| (WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting the cancellation of $2.5 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF) for Libya, of which $400,000 is obligated for Qadhafi-run foundations. Statement of Ros-Lehtinen:
“Although this money was provided by Congress to promote democracy and human rights in Libya, the Administration has chosen to funnel the resources through the Qadhafi family. How could this assistance effectively promote democracy when entrusted to the dictator’s family?
“This waste of taxpayer dollars is particularly outrageous following the hero’s welcome given to the Lockerbie bomber organized by Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and his son Saif al-Islam al Qadhafi.
“This windfall to the Qadhafis will only work to further entrench a dictatorial regime whose extremist dogma was most recently demonstrated just yesterday, with Muammar Qadhafi’s bizarre diatribe against freedom-loving nations at the UN.”
Note: Congressional Notification 09-246 advised Congress of the Administration’s intent to obligate $2,500,000 in Economic Support Funds (ESF) for Libya. Of this amount, $200,000 is to be provided for the Qadhafi Development Foundation, which is run by Saif al-Islam al Qadhafi. An additional $200,000 will be used to support the Wa’ettasemon organization, run by Colonel Qadhafi’s daughter Aisha Maummar al Qadafi, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), to which Aisha serves as Goodwill Ambassador.
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