Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Hearings on Four Treaties

On November 15, 2005, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a short hearing on four international criminal cooperation treaties, namely proposed extradition treaties with the U.K. and Israel and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties with Japan and Germany. Although the hearing was routine, Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), the Committee chair who presided over the hearing, said a second hearing would be held on the U.S.-U.K. extradition treaty to allow persons outside the government to present testimony. Other than Senator Lugar, only Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) attended the hearing at its start ? [more]