Justice committee  I can understand French, but I'd prefer to answer in English. So I'll take it in either French or English.

Justice committee  Ironically, I think that leaving it to the court would shorten the time for trial. Right now these issues are just as much involved, as every attempt is being made by attorneys to find a way to circumvent the restrictions caused by sovereign immunity. These issues have all led

Justice committee  I'm sorry, some of what you have asked was lost in the transmission, but if I get the point, yes, there is definitely a problem with respect to the collection of judgments against the states that enjoy sovereign immunity. This is an issue that needs to be addressed more clearly h

Justice committee  I'm getting silence right now.

Justice committee  Yes, there are a lot of ways of controlling that. There should be requirements that all other jurisdictions be exhausted before these cases go forth.

Justice committee  Thank you. As you've seen from our own history of litigation in the United States, there have been a number of cases flowing both from the 9/11 incidents and other terrorist attacks that have affected American citizens internationally, where the attempts to hold those responsibl

Justice committee  Yes, I'd be glad to. The legislation is broad. It applies not only to states but also to terrorist groups and those groups that provide material support. Of course, the sovereign immunity exemption doesn't apply to many of those defendants in these cases, and in such cases we ha

Justice committee  If you pass this legislation, you will be adding significantly to our arsenal for combatting international terrorism. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Justice committee  Thank you, Chairman, for this opportunity to present views again on this important counter-terrorism legislation. I first spoke to a parliamentary committee on this legislation some three and a half years ago. At that time I expressed my strong support for holding the perpetrat

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. From what I've heard, the thesis has been put forth that in dealing with the serious problems we are facing with respect to Iran—its threats to international peace and security, its government's threats against the state of Israel, and its nuclear weapons development

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I don't think there's anything that prevents Europe from imposing sanctions on Iran. I know that is a matter of continued debate and discussion within European circles. President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Brown have both indicated that sanctions may well be necessary against Ira

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I won't pretend to be an expert on the internal political dynamics of Iran. I'm always an optimist that the youth will bring about change, in time. Whether that will happen within my lifetime, I certainly can't say. I am not optimistic that this election will mark a significant

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I don't think that's the case. I think most of the people in Iran recognize that it is the Iranian government's own failed economic policies that have caused most of the hardship in terms of unemployment and the downturn in the Iranian economy, as has the oil situation. I think

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think the U.S. sanctions are having an impact. They're mostly having an impact in boardrooms in Europe and around the world, and causing a much greater caution with respect to Iran from the international financial community. That has had a significant impact, but it's an insuff

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Europe has considerable leverage because they are Iran's critical trading partner. In the United States we do about $250 million in trade per year with Iran. Canada does about $350 million. Compare that to about $60 billion in cross-trade with Europe. Europe is Iran's major tradi