Howard Berman

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. BERMAN. I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to my friend and partner in so many of these efforts, the gentlelady from New York, the ranking member of the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations, Mrs. Lowey.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, may I ask for the time remaining on each side.

Mr. BERMAN. I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Deutch.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished member of our committee, the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas, a former member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Green.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to a member of the committee, the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Carnahan).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. BERMAN. There are two important issues raised by this one resolution. One seems a little more distant than it did at the time it was introduced, and that was the possibility of a unity government that included an organization that is on our terrorist list, that subscribes to violence, to the elimination of the State of Israel, and refuses to recognize past agreements in a unity government. Hopefully, that agreement, the chances of it are diminishing. The second point is a strategy which violates the Palestinians' own commitments that they made in Madrid, that they made part of the roadmap, that were made in the context of the Oslo agreements that they will negotiate directly with the Israelis to resolve this conflict. I think it is all appropriate to point out that should they pursue that course, the assistance that we have very generously given them, that they have put to good use, might well be terminated. I urge an ``aye'' vote on this resolution.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I will be the only speaker to speak from our side on this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. On December 19 of last year, Belarus' President, Alexander Lukashenko, staged a fraudulent election. Immediately afterward, he had the opposition candidates arrested, and this May almost all of them were sentenced to prison. The Lukashenko regime has continued to harass members of opposition political parties, human rights activists, civil society and to suppress Belarusians' access to free press and information. Over the past month, an increasing number of Belarusians have gathered to protest against Lukashenko and the deteriorating economic situation there. The Obama administration has reacted strongly to the fraudulent elections and post-election crack down. On February 2, the U.S. significantly expanded the list of Belarusian officials subject to travel sanctions and to have their assets blocked and restored full U.S. sanctions against Belarus's largest state-owned oil and gas concern. On July 2, Secretary Clinton met with activists from Belarus during her visit to Lithuania for a meeting of the Community of Democracies and repeated her demand that Belarus release political prisoners and embark on the path of democratic reform. In coordination with the European Union, the administration has significantly expanded democracy assistance to Belarus for this year from $11 million to $15 million. We must continue to call for the reopening of the OSCE office in Minsk and for the Government of Belarus to fully cooperate with an OSCE fact-finding mission requested by 14 participating states under the Moscow mechanism. And we must continue to demand the release of many heroic individuals still languishing in Belarusian prisons without access to their families or legal counsel. Europe's last dictatorship should not be allowed to stand unchallenged. I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution, and I yield 2 minutes to the sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott.) (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to a gentleman with the opposite view of this issue than I have, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. BERMAN. I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 90 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining on each side?

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlelady from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Mr. BERMAN. I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).