|
 |
 |
|
Thursday's global agenda: Senate panel postpones markup of disabilities treaty
Your morning global affairs speed-read
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has indefinitely postponed a markup of a United Nations treaty on the rights of people with disabilities after Republicans on the panel held it over, just two days after announcing it. The delay comes as U.S. home-schooling advocates, including former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, have been raising concerns about the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which they say would impinge on parental rights.
The treaty has several Republican champions, including Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) — they argue it would merely apply U.S. standards to the rest of the world and protect Americans with disabilities abroad — but the conservative Heritage Foundation and a handful of Senate Republicans are opposed. The delay will make it difficult for committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) to meet his goal of having the Senate pass the treaty by July 26, the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Showdown at the UN: The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote today on a U.S.-backed resolution to renew the U.N. observer mission to Syria, which expires Friday. President Obama on Wednesday called Russia's President Vladimir Putin to ask for his support for the resolution, which calls for sanctions on President Bashar Assad's government if the violence continues, but Russia is seen as likely to veto the measure, which it has called "blackmail." The Hill's DEFCON Hill blog has the latest here.
Busy, busy: The House Foreign Affairs Committee has a busy day, with no fewer than three hearings. The subcommittee on terrorism hears from a panel of experts this afternoon on “the challenge of securing lethal weapons” when regimes fall, a timely discussion as Assad's government teeters in Syria.
In the morning, the full committee examines “unfair trading practices against the U.S.," such as intellectual property rights infringement, property expropriations and other barriers. In the afternoon, the global health panel examines U.S. mine pollution in Peru.
Minority showcase: Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), along with the International Religious Freedom Caucus, host an exhibit of religious minorities throughout the Middle East this evening in the Rayburn foyer starting at 6 p.m. The event will highlight “the challenges religious minorities face throughout the Middle East, with representatives from communities such as the Coptic Christians of Egypt, Baha’i of Iran, and Assyrians and Yezidis of Iraq.”
The U.S. ambassador-at-large for religious freedom, Suzan Johnson Cook, will speak at the event and Katrina Lantos Swett, chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and president and chief executive officer of The Lantos Foundation, will deliver the keynote address.
Franks is one of five lawmakers who signed on to a recent letter raising questions about the loyalty of certain Muslim-Americans in government. The letter received a scathing reprimand from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
In other news:
The Obama administration is working on contingency plans in case the regime in Syria collapses, The New York Times reports.
Egypt's former intelligence chief died at a U.S. hospital. [CNN]
Hyon Yong Chol was named North Korea's new army chief while Kim Jong Un took the title of marshal, cementing his status atop the authoritarian nation's military [Associated Press]
What you might have missed on Global Affairs:
Senate panel kills measure to tie Russia trade bill to Syrian arms sales
Senators slam Obama administration's lack of transparency in trade negotiations
Senate panel tasks customs agents with blocking subsidized imports
This post was updated at 9:45 a.m.
Do you have an event or upcoming report you'd like to share? Any Comments / complaints / suggestions?
Please contact me at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / 202-628-8527
Follow me on Twitter @JPecquetTheHill
