January 22, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S75 BELGIUM According to a January 1, 2008 article in American Revolution Center on a 78- On January 3, we met with Victoria The Guardian, you told reporters, ‘‘That’s acre parcel of land that is within the Nuland, the U.S. Ambassador to the North what she was going to explain to the U.S. federally authorized boundary of Val- Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). We Senators.’’ ‘‘We have a lot of evidence that ley Forge National Historical Park but discussed a wide range of topics to include the government is involved in rigging. It was not owned by the National Park Serv- NATO’s involvement in Afghanistan, the going to be discussed on that evening.’’ I am very interested in examining any material ice. The 78-acre parcel is part of a larg- NATO-Russian dynamic, NATO expanding er 125-acre tract of land that is in dan- global partnerships, the EU-NATO relation- that your party may have prepared for my ship, Kosovo and missile defense. review. ger of housing development. Not only On January 4, we departed for our return Americans are closely watching what is would the American Revolution Cen- to the United States. happening in Pakistan. Any help you can ter, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, provide in shedding light on this tragic event develop a museum dedicated to the U.S. SENATE, may further the investigation into Ms. Revolutionary War, but it would also Washington, DC, January 2, 2008. Bhutto’s death, as well as help to ensure that preserve the remaining 47 acres as open Hon. BAN KI-MOON, the upcoming elections are free and fair. space. I Thank you for your consideration of this Secretary-General of the United Nations, I have supported appropriating Fed- New York, NY. request. I look forward to your response. My best. eral funding to acquire the aforemen- DEAR SECRETARY-GENERAL: In light of the tioned land that is in jeopardy of resi- uncertainty on who assassinated former Sincerely, Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and ARLEN SPECTER. dential development. In fiscal year the impact of her assassination on the pend- 2005, I helped secure $1.5 million for the ing Pakistani elections. I urge the United U.S. SENATE, National Park Service to begin acquir- Nations, either alone or in conjunction with Washington, DC. ing 85 acres that were related to the the Musharraf government of Pakistan, to MR. ASIF ALI ZARDARI: Please accept my 125-acre tract that is now connected appoint an investigating commission. sincere condolences on the loss of your wife. with the American Revolution Center. Since my wife and I first visited your wife Since President Musharraf has already In fiscal years 2006 and 2007, I supported suggested an international investigation, in Kurachi some twenty years ago, and in follow-up meetings when she was Prime Min- the appropriation of $9 million and $3.1 joint action by the U.N. would be consistent million, respectively, for the Park with Pakistani sovereignty. Even without ister in Islamabad and thereafter in Wash- the voluntary joinder of the Musharraf gov- ington, I have had great respect and admira- Service to complete the 125-acre acqui- ernment, it is obvious that a U.N. tion for her. sition. However, due to increasing fis- investigatian would have greater public As you may know, Representative Patrick cal constraints, no funding was avail- credibility. Kennedy and I were scheduled to meet with able at that time to continue the In making this recommendation, I recol- Ms. Bhutto at 9 p.m. on December 27, 2007, project. Additionally, in fiscal year lect the action taken by President Lyndon and were shocked by the assassination. I 2004, I helped secure $5 million for the have noted in the press that the Honorable Johnson within seven days after the assas- National Park Service to acquire other sination of President John F. Kennedy to ap- Sarfraz Khan Lashari was quoted in a Janu- ary 1, 2008 article in the Guardian that Ms. land within the Valley Forge boundary point an independent investigating commis- to also prevent it from housing devel- sion. Bhutto was going to turn over evidence of As you may know, Representative Patrick election-rigging to Representative Kennedy opment. Kennedy, member of the U.S. House of Rep- and me at our meeting. By the American Revolution Center resentatives (D–RI), and I were scheduled to With this letter, I am enclosing for you a taking possession of this land, it is eas- meet with Ms. Bhutto at 9 p.m. an Thursday, copy of my letter to Mr. Lashari. ing the financial and obligatory burden December 27th. She had called for that late If you have any such evidence in your pos- of the Federal Government to preserve meeting because she was fully engaged in session and would care to transmit it to me, this sacred ground. Additionally, I am I would be very pleased to receive it. campaigning that day. As Representative confident that those in charge of the KENNEDY and I were preparing to depart for I am sure you will be interested to know that I wrote to UN Secretary General Ban administration of the American Revo- a dinner with President Musharraf at 7 p.m. lution Center will be responsible stew- and the later meeting with Ms. Bhutto, we Ki-Moon on January 2, 2008 calling for an were informed of her assassination. international investigation of the assassina- ards of the historical integrity of the I am further concerned by a report in the tion. I have not yet had a response. land and ensure its conservation for Boston Globe from January 2, 2008 picking I am also writing today to the UN Sec- generations to come. I am also con- up a Washington Post story by Griff Witte retary General urging that the United Na- fident that the Lower Providence and Emily Wax which says: tions set up a standing investigating com- Township managers, the local gov- ‘‘Senator Latif Khosa, a lawmaker from mission which would be available to move erning branch, will appropriately man- quickly to investigate any future assassina- Bhutta’s Pakistan Peoples Party, said she age the zoning ordinance for the 125- had planned to give the lawmakers (referring tions. With this letter I am enclosing copies of acre tract under current direction of to Representative KENNEDY and myself) a re- the American Revolution Center to port outlining complaints an ‘pre-poll rig- both those letters for you. ging’ by Musharraf’s government and the Again, my condolences. Let me know if I guarantee its conservation should the military-run Inter-Services Intelligence Di- can be of further assistance. museum ever vacate the property. rectorate.’’ My best. Thus, recognizing the importance of In a matter of this sort it is to be expected, Sincerely, Valley Forge to the founding of the based on what happened following the assas- ARLEN SPECTER. United States, the creation of a mu- sination of President Kennedy, to have a f seum to celebrate its history and pre- wide range of allegations and conspiracy AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY serve the park’s integrity is a positive theories. CENTER development. Local government deci- It would be expected that expert investiga- sions regarding private land use ought tive bodies like the FBI and Scotland Yard Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I wish to be respected, and I strongly urge the and other national, reputable investigating to discuss the current situation with organizations would be willing to undertake Department of the Interior, the Na- regard to siting of the American Revo- tional Park Service, and the American such an investigation under the name of the lution Center at Valley Forge, a mu- United Nations. Revolution Center to work coopera- Sincerely, seum dedicated to interpreting, hon- tively to expedite the creation of this ARLEN SPECTER. oring, and celebrating the complete museum, which is long overdue. story of the entire American Revolu- f U.S. SENATE, tion, within Valley Forge National His- Washington, DC, January 22, 2008. torical Park in Pennsylvania. U.S. SENATE TRAVEL Hon. SARFRAZ KHAN LASHARI, I have been working with the Amer- REGULATIONS UPDATE Election Monitor, ican Revolution Center for a number of Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I Pakistan People’s Party years, and there has been no shortage wish to inform all Senators that the DEAR MR. LASHARI: It is my understanding of challenges. The current challenge is that Ms. Bhutto may have intended to Committee on Rules and Administra- present me with a report detailing election related to zoning issues in Lower Prov- tion has updated the U.S. Senate Trav- fraud in Pakistan’s upcoming election at the idence Township, Montgomery County. el Regulations to include two changes. time of our scheduled meeting on December The township has approved a zoning or- First, P.L. 110–81 requires the Rules 27, 2007. dinance to enable development of the Committee to make certain changes to VerDate Mar 15 2010 22:12 Mar 19, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2008SENATE\S22JA8.REC S22JA8 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY.