U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson to lead NATO committee

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will use a new job as the leader of a NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee to bring hunger and education issues to the forefront, the six-term lawmaker said Tuesday.

Emerson returned Monday from the Parliamentary Assembly's annual meeting in Valencia, Spain, where she was elected chairwoman of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security. Emerson has been a member of the organization, a consultative body that brings together lawmakers from across the 26-member military alliance.

Reducing hunger, expanding education and providing a better economic base in developing countries are basic steps to improve lives and increase security, Emerson said. Satisfied people are less likely to turn to radical fundamentalism and terrorism, she said.

By studying those issues, the committee can craft proposals for NATO governments to implement, she said. One example, she noted is the dominance of opium poppies as a cash crop in Afghanistan.

"What do we need to do to be able to assure Afghan farmers that there are alternative crops, for example to poppies, that could bring them as much money and if there are those crops?" Emerson said. "What needs to be established within those countries to make that work?"

Another issue the committee could address, she said, is piracy, which is a growing problem off the East African coastline. Somali pirates in small boats seized a Saudi oil tanker over the weekend, taking control of the vessel hundreds of miles out to sea.

"None of us have a lot of experience or background in that," Emerson said. "One of the ways you educate yourself is through" the committee's special reports.

The committee's work, Emerson said, is aimed at solutions to long-term threats based in civilian life that could result in a NATO military or political response.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly operates on a an annual budget of about $5 million. Member nations sponsor the expenses of lawmakers who attend the group's meetings.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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