Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, among the many foreigners who have recently gone to Communist Cuba to meet with the dictator has been the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox. He arrived there this last weekend, held the customary long meetings with the dictator; and then, before leaving on Monday, in a gesture that deserves commendation, Mr. Fox and his foreign minister, Mr. Castaneda, invited a small group of dissidents and independent journalists to meet with them at the Mexican embassy. Most unfortunately, the foreign minister of the Cuban dictatorship, an immodest man who nonetheless has much to be modest about, announced that Mr. Fox had assured the Cuban dictator that Castro has nothing to fear from Mexico in the upcoming session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva, where the Cuban dictatorship's record on human rights has been condemned almost every year for the past decade. If the statement of the foreign minister of the Cuban dictatorship, Mr. Perez, is true, it would be most unfortunate, since Mr. Fox's election represented a great victory for democracy in Mexico after more than 70 years of a rotating dictatorship in that country. And Mr. Fox was expected by his people and by the international community to be a great leader in defense of democracy. Perez of the Cuban dictatorship is not someone who tends to be believable, so we should walk the extra mile, though certainly without illusions, and still give Mr. Fox the benefit of the doubt with regard to what Mexico will do regarding human rights at this spring's meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva. What will Mr. Fox do, considering what happened to one of the most respected dissidents in Cuba, Marta Beatriz Roque, after she attended the meeting with President Fox at the Mexican embassy in Havana this past Monday? Of the opposition figures within Cuba, there is no one more respected nor deserving of respect than this Cuban woman, an economist by training and director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists, Marta Beatriz Roque. She, along with imprisoned opposition activists who suffered the most brutal aspects of the totalitarian repression of the dictatorship, is admired by all freedom-loving Cubans, as well as by supporters of democracy for Cuba throughout the world. Well, on the night of the day of her meeting with President Fox and Foreign Minister Castaneda, just this last Monday, Marta Beatriz Roque was visited at her house by a typical array of goons, thugs and hoodlums sent by the dictator who told her that she had to accompany them to a detention center for questioning while her house was fumigated. She was then taken to a detention center by these thugs, physically assaulted, strip-searched and insulted repeatedly for hours on end. While this was happening, the so-called fumigation was taking place at her house. The furniture and windows were destroyed, and Marta Beatriz Roque's few belongings were ransacked. Marta Beatriz Roque's crime? She had met that morning with President Fox and Foreign Minister Castaneda, and she had spoken bravely in support of democracy for Cuba. So what will President Fox do about this? The act of aggression against Marta Beatriz Roque was a way for the Cuban dictator to show his disdain and contempt for President Fox and Foreign Minister Castaneda, as well as for the Cuban people, whose democratic aspirations are thoroughly represented by Marta Beatriz Roque. What will you do, President Fox and Foreign Minister Castaneda? Will you do as Castro's Foreign Minister says and fail even to acknowledge the gross and constant violations of human rights in Cuba when the United Nations Human Rights Commission discusses this issue in Geneva in the coming weeks, or will you do what you should do and condemn this atrocity against one of your guests at the Mexican Embassy in Cuba this past Monday? What will the world do, Mr. Speaker? What will our colleagues in this Congress do? One of them showed his feelings on the subject of the oppression of Cuba by allowing a member of the delegation that he traveled to Cuba with recently to give the Cuban dictator a cap like the one worn by the New York Fire Department. That symbol of American heroism, of supreme American dignity, was given to the dictator who for more than four decades has imprisoned, tortured, exiled and executed those who fight for the freedoms which this country represents. The gift of that cap to the dictator and the attitude that it reflects is grotesque. It is insulting not only to the Cuban people, but to Americans as well, and it is condemnable. It is time to stop dining and joking with the Cuban dictator. The time has come to side with the oppressed people of Cuba. They will soon be free, but they deserve solidarity in their time of darkness.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 314 is a rule providing for the consideration of motions to suspend the rules at any time on the legislative day of Wednesday, December 19, 2001. The rule further provides that the object of any motion to suspend the rules should be announced from the floor at least 1 hour prior to its consideration, and that the Speaker or his designee will consult with the minority leader or his designee on any suspension considered under the rule. It is a fair rule, Mr. Speaker. It will allow for the consideration of important legislation. I would urge my colleagues to support this straightforward, hopefully noncontroversial, rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 314 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New York for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, this is a crucial moment, a crossroad for democracy in the Western Hemisphere. I recognize that there are legitimate concerns anytime Congress cedes authority granted to it by the Constitution. I, in fact, opposed granting President Clinton this authority. I did not trust him. But I trust President Bush. I voted last night in the House Committee on Rules to grant the President Trade Promotion Authority, and I will do so today as well on the House floor. We have a unique opportunity to strengthen democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Nations in this hemisphere are facing numerous challenges that threaten their fledgling democracies, including narco-trafficking and terrorism. One of the surest ways to support democracy in our hemisphere is by facilitating the emergence of a common market of the Americas, the free trade area of the Americas, the FTAA. I strongly support free trade among free peoples; free trade among free peoples is good economically and it is ethical. An FTAA that incorporates a strong, enforceable democracy requirement is the best hope for protecting unstable democracies and for exporting it to where tyranny now reins. The European Community, now the European Union, insisted on democracy as a requirement for membership, and that contributed directly and effectively to the democratization of Spain and Portugal after the deaths of dictators Francisco Franco and Antonio de Oliveira Salazar in the decade of the 1970s. The Declaration of Quebec City of April 2001, from the most recent Summit of the Americas, the process, Mr. Speaker, leading to the FTAA, made a similar commitment to democracy: The maintenance and strengthening of the rule of law and strict respect for the democratic system are, at the same time, a goal and a shared commitment and are an essential condition of our presence at this and future summits, all of the democratically elected heads of State in the hemisphere stated in April in Quebec. Consequently, disruption of the democratic order in a state of the Hemisphere constitutes an insurmountable obstacle to the participation of that state's government in the Summit of the Americas process.'' The Summit of the Americas process is clearly headed in the right direction, but strong leadership by the United States is needed to make democracy in the entire hemisphere a permanent reality. Without Trade Promotion Authority, President Bush would not be able to achieve an FTAA with a strong democracy requirement. Accordingly, it is crucial that we pass Trade Promotion Authority for the President today.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend to you the attached article from earlier this summer written by Mr. Frank Calzon, entitled ``Yes, Cuba is a Terrorist Nation''. Mr. Calzon is the executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba in Washington, DC and is a tireless fighter for democratic causes. I encourage my colleagues to learn from his insightful article. [From the Miami Herald, Nov. 7, 2001] Yes, Cuba Is a Terrorist Nation (By Frank Calzon) Harvard scholar and former New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said that everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not his own facts. Not a bad concept to keep in mind now that Cuban government officials claim that the reason for including Cuba on the list of terrorist nations is total nonsense; that the inclusion of Castro's Cuba among Iraq, Libya, Iran and other unsavory characters is motivated by U.S. domestic politics. Sixteen anti-embargo activists, including Princeton professor Alejandro Portes and Johns Hopkins University visiting professor Wayne Smith agreed, charging that Castro is on the terrorist list due to the unwillingness of the United States to offend elements of the Cuban-American community. Is Castro's Cuba a terrorist state? Biological weapons are of no minor concern for Americans today. Castro's bankrupt regime has spent more than $1 billion to set up a scientific infrastructure that, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen said in 1998, could support an offensive biological-warfare program. In 1995 the U.S. Office of Technological Assessment included Cuba among 17 countries believed to possess biological weapons. Last year Ken Alibeck, former deputy director of Biopreparat, the Soviet Union's biological-weapons program, revealed that a few years after Castro's visit to the Soviet Union in 1981, Cuba had one of the most sophisticated genetic-engineering labs in the world. A few days ago the University of Miami School of International Studies released a report, Castro and Terrorism: A Chronology. It says that: Castro refused to join the other Ibero-American heads of state in condemning ETA terrorism at the 2000 Ibero-American Summit in Panama and slammed Mexico for its support of the summit's statement against terrorism. This summer Colombian officials arrested IRA members Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan and accused them of training the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Connolly had been living in Cuba as the representative of the IRA for Latin America. Argentine-born Cuban intelligence agent Jorge Massetti helped funnel Cuban funds to finance Puerto Rican terrorists belonging to the Machetero group. The Macheteros hijacked a Wells Fargo truck in Connecticut in September 1983 and stole $7.2 million. Illich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal and responsible for numerous terrorist acts in Europe in the 1960s and '70s trained in Cuba. Black Panther leaders in the 1960s received weapons training in Havana. Does any of that have anything to do with the influence of Cuban Americans? Were exiles responsible for the expulsion of Castro's diplomats from Paris and London who were linked to Carlos the Jackal? Do exiles explain why Castro supported Puerto Rico's Macheteros, charged with terrorist acts there and on the mainland? Were exiles responsible for his training of the Faribundo Marti Front, El Salvador's terrorist group, or for Uruguay's Tupamaros, known for targeting Americans? One day the archives of Cuba's intelligence service will be opened just like the KGB's and East Germany's Stasi's. Then details will be known, as well as the names and activities of Castro's ``agents of influence'' in the United States. But if history is any indication, they will say they fell for the romance of the revolution, that they could not have imagined such a regime and such a tyrant. They will go on with their lives, just like the old Stalinists who saw no difference between Stalin's Russia and Great Britain and who claimed, while it mattered, that Stalin's terror was simply an invention of the Russian exiles in Paris.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 289 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I wish to thank all my colleagues who have spoken today and in the Committee on Rules, where we met at 7:00 this morning and had a hearing and a vote on this very important legislation before bringing it to the floor. We are dealing, with regard to the Andean region, with four democracies. I am a strong believer and always have been in free trade among free peoples. There are four democracies in this hemisphere, allies of the United States, facing tremendous challenges, not the least of which is narcotrafficking. The strongest signal we could send to them, that we appreciate their friendship, and that we look forward to working with them to mutually seek progress and prosperity in the United States and in our neighborhood in this hemisphere, is by passing this legislation today. With regard to the argument that there have been problems with labor leaders in Colombia, the same person that came to advocate for that today before the Committee on Rules to prevent free trade with Colombia, advocates for free trade, for example, with the only dictatorship in this hemisphere today where there are no labor rights. How can you be for free trade with the Cuban dictatorship, where there are absolutely no labor rights, and then come and advocate for the denial of free trade or a trade relationship with a democracy because there are some problems? So, anyway, this is important legislation, and I want to thank those who have worked so hard on it. It expires, the agreement with the Andean countries, December 4, so in talking about timeliness, it is so important, Mr. Speaker, that we pass this before we leave today or tomorrow for a few days, before we come back. And so I would urge my colleagues to support the underlying legislation and to support this rule.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), for a colloquy with the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder). (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 289 is a closed rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3009, the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate, evenly divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means and one motion to recommit with or without instructions. The Committee on Rules provided the opportunity for the minority, Mr. Speaker, to offer a substitute. However, they declined the opportunity. This is a fair rule, Mr. Speaker, that will allow consideration of this very important issue. The underlying legislation promotes and strengthens the U.S.-Andean trade relationship which will increase economic growth in the United States. This legislation will also work to bolster anti-corruption programs in South America. As originally passed by Congress in 1991, the Andean Trade Preference Act sought to provide assistance to countries that have been troubled in the recent past in the form of tariff-free American goods, while simultaneously opening American markets to certain exports from these Nations. The effect of offering strategic economic advantages to these countries was to help eliminate financial dependence on narco- trafficking in the Andean region. Due to ATPA, the U.S. and the Andean nations have enjoyed an $18 billion beneficial trade relationship for the past 10 years, but all of this is set to expire on December 4 if we do not act to extend the best elements of ATPA and continue the support of our allies in the Andean region. The extension of ATPA is not merely a matter of economic or trade policy but is, in fact, a decision with consequences for U.S. foreign and national policy in the western hemisphere. Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador are nations that are good solid allies in the United States. They have repeatedly indicated over the past decade that they wish to be strong members of a free and democratic hemisphere, a hemisphere hopefully one day free of terrorism as well as free of tyranny. Continuing ATPA will help the Andean nations fight poverty, terrorism and drug production as well as further promote democracy and human rights. ATPA promotes job creation in a region where the alternative for many workers is easily a life devoted to drug production. ATPA provides these individuals an alternative and protects the rights of Andean workers. It also helps the economy in the United States and helps American workers. The bill contains the same worker protections contained in the Trade Development Act of 2000. Promoting development in the region, in the western hemisphere, is crucial to a U.S. foreign policy that seeks to support countries fighting against terrorism and drug trafficking. I urge my colleagues to consider the benefits of extending ATPA, not only to our South American neighbors but also to American consumers who enjoy a wide variety of product choice without artificial constraints and restrictions. Extending and improving ATPA is a decisive step toward improved relations with the western hemisphere. This legislation will foster the expression of mutually supportive and beneficial relationships between the United States and our neighbors in this hemisphere. This legislation will help in the effort to strengthen our economy and add to the stabilization of the Andean region. There have been numerous challenges to democracy in the Andean region in the past decade. Many of them have been overcome, but it is still an area that is very delicate; and we must help it, especially since all of the countries in the Andean region are solid allies in the United States. I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) and all of those who have worked very diligently on this important piece of legislation. This is a fair rule, providing for the consideration of very important legislation, Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, has the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) yielded back her time?

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the distinguished chairman on the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. (Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before yielding to my distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick), I would simply point out that this legislation passed out of the Committee on Ways and Means on a voice vote. It has the cosponsorship of many people on both sides of the aisle, including the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the ranking member, who was an original cosponsor. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, on December 8, 2001, Commander Carlos Del Toro will take command of the USS Bulkeley, the newest Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer. The USS Bulkeley is named in honor of Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley. Vice Admiral Bulkeley was a true hero, serving our nation through 55 years of active duty. From his role in the landing at Normandy to his role as Commander of the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo, he served our country with loyalty and honor. It is only appropriate that the commander of the USS Bulkeley embody the same exceptional characteristics of the ship's namesake. Commander Carlos Del Toro immigrated to the United States in 1962 from Cuba. He left a land sadly beset by oppression and dictatorship, and has devoted his life to defending liberty and democracy. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1983, Commander Del Toro began his honorable military career serving aboard the USS Koelsch, later serving on the USS Preble, and the USS America. While serving as the Assistant engineer on the USS America aircraft carrier, he was deployed to the Persian Gulf twice in support of Operation Desert Storm. Commander Del Toro has received a Masters Degree in Space Systems Engineering and Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, and served as Space Systems Program Manager at the Pentagon. He was responsible for managing a satellite ground station in support of our nation's national security. Following his work at the Pentagon, Commander Del Toro received a Master's Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Navy War College, and served as Executive Officer of the USS Vincennes, a guided missile cruiser homeported in Japan. Commander Carlos Del Toro has spent his Naval career preparing for his next assignment leading the USS Bulkeley. He honors the United States Navy, and he honors the United States of America. As a fellow Cuban-American, Mr. Speaker, it is a special privilege for me today to congratulate Commander Del Toro for his multiple career successes and to wish him and the crew of the USS Bulkeley Godspeed as they set to sea to defend America.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to reject the Democrat leadership bill, among other reasons because it discriminates against American citizens who are naturalized if they have not been citizens of the United States for 5 years. It creates a category of second-class American citizens, and we should not be creating second- class citizens in this body. We should reject that bill. They try to do it surreptitiously. They try to hide their discrimination, but it is discrimination nonetheless. If we go to page 29 of their bill, they do not call it citizen. They say one has to be a national of the United States. Then they go to a section of the law, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22), for at least 5 years. Let us go to that law. A person has to either be a citizen of the United States, or they have to be a person who, though not a citizen, owes permanent allegiance. What does that mean? I quote from the case that defined that statute: ``Status as a national of the United States owing permanent allegiance can be created only by legislative or other action of the Federal Government that is not acquired by mere assertion of allegiance.'' So citizenship for 5 years, surreptitiously brought before this House, is what that law does, and they want us to create a second class citizenship tier in this country. Do not discriminate against citizens by nationalization. Reject the Democrat leadership bill and let us get on and vote for a decent piece of legislation this evening.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, by direction on the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 264 and ask for its immediate consideration.