Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/3415

 120 STAT. 3384

PUBLIC LAW 109–456—DEC. 22, 2006

Public Law 109–456 109th Congress An Act Dec. 22, 2006 [S. 2125] Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006. 22 USC 2151 note.

22 USC 2151 note.

VerDate 14-DEC-2004

12:05 Jul 13, 2007

To promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006’’.

TITLE I—BILATERAL ACTION ON ADDRESSING URGENT NEEDS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SEC. 101. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings: (1) The National Security Strategy of the United States, dated September 17, 2002, concludes that ‘‘[i]n Africa, promise and opportunity sit side-by-side with disease, war, and desperate poverty. This threatens both a core value of the United States preserving human dignity and our strategic priority combating global terror. American interests and American principles, therefore, lead in the same direction: we will work with others for an African continent that lives in liberty, peace, and growing prosperity.’’. (2) On February 16, 2005, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency testified, ‘‘In Africa, chronic instability will continue to hamper counterterrorism efforts and pose heavy humanitarian and peacekeeping burdens.’’. (3) According to the United States Agency for International Development, ‘‘Given its size, population, and resources, the Congo is an important player in Africa and of long-term interest to the United States.’’. (4) The Democratic Republic of the Congo is 2,345,410 1⁄4 the size of the United States), square miles (approximately lies at the heart of Africa, and touches every major region of sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, a secure, peaceful, and prosperous Democratic Republic of the Congo would have a profound impact on progress throughout Africa. (5) The most recent war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which erupted in 1998, spawned some of the world’s

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