Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:

 Tuesday, November 19 

Subcommittee Hearing: Crisis in the Central African Republic

10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

The Honorable Robert P. Jackson
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel II

The Most Reverend Nestor-Désiré Nongo-Aziagbia
Roman Catholic Bishop of Bossangoa, Central African Republic

Mr. Mike Jobbins
Senior Programme Manager, Africa
Search for Common Ground

Mr. Philippe Bolopion
United Nations Director
Human Rights Watch

Chairman Smith on the hearing:  “The Central African Republic is a completely failed state teetering on the verge of a man-made humanitarian crisis. The terrorist group Seleka is targeting churches, while the Lord’s Resistance Army trolls the countryside for children to conscript as child soldiers. We must provide immediate humanitarian assistance and support peacekeepers already in the country so they can effectively protect innocent civilians.”

 

Subcommittee Markup: H. Res. 188, Calling upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Theological School of Halki without condition or further delay

2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman

Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward the Arabian Peninsula: Yemen and Bahrain

2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Ms. Barbara Leaf
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Arabian Peninsula
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “So much attention has been focused on Iran, Syria, and Egypt that important events taking shape in other countries of the Middle East and North Africa region are often overshadowed. Yemen’s political transition has come up against some serious impediments to progress and its economic outlook is in jeopardy. It’s in the vital interests of regional and U.S. national security that all parties in Yemen work together toward resolving their issues before the political situation gets worse. We must also continue to push for a political solution to the disputes in Bahrain. Civil unrest and sectarian violence have stoked tensions in Bahrain, causing setbacks in the national dialogue. The United States must do more to encourage all parties in Bahrain to condemn violence and support a democratic process. This hearing is important to ensure that the United States remains focused on the entire Middle East and North Africa region and that we try to be proactive, rather than letting the events dictate our policy.”

 

Wednesday, November 20

Markup: H. Res. 147, Calling for the release of United States citizen Saeed Abedini and condemning the Government of Iran for its persecution of religious minorities; and H. Res. 402, Supporting the European aspirations of the peoples of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership countries, and for other purposes;  H.R. 1992, Israel Qualitative Military Edge Enhancement Act; H.R. 3470, The Naval Vessel Transfer and Arms Export Control Amendments Act of 2013; and H.R. 3509, Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of 2013

10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 20 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Subcommittee Hearing: Terrorist Groups in Syria

1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins
Senior Adviser to the President
RAND Corporation

Mr. Phillip Smyth
Middle East Research Analyst
University of Maryland

Mr. Barak Barfi
Research Fellow
The New America Foundation

Chairman Poe on the hearing: “As the conflict in Syria continues to escalate, sound U.S. policy will require that we have a solid understanding of the various actors on the ground. There are radical Islamist forces fighting on both sides of the war. Pro-Assad troops receive critical support from Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, while some of the most powerful rebel forces are made up of fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria— two groups ideologically linked to al-Qaeda. The situation in Syria threatens to destabilize the entire region. This hearing will bring light to who the actors in the conflict truly are.”

Subcommittee Hearing: Bangladesh in Turmoil: A Nation on the Brink?

2:00pm on Wednesday, November 20 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Ali Riaz, Ph.D.
Public Policy Scholar
Woodrow Wilson Center

Maj. General A.M.N. Muniruzzaman
President
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies

Mr. John Sifton
Asia Advocacy Director
Human Rights Watch

Chairman Chabot on the hearing:  “Bangladesh has long been considered a moderate, Muslim-majority nation in South Asia.  However, today Bangladesh is in the midst of a struggle for its national identity, pitting secular moderates against religious fundamentalists.  The extreme political tension that has gripped Bangladesh is threatening next year’s parliamentary elections.  This political turmoil has already claimed one victim — Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal – resulting in proceedings that do not meet international standards.  The United States has a lot at stake in Bangladesh.  This hearing will be an important opportunity to examine the cause of Bangladesh’s political tensions, the escalation of human rights abuses, and how this all impacts security interests in the region.”

Thursday, November 21

Subcommittee Markup: H.R. 1777, Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013

10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 21 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Subcommittee Hearing: The Global Challenge of Alzheimer’s: The G-8 Dementia Summit and Beyond

10:15 a.m. on Thursday, November 21 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

Donald Moulds, Ph.D.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Director
National Institute on Aging
National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Panel II

Andrea Pfeifer, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
AC Immune

Mr. George Vradenburg
Chairman and Founder
US Against Alzheimer’s

Chairman Smith on the hearing:  “Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia have become a growing global problem to the extent that the G8 is holding an international summit in December.  Foreign aid and other issues make the U.S. position at this important gathering critical for the involvement of our government in meeting the global challenge of dementia, as well as possibly impacting how we handle Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in our own country.”

***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates. 

***Coverage note:  All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.

 

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