"Radio Free Afghanistan" Gains Support. (Washington pulse).Elizabeth G. Book Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., introduced bipartisan legislation to create a "Radio Free Afghanistan Radio Free Afghanistan is a radio service broadcast by the United States government in Afghanistan, an extension of the Radio Free Europe program (broadcasting from Prague). ." Royce, a senior member of the House International Relations international relations, study of the relations among states and other political and economic units in the international system. Particular areas of study within the field of international relations include diplomacy and diplomatic history, international law, Committee, said the legislation would broadcast to Afghanistan under the existing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty services. Reps. Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Calif., Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (also known as Ileana Ros; born July 15 1952) is a Republican United States Representative for Florida's At-large congressional district (map), having held that office since 1989. , R-Fla., James Leach James Leach or Jim Leach may refer to:
"This legislation would revive the broadcasts that Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe (RFE), broadcasting organization established in 1950 with the stated mission of promoting democratic values and institutions. Its original purpose was to broadcast news to countries behind the "Iron Curtain" during the cold war. and Radio Liberty were doing when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan during the Cold War," Royce said. "They are familiar with the challenges of broadcasting to Afghanistan and have the institutional knowledge to perform these broadcasts, and get them up and running quickly." In fact, he added, most of the people who were broadcasting during Afghanistan's war with the Soviet Union are still on staff with Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. The bill would allow Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to perform surrogate broadcasts into Afghanistan. It authorizes $8 million for fiscal year 2002 and $6 million for 2003. The funds would pay for a new transmitter and roughly 12 hours a day of broadcasting into Afghanistan in local languages (six hours in Pashto and six hours in Dari). "There is a lot of anti-Semitic, anti-American, anti-Western hate radio being broadcast by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's organization," Royce said. "We've got to counter these vile lies being propagated by terrorists and the radical Taliban; Radio Free Afghanistan is the best way to do that." |
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