Senate Proceeding 03-10-09 on Mar 10th, 2009 :: 0:26:55 to 0:29:45
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0:26:52 to 0:27:12( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: credit through third country banks, that's the law today. that's the end of that quote. this comes at a moment that is important. the paris club recently announced that cuba defaulted on over $30 billion of obligations and at a time that we're facing challenges here in the united states in terms of our financial institutions and credit in

0:26:55 to 0:29:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jon Tester

0:27:13 to 0:27:33( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: general to be giving credit to an -- to a country that has not only a repressive policy but $30 billion in defaults is not in my mind good policy. president obama said that -- quote -- "my policy towards cuba will be guided by one word, prefreedom.

0:27:34 to 0:27:54( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: and it must begin with justice for cuba's political prisoners, rights it was free speech, free press and freedom of assembly and lead to election at's are free and fair." the end of that quote. i couldn't agree more with president obama on this point and fully support him in moving forward in ts direction. finally, i know that some of my

0:27:55 to 0:28:15( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: colleagues might be confused about my persistence with this issue over the last couple of weeks. so let is a principled position. first, i have new

0:28:16 to 0:28:37( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: stories speak to the castro regime. many of them have spent 10 years to 20 years of their life in a prison cell. their only crime was trying to seek peaceful change in their country. they are now proud united states citizens. but they languished in a jail for a decade

0:28:38 to 0:29:00( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: simply for seeking to make peaceful change. many of them were tortured in that process. me every day when i am back in new jersey of that reality. second, let me propose that for some it is difficu the difficult, personal significance that these changes

0:29:01 to 0:29:25( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: have for the human rights and democracy activists on island that speak to -- that fight to speak freely and think freely. and my own personal conviction that's my family has lived under and died under trying to change. licy changes to cuba like

0:29:32 to 0:29:45( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Tester: changes in our nation that our country determines is a state sponsor of terrorism like iran, syria are delicate policy issues. any changes in these policies deserves a democratic debate and careful deliberation.