TANNER TO DISCUSS GLOBAL DEFENSE AT NATO

'Battle Between Civilization Versus Barbarianism'
Requires Alliance, Congressman Says

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman John Tanner is traveling to NATO Headquarters in Brussels and to London Feb. 17-27 for meetings of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the British American Parliamentary Group. Tanner serves as Past Vice President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which is the civilian, legislative arm of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance.

The meetings will focus largely on refining NATO’s mission to increase its involvement in the global fight on terrorism, Tanner said.

“I personally believe NATO is as important now as it was during the Cold War days, when you had the United States and the USSR as east-west foes,” Tanner said, “NATO is now the only international organization that has the military and organizational skills to go into these places like Afghanistan – which NATO is now doing – to help the United States, both militarily and monetarily, in places where it is in our national interest to be. I am looking forward to this meeting because we continue to refine the mission of NATO. I am hopeful that ultimately we can see more involvement from NATO and NATO troops.”

Tanner and others in the U.S. delegation will meet with their counterparts from NATO’s 26 member nations. He said it is more important now than ever that civilized nations work together on common challenges.

“We’re in a globalized world here where we are fighting a battle, it seems to me, between civilization versus barbarianism,” Tanner said. “NATO represents one of the foremost weapons we have to bring together a true international coalition of civilized people to bring not only military force, but also all of the other things that happen in Europe, such as tracking money through the banking system that terrorists might use to finance themselves. It’s a large agenda, but one that I think is very important.”

Tanner represents Tennessee’s 8^th Congressional district in West and Middle Tennessee.

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Contact: Randy Ford, 202.225.4714