26 March 2003 

Leach Urges U.S. to Reach Out to Southeast Asia 
(Rep. Jim Leach's remarks to House panel March 26, 2003) 

American public diplomacy needs to do a better job reaching out to the Southeast Asian region in general, and its Muslim community in particular, says James Leach (Republican of Iowa), chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, House Committee on International Relations.

"While the threat of terrorism is real," he said, "it is important to remember that the great majority of Muslims in Southeast Asia are moderate, tolerant, and opposed to militant Islam."

In his opening remarks at a March 26 hearing, Leach emphasized the importance of countering "misperceptions about U.S. policy" and the necessity "to make clear that America identifies with the aspirations of Southeast Asians for social equality and economic development."

He added: "But it should be clear that enhanced public diplomacy is no substitute for good policy. Good policy makes good neighbors."

The subcommittee chairman said the United States identifies with the desire of Southeast Asians for "decent, democratic governance" and singled out Burma for the failure of its ruling military to engage in substantive political discussions with the democratic opposition and ethnic minorities.

Following is the text of Leach's remarks, as prepared for delivery:

(begin text)

Representative James A. Leach Chairman, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific United States Policy Toward Southeast Asia March 26, 2003

On behalf of the Subcommittee, I would like to welcome our distinguished administration witnesses. We are pleased today to receive testimony today from Matthew Daley, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, as well as Gordon West, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Asia and the Near East, U.S. Agency for International Development.

At the outset, I would like to register the Committee's appreciation to our friends and allies in the region that have joined the coalition seeking to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. These include Australia, which has forces actively engaged in the field, as well as Japan, South Korea, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Singapore. As we all understand, the Iraq issue has posed an unprecedented set of challenges for America and the world community. Whatever one's individual judgment on the issue, Congress can only express its deep gratitude to the countries that are standing with the U.S. while our fighting men and women are in harms way.

The purpose of today's hearing is to review United States policy toward Southeast Asia. As my colleagues know, this is an enormously diverse region that continues to engage a broad range of American interests, including securing cooperation in the campaign against international terrorism. Before turning to our witnesses, I would like to make the following observations:

-- Great personal sacrifice is being made by the American Embassy staff in Indonesia, where warnings persist that extremist elements may be planning attacks against U.S. officials and facilities. All nonessential American staff was withdrawn after the Bali bombings of last October, causing families to be separated and requiring the Embassy to operate short-handed in a vast and complex country of 228 million people.

-- While the threat of terrorism is real, it is important to remember that the great majority of Muslims in Southeast Asia are moderate, tolerant, and opposed to militant Islam.

-- In this context, American public diplomacy needs to do a better job reaching out to the region in general and its Muslim community in particular to counter misperceptions about U.S. policy and to make clear that America identifies with the aspirations of Southeast Asians for social equality and economic development. But it should be clear that enhanced public diplomacy is no substitute for good policy. Good policy makes good neighbors.

-- The U.S. also identifies with the desire of Southeast Asians for decent, democratic governance. Here in particular, I would single out Burma, where the failure of the ruling military to engage in substantive political discussions with the democratic opposition and ethnic minorities is of increasingly serious concern. A decision by the regime to spurn the path of national reconciliation would be a devastating blow to a proud country that has known little but poverty and despair since the military first seized power in 1962.

-- Finally, the outbreak of a new pneumonia-like disease -- known as acute severe respiratory distress syndrome -- and its spread throughout southern China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia to the U.S. and Europe illustrates the growing threat that global infectious disease poses to the entire world community. Asian countries in particular have a vested interest in enhancing cooperation to help detect and respond to this particular disease, and appropriate research centers in the U.S. have an obligation to make the highest priority the need to understand and craft techniques to subdue this outbreak.

In this context, we look forward to the testimony of our witnesses and the questions to follow.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov

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