CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE CALLS FOR AN END TO THE VIOLENCE IN LIBYA

February 21, 2011

HOUSTON – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security, Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee who formerly served on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, issued the following statement on the violence in Libya:

“I denounce the violence in Libya and denounce the words of Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, who in essence said that he will fight until the last man, the last woman, and the last bullets no longer exist. It is a shameful reaction and the people who love democracy must speak out against the violence and the forces behind it. I commend President Obama and the United States State Department on speaking out against the situation in Libya, and I stand ready to assist them in any way. The people of the Middle East see our country as a beacon of democracy, and they know that they can count our support to assist democracy. I also urge the U.N. General Secretary to call for a meeting of the U.N. National Security Council to give guidance to communicate to Col. Mummar el-Qaddafi and Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi to leave the country. The world cannot sit by while blood runs in the streets of Libya, and everyone must denounce their actions as an extension of pushing back on Al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, and all other terrorist forces that disrupt the democratic process. America’s job is not to engage militarily, but to use every democratic tool to fight for justice.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was on MSNBC’s “Jansing and Co.” when the breaking news came that U.N. Secretary General and Mummar el-Qaddafi had begun an extensive conversation. During the show, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said, “I condemn with all of my heart, the violence in Libya, and I hope the world stands up against what I perceive to be an impending slaughter. It is unheard of and we must stand against that violence……Mummar el-Qaddafi ……he needs to leave, his son needs to leave and the protestors need to be [helped to move towards] a transitional democratic government.”

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