Kaine: Mideast poses "range of tough challenges"

Battling Islamic radical groups is just part of “a range of tough challenges” the U.S. faces in the Middle East, Sen. Tim Kaine said Monday following the conclusion of a Congressional delegation to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Kaine, who is a member of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Armed Services Committee, said the group spent four days in intense dialogue with leaders in the region, including both Israeli and Palestinian officials and representatives of moderate opposition to embattled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Congress is expected to tackle many relevant issues, he said, ranging from battling extremism in the form of ISIL, Al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah, to ending Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, standing by Israel while pressing both the Israelis and Palestinians to find peace and providing humanitarian aid to Syrians and other refugees fleeing violence.

“These are hard problems,” Kaine said.” And while they can occasionally seem far away, I am reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words: ‘We may have arrived on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.’”

Kaine added that the visit by seven senators, including Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Angus King (I-ME), “reminds me anew that American leadership is necessary and strongly desired by the people of the region.”

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