A U.S. congressional delegation visited the Middle East on an information-gathering trip. Led by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, the group also included Reps. Lynch, Platts and Gerlach. Mr. Lehtinen, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen’s husband, represented the Miami Herald. A C-SPAN video journalist accompanied them during their five-day visit to the region, as they traveled first to Kuwait for a day, then into Iraq for two days, and then two final days in Afghanistan.

Arriving in Kuwait on January 20, they spent the day at meetings and on visits to different military and civilian sites. At a meeting in Kuwait City with the editor in chief of Al Rai Al Aam newspaper they discussed the war in Iraq, the political situation in Kuwait, U.S.-Kuwait relations, terrorism, broader U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf region, efforts at democracy in the region, and U.S. interest in Middle Eastern oil. Al Rai Al Aam newspaper has the largest circulation of any paper in Kuwait.