrupting nuclear black markets . 
the nuclear black market elimination act , which is included in our bill , authorizes sanctions against individuals and companies that provide nuclear enrichment technology to countries which do not have it or have not signed the additional iaea , international atomic energy agency , protocols relating to verification . 
our initiative will help prevent nuclear weapons technology from getting into the hands of terrorists and rogue states , and clearly that is our most significant national security concern . 
our bill contains provisions of the missile threat reduction act , which i introduced in the last congress with the support of chairman hyde . 
these provisions are designed to confront the alarming spread of offensive ballistic missiles , which can be used for launching nuclear , chemical , and biological warheads . 
this measure commits the united states to seeking a new international mechanism to restrict the trade in missiles and components . 
it strengthens u.s. sanctions against those who trade in missiles , and it provides assistance to countries that agree to destroy their missile arsenals . 
let me just say a word , mr. chairman , about another important initiative in our bill , the advance democracy act of 2005 . 
i introduced a version of this legislation earlier this year with my good friend , the gentleman from virginia ( mr. wolf ) xz4004350 , my cochairman of the congressional human rights caucus . 
we consulted extensively with democracy experts , former diplomats , and u.s. government officials . 
i am delighted to report that our work stimulated much discussion about how the u.s. government could organize better to promote democracy around the globe . 
with invaluable input from chairman hyde , the advance democracy act that is included as part of this legislation will require forward-looking strategies for democracy promotion , enhanced training for our diplomats , and increased resources for those who are responsible for democracy promotion . 
we trust that our bill will help institutionalize the advancement of democracy throughout the u.s. government . 
mr. chairman , our bill also provides support for the next critical phase in afghanistan 's transition from chaos , civil war , and disorder to an increasingly prosperous and democratic state by providing assistance for that country 's upcoming parliamentary elections . 
continued attention from the international community on this critical next step is essential if reformers are not to be intimidated by narcotraffickers and warlords . 
given the general bipartisan nature of our legislation , mr. chairman , i regret that the majority has decided to offer some ill-advised partisan amendments to our bill . 
in particular , i am profoundly disappointed that a u.n . 
reform amendment , virtually identical to the bill considered and barely passed by a sharply divided house last month , is going to be offered . 
i see no need to debate this controversial and divisive topic yet another time . 
the house has already spoken . 
this amendment requires withholding 50 percent of our contributions to the united nations if any one of 46 conditions is not fully implemented . 
during debates earlier , i called this an automatic guillotine , and it certainly has not changed since that debate . 
adding this amendment threatens to undermine bipartisan support for our legislation . 
i will oppose this amendment , and i ask all of my colleagues to join me in voting against it . 
mr. chairman , we are considering this important legislation at a pivotal moment in our nation 's history . 
we are engaged in intense diplomacy on every continent . 
we are working to resolve long-festering disputes and crises in north korea , in iran , in iraq , in afghanistan , in congo , in colombia , and countless other places . 
and we are doing this in the midst of a critical conflict against the violent forces of nihilism and bloodthirsty islamic fanaticism . 
i believe that enactment of our legislation will provide important tools that can help resolve these international disputes and crises . 
i continue to hope that at the end of this legislative process we will all be able to support the bill . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
