Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 426. This important resolution expresses the solidarity of the Congress with the sate and people of Israel at this time of crisis. As a cosponsor of the resolution, I urge its passage by the House. Only a few short months ago at Camp David, the Israeli Government demonstrated the willingness to make sweeping concessions. The world would not have dreamed of how far Israel was willing to go. Not 10 years ago, 1 year ago, or even 6 months ago. It was the Palestinian leadership that rejected compromise and showed that it was not interested in peace. Not only did they reject Barak's offer, but they did not even counter-offer in response. The violent Palestinian riots we are witnessing result directly from the fact that Yasir Arafat did not prepare his people for peace. As Barak was restraining the expectations--preparing the Israeli people for compromise--Arafat was pumping up the Palestinian demands-- preparing them for conflict. We must today say that Arafat is not a partner for peace. Although Israel has today taken a time out from the peace process, it remains as willing as ever to make peace with its neighbors. However, Israel must have a real partner. One that does not engage in incitement to violence; one that does not look the other way when their people are destroying ancient shrines, such as Joseph's tomb in Nablus; one that does not allow their people to beat innocent Israelis to death, as happened recently in Ramallah; and one that does everything in its power to set the conditions for peace. The underlying basis of negotiations was the recognition of the PLO by Israel in exchange for the renunciation of violence by the PLO and Chairman Arafat. In his September 9, 1993 letter to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Chairman Arafat ``renounced the use of terrorism and other acts of violence'' and pledged to ``prevent violence and discipline violators.'' Unless the Palestinian leader calls on his people to halt their fanatical, hostile public violence and directs his security services to maintain order--as he promised--the Palestinians will be in violation of not only the text of the peace agreements, but the basic understanding which underlay the process. Furthermore, as the Palestinian rock and molotov cocktail throwers, and gun-men continue to rage, Israel will be within its rights as a sovereign nation to take whatever actions it needs to protect its people and frontiers. Now, there is a moral imperative to stand our ground. Israel is not only our closest friend and ally in the Middle East, they are in the right. Israel has demonstrated its willingness to make peace and is now under attack by thousands of violent rioters. It is time for Congress to express its solidarity with the people of Israel and, stand with them in the days to come. The resolution on the floor of the House today does just that. Furthermore, we must condemn the Palestinian leadership for its cowardly encouragement of mass riots and for doing so little to halt the hysterical rampagers. We must also demand that Arafat and his lieutenants use their security services to restrain unnecessary acts of violence, show respect for all holy sites, and settle grievances only through negotiations. In the days to come, I expect new challenges to U.S. policy. In particular, we must be prepared to firmly and without hesitation reject a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood. Such a question can only be settled at the peace table. We must pass the bill which would deny any assistance to the Palestinians if they unilaterally declare statehood. We must also consider other actions, including, once again, putting the PLO on the list of groups responsible for acts of terrorism. For the Palestinians to engage in violent riots today after they rejected what all reasonable observers thought was a far-reaching and statesman- like offer from Prime Minister Barak, is only leading the world to see that Yassir Arafat and his PLO cohorts prefer conflict to negotiation, and taking land through violence and coercion rather than agreeing on exchanges at the bargaining table. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the chairman and ranking minority member of the House International Relations Committee who wrote this excellent resolution. I urge my colleagues to give it their strong support.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Hyde, and the Ranking Member, Mr. Conyers, for their efforts in bringing HR 2442 to the floor again today. With the recent passage of the Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act in the Senate, I look forward to sending this bill to the President. I have worked on this legislation with may colleague from New York, Mr. Lazio, and I am proud to be here today to express my support for its passage. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States entered World War II. What has been overlooked since that day is the fact that many Italian Americans suddenly became ``enemy aliens''. Loyal Italian American patriots who had fought alongside the United States Armed Forces in World War I, mothers and fathers of U.S. troops, even women and children were suspected of being dangerous and subversive. With this new enemy alien status, Italians were subjected to strict curfew regulations, forced to carry photo ID's and could not travel further than a 5 mile radius from their homes without prior approval. Furthermore, many Italian fishermen were forbidden from using their boats in prohibited zones. Since fishing was the only means of income for many families, households were torn apart or completely relocated as alternative sources of income were sought. It is difficult to believe that over 10,000 Italians deemed enemy aliens were forcibly evacuated from their homes and over 52,000 were subject to strict curfew regulations. Ironically, over 500,000 Italians were serving in the United States Armed Forces fighting to protect the liberties of all Americans, while many of their family members had their basic freedoms revoked. Whe we first started working on this legislation we had vague accounts of mostly anonymous Italians who were subjected to these civil liberties abuses. However, throughout this process we have come in contact with many Italians who experienced the internment ordeal first hand. Dominic DiMaggio testified at a Judiciary Committee hearing about his dismay when he returned from the war to find that his mother and father were enemy aliens. Doris Pinza, wife of international opera star Ezio Pinza, also testified at the hearing about her husband who was only weeks away from obtaining U.S. citizenship when he was classified as an enemy alien and detained at Ellis Island. It still saddens me to think that Ellis Island, the world renowned symbol of freedom and democracy, was used as a holding cell for Italians. There is even documented evidence of Italians being interned in camps at Missoula, Montana. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that these terrible events will never be perpetrated again. We must safeguard the individual rights of all Americans from arbitrary persecution or no American will ever be secure. The least our government can do is try to right these terrible wrongs by acknowledging that these events did occur. While we cannot erase the mistakes of the past, we must try to learn from them in order to ensure that we never subject anyone to the same injustices. The Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act calls for the Department of Justice to publish a report detailing the unjust policies of the government during this time period. Essential to the report will be a study examining ways to safeguard individual rights during national emergencies. Mr. Speaker, we owe it to the Italian American community, especially those who endured these abuses, to recognize the injustices of the past. Documentation and education about the suffering of all groups of Americans who face persecution is important in order to ensure that no group's civil liberties are ever violated again. I am pleased to support this legislation and urge its swift passage.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on one of the bills that everyone else seems to be commenting on, that is H.R. 4541, the Commodities Futures Modernization Act. I support the bill. The legislation reauthorizes the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, streamlines regulation of the futures markets and provides legal certainty to over-the-counter derivatives. As we know, the President's Working Group on Financial Markets has testified that securing legal certainty for financial derivatives is imperative to reducing risk within America's financial system. This legislation, while a compromise on many points, is not only an important step toward achieving the legal certainty our financial markets need but it will foster continued American innovation in the increasingly important realm of derivative financial products. Moreover, it will help prevent the flight of our domestic financial derivatives business abroad. This makes H.R. 4541 particularly important to my State, Mr. Speaker, New York, where much of our Nation's financial trading takes place. The legislation has broad-based backing. It is supported by the Department of the Treasury, the SEC, the CFTC, as well as the major financial institutions. I would, however, like to raise one note of concern, Mr. Speaker. The process through which H.R. 4541 was developed was not completely fair or open. At times Democrats were not sufficiently included in the negotiations, and the ranking member on the Committee on Commerce, on which I serve, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), has expressed concerns which I share about the process, the fact that the Committee on Commerce was not sufficiently involved in the process, and that is wrong and things were put into this bill at the last minute just the other day, and there really has been no time to discuss it or deliberate on it; and I think that is wrong as well. I would hope that some of these issues can be resolved when the bill finally comes back. While the process was not satisfactory, overall the final bill moves forward and is worthy of passage by the House. Once again, I express my support for the Commodity Futures Modernization Act and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the news in the Middle East today is unfortunately not very good news. The attack on the U.S.S. Cole reminds us as Americans once again how terrorism can rear its ugly head at any time at any place. The events during the past several days in the Middle East and in Israel and the West Bank show us again that terrorism and violence is just right around the corner. Only a few months ago, Mr. Speaker, the Israeli government demonstrated the willingness to make sweeping concessions at Camp David. Unfortunately, Mr. Arafat rejected it. When we talk about the peace process and we talk about partners for peace, we have to understand that it takes two to tango. We cannot have peace if only one side is making concessions and the other side continues to hang on to its strident demands. In fact, during the entire process at Camp David, which lasted many, many days, Mr. Barak, the prime minister of Israel, made concessions that no one would have dreamed that any Israeli government or prime minister could have made even a year ago, 6 months ago. He made those concessions; but Mr. Arafat, particularly with Jerusalem but other things as well, stuck to his hard demands. The Palestinian leadership rejected compromise. They showed that they are only interested in peace on their terms. Again, a peace can only be achieved if both parties are willing to negotiate and both parties are willing to compromise. The violent Palestinian riots we are witnessing today and for the past several days, in my opinion, result directly from the fact that Yasir Arafat did not prepare his people for peace. In fact, Arafat tries to skillfully use the pale of terrorism as a negotiating tool, playing the classic good guy-bad guy routine. As Mr. Barak was restraining the expectations of his people, preparing the Israeli people for compromise, Arafat was pumping up the Palestinian demands and preparing them for conflict. If one does not prepare one's people by telling them that they will have to compromise to get a peace, then expectations are raised and a compromise is not able to be gotten. So today, unfortunately, we must say that Yasir Arafat has not been and is not a partner for peace. Mr. Speaker, I just watched Prime Minister Barak speak live on CNN. Once again, he declared his willingness to make peace, but he rightfully said that his nation, Israel, will do everything in its power to protect its people. Israel needs a partner for peace, a partner that does not engage and incite into violence; one that does not look the other way when there are people that are destroying ancient religious shrines in Nablus; one that does not allow their people to beat innocent Israelis to death, as happened this morning in Ramallah; and one that does everything in its power to set the conditions for peace. The underlying basis for negotiations was the recognition of the PLO by Israel in exchange for the renunciation of violence by the PLO and Chairman Arafat. In his September 9, 1993 letter for the late Prime Minister Rabin, Chairman Arafat ``renounced the use of terrorism and other acts of violence'' and pledged to ``prevent violence and discipline violators.'' Unfortunately, 7 years later, this has not happened. Unless the Palestinian leader calls on his people to halt their fanatical, hostile public violence and directs the security services to maintain order, as he promised, the Palestinians will be in violation of, not only the text of the peace agreements, but the basic understanding which underlay the process. Furthermore, as the Palestinian rock and molotov cocktail throwers and gunmen continue to rage, Israel will be within its rights as a sovereign nation to take whatever actions it needs to protect its people and frontiers. Now, there is a moral imperative to stand our ground. Israel is not only our closest friend and ally in the Middle East, they are in the right. Israel has demonstrated its willingness to make peace and is now under attack by thousands of violent rioters. It is time for Congress to express its solidarity with the people of Israel and stand with them at this crucial time. We must condemn the Palestinian leadership for its cowardly encouragement of mass riots and for doing so little to halt the hysterical rampagers. We must demand that Arafat and his lieutenants use their security services to restrain unnecessary acts of violence, show respect for our holy sites, and settle grievances only through negotiations. In the days to come, I expect new challenges to our U.S. policy; and I suspect we will arise to the occasion.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from American Samoa for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.Res. 451. I am an original cosponsor. I commend the chairman of our Committee on International Relations for sponsoring this resolution and for the work that he has done on Kosovo and on so many other wonderful things in the House Committee on International Relations, and I am honored to cosponsor this resolution with him. This calls for lasting peace, justice, and stability in Kosovo. And it is something that is still illusive even after the successful American intervention there where we prevented lives from being lost, we prevented ethnic cleansing and genocide. I am very, very proud of the role that this country and this Congress have played in saving the Kosovar people, the people of Kosovo. I rise in strong support of this resolution because although the international community talks a good game, the European Union has not met its pledges even though it has contributed the majority of the funding for Kosovo reconstruction. This resolution calls upon the EEU to do so. As the resolution states, police, sanitation, telecommunications, electricity and water supply have not been adequately put forth for the people of Kosovo. It is too long. It must end. This resolution also calls, as the chairman pointed out, for the immediate return of all Kosovar prisoners still being held in Serbia. There are still hundreds of Kosovars in Serb jails, perhaps thousands, including Flora Brovina and Albin Kurti. They should be freed immediately and returned to their families in Kosovo. It is an outrage that when the Serbs were retreating from Kosovo they captured Kosovar Albanians and imprisoned them, dragged them to Belgrade, dragged them into Serbia, and imprisoned them where they remain today. These people should be freed immediately. This resolution also gives Congress an opportunity to discuss broader issues. I and all Americans congratulate the Serbian people for the birth of democracy in their land and for finally running their murderous leader, Milosevic, out of office. Yet, while the United States is certainly pleased of the changes in Serbia, there are significant issues which we must consider. The most important is the question of sanctions. We must be open to the new Democratically elected government in Serbia. President Kostunica needs the opportunity to succeed. Lifting some sanctions should be on the table, but lifting all should not. I agree with the actions of the Clinton administration maintaining visa restrictions against Milosevic and his lieutenants, but I am also concerned about lowering the outer wall of sanctions. Those must remain on Serbia. We have withheld international financial institution assistance because Belgrade was opposing the work of the International War Crimes Tribunal and denying Kosovars the right to self-determination. For the outer wall to crumble while President Kostunica rejects the tribunal, and he is rejecting it still, and Serbia is still acting as though nothing happened in Kosovo, is unwise. The new government in Belgrade must recognize the new reality in Kosovo. After the thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of wounded, it remains extremely difficult to ever imagine Kosovo again as part of Serbia. Kosovo deserves the opportunity to be dependent and the outer wall of sanctions against Serbia should remain in place until Serbia is prepared to be part of a solution, not the problem, in Kosovo. Independence for Kosovo is something that is right. And as the chairman pointed out, elections are being held later on this month and it will be the first opportunity for Kosovars to participate in democracy. And I would urge all of them do so. And that ought to be the first step in a free and independent and democratic Kosovo. There are still, however, many problems. Mitrovice is a divided city. The Serbs have occupied the mines and have not allowed the Albanian Kosovars to be able to establish any kind of economic viability because of the occupation of these mines. Those mines are part of Kosovo and should not be occupied by the Serbs. Mitrovice should not be a divided city. Albanians there are being prevented from returning to their homes. That must not stand. Finally, Belgrade must finally recognize the independence of Bosnia. Until Belgrade gives up on controlling lands on both sides of the Drina River and establishes permanent diplomatic relations with Bosnia, the Yugoslav state succession question will still fester. And by the way, while we are saying that the Kosovars have the right to self-determination and independence, and they must have that right, I believe the Montenegrins have as well. Yugoslavia is a fallacy. Serbia continues to keep the Montenegrins as part of so-called Yugoslavia and continues the fallacy that Kosovo is part of Yugoslavia. The Kosovar Albanians and the Montenegrins should have the right to self-determination and should have the right to establish their own democratic nations if they so desire. Therefore, while I rise in favor of this important resolution, I urge my colleagues to keep in mind the bigger picture in the form Yugoslavia. I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 451.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for leading, and he has clearly been a leader on this issue and as we saw before on the Ireland issue. Mr. Speaker, it seems that we have been here before. Just last year, I was the lead Democratic sponsor of a resolution opposing the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and warning that such a unilateral action would provoke a stern response from this Congress. This measure passed overwhelmingly in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate. Since then, President Clinton has worked as no President has since Jimmy Carter to achieve an agreement in the Middle East. After months of serious negotiations in which Israel demonstrated a willingness to compromise on all issues, even those of the utmost importance, an agreement remained out of reach. Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian negotiators were ultimately unwilling to make the compromises needed to reach a peace accord. Instead, they threatened the world with the possibility of unilaterally declaring themselves a sovereign state. This type of rhetoric not only falls outside of the bilateral framework for bridging the gap separating the Israelis and Palestinians, it also represents a dangerous escalation. If this should happen, Israel will likely respond in kind through unilateral actions of its own, including territorial annexation in the West Bank or around Jerusalem. Yasser Arafat recently took a tour of several European and Arab nations and asked for support of his nonnegotiating declaration of Palestinian statehood. Everywhere he went, Mr. Arafat received a polite ``No, thank you. Please return to the bargaining table.'' Today Congress will emphasize that message with passage of this important bill. Arafat must know that, if the Palestinians unilaterally declare themselves a state, the United States will provide them no assistance whatsoever. The Palestinian leadership must understand that their goals can only be achieved in the context of direct negotiations with Israel and that such threats not only undermine the peace process but also put at risk its future relationship with the United States. I, therefore, strongly support H.R. 5272 and commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for his hard work on the legislation.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the bill as a member of the Committee on Commerce. I am outraged that we were not able to have any kind of hearings. Mr. Speaker, I am disturbed that we are here today to vote on H.R. 5175, the Small Business Liability Relief Act. I serve on the Commerce Committee and the relevant subcommittee and I have not seen this bill in a mark-up as of yet. We all want liability relief for small businesses. No one wants to burden small business with the tumultuous process of determining responsible parties of a hazardous waste site. The bill before us addresses some real concerns but we have not had the time to deliberate some of the more contentious issues. The bill provides blanket immunity for businesses under 100 employees. These are hardly small businesses and in some cases these companies could be the main polluter. In fact, the ambiguous language creates loopholes that would effectually exempt large businesses from paying their share for polluting a particular site. It puts the burden back on taxpayers to cover cleanup costs. The EPA, opposes the bill, the New York Attorney General opposes the bill, and I oppose the bill and urge my colleagues to vote no on H.R. 5175.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), my friend, for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I want to echo the words of all the eloquent colleagues who have spoke before me on both sides of the aisle. The gentleman from New York (Mr. King) has it exactly right, the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998 was a compromise, and that compromise established a framework for the peaceful settlement for the conflict in the North of Ireland. Once you start to unravel a compromise, then everybody wants to change it, and that is why it is important that we stick to that compromise and not let one side try to blackmail everybody else into getting their way. I rise in support of H.Res. 547. This vital accord which was negotiated by former Senator George Mitchell provided for the establishment of an independent commission to make recommendations on how to fix the problems and abuses that have plagued policing in the North of Ireland. The commission lead by Sir Christopher Patten concluded its work on September 9, 1999, and proposed 175 recommendations in its final report. In May of this year, the British Government published a bill which purports to implement the Patten report. Unfortunately, the draft bill certainly does not live up to the letter or spirit of the Patten report and dilutes many key recommendations of the Patten Commission. The problems of the North of Ireland will never be resolved until the egregious human rights violations caused by the Royal Ulster Constabulary are permanently ended and the unit replaced by a police service truly representational of the population of the region; and as the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) pointed out, the population right now is 5,446. This important resolution that rightly calls for full and speedy implementation of the Patten Commission report is a way to correct the years of police abuses and gain the support of both nationalists and unionists for peace in the North of Ireland. I urge passage of H.Res. 547. I hope it is unanimous, and all of us in this Congress that have worked so long for peace and justice in the North of Ireland, while it is within our grasp, we cannot let those who want to destroy the agreement to get their own ways and succeed. Mr. Speaker, if peace is to come, then we must take the ball, we must run with it and support H.Res. 547.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I want to announce that I have introduced H.R. 5032, which is the Caribbean Amnesty and Relief Act. The act originally applied to people from the English-speaking Caribbean nations, but we have now expanded it to apply to people from all nations in the Caribbean. Because of the close proximity of the Caribbean to the United States, there really is indeed a special relationship between our country and the Caribbean. And we have many, many people who have come to our shores and who want to come to our shores who immigrate to this country for the same reasons that my grandparents immigrated at the turn of the last century many, many years ago, wanting a better life for themselves and wanting a better life for their families; and, in doing so, they create a better life for all Americans. Let us look at the kind of American who immigrates to this country. It is not a lazy person. It is not someone who wants something for nothing. It is an industrious person, someone who leaves behind the old country, family, friends, culture, and comes to this country. It is a special person. Indeed we are by and large a nation of immigrants, and the reason why our country has grown and flourished and prospered is because of the industriousness of our immigrants. And so, I believe that immigration is a good thing for this country. Some may disagree. I think they are wrong. I think immigration is good for this country and it is certainly the right thing to do in terms of helping industrious people become new Americans. We have a problem, however. It is a problem in my district. It is a problem in other districts in that we have families who are stuck. Some of the families are stuck in the old country. Some of the families are in this country. What my bill, H.R. 5032, attempts to do is to have family reunification as its core. Mothers and fathers and sons and daughters and sisters and brothers ought to be able to live together. I can tell my colleagues that in my district I have heard horror stories where families are stuck in the Caribbean, some are in this country, and it is impossible to get them over here. Now, some may use the term ``illegal.'' And we have to have a cohesive policy with immigration. But I use the term ``undocumented'' because sometimes the difference between people who are undocumented and documented in this country is very capricious and arbitrary. And I can tell my colleagues stories of suffering of families again who only want the best. So my bill would help families. What my bill would do is it would be an adjustment to permanent resident alien status, in other words, allow people to get green cards if they have been in this country since 1996 and ultimately, after a certain amount of years, allow them to become citizens of this country. It would also allow them to have work authorization while their application is pending and would also create a visa fairness commission to collect data on economic and racial profiling. Because, again, I have heard many, many horror stories of arbitrary decisions involving immigration. So, Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill. I think that this bill ought to be a crusade, and it will be a crusade of mine. I think people of all goodwill want to do what is best for this country and what is best for people. We are not talking about names that have no significance. We are talking about people's lives. And this affects people's lives. There is no reason again why if people want to come to this country why we should not have a cohesive policy of immigration in this country, one that would help families and not divide them. So, again, the people of the Caribbean Basin have always been loyal friends of the United States. At the height of the Cold War, the United States looked to the Caribbean nations. And, as a result, a lot of the Caribbean countries have suffered political upheaval. So let us talk about family reunification. Let us talk about doing what is right. Let us talk about a cohesive immigration policy that does not penalize people. Let us upgrade the very special relationship that this country ought to have with the nations of the Caribbean. But most importantly, let us have family reunification. Let us do what is right for those families. And let us do what is right for America.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman Gilman) for yielding to me, and I certainly strongly support his statement. Mr. Chairman, I believe it is imperative that we oppose this amendment. I believe that this amendment really would wreak havoc in the region. The State Department, the administration, all people who have dealt with this situation in Kosovo oppose this. The Kosovo Protection Corps plays a critical role in Kosovo in many ways. After the Kosovo Liberation Army formerly gave up its weapons, the KPC was created as an organization which absorbed former KLA members into a demilitarized structure. The State Department has described the KPC as the most important element of a broad program to provide employment for KLA veterans. The KPC also carries out critical civilian works projects. NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson has praised the KPC for its work throughout Kosovo, which has included repairing roads, bridges, and other reconstruction projects. Let me read his quote. He says, ``I will continue to support the KPC, to demand from the international community the resources that will allow it to do this valuable civil job to support General Ceku in the role he has of being an influential spokesman for peace and reconciliation.'' This is the NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson. The Kucinich amendment is based on a supposed unreleased internal United Nations report of February 29, 2000, which allegedly makes a variety of accusations against the KPC. When my staff requested a copy of this report, none was available because it was never released. We believe that it is difficult to respond anyway to this report, not only because Members cannot review it for themselves, but because the first KPC members were inaugurated only 1 month before the report was supposedly written. On April 22 of this year, 114 KPC officers and personnel joined 230 local workers and youth groups in cleaning up disease-infested garbage mounds throughout Pristina, the capital. In another instance, the KPC intervened on February 4 when French and NATO peacekeepers were not able to disperse an angry crowd. According to Reuters, ``The situation finally calmed down with the arrival of the KPC.'' Let me read one other quote, and this is a quote from General Klaus Reinhardt, commander of Allied Forces in Kosovo, KFOR. He says, ``It is my firm belief that the formation of the KPC is an essential step to restoring normalcy to this region.'' So this is an irresponsible amendment. It should be resoundingly defeated.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, of the many things I've put into the Congressional Record, this one gives me the most pleasure. Today, on June 29, 2000, my mother is celebrating her 80th birthday. My mother, Sylvia Engel, or SeRoy as everyone calls her, has always been the proverbial ``live wire.'' When I was a little boy, she would take me to see her roller skate in the roller derby practices. She also is an accomplished actress, and would perform on stage in community and off-Broadway shows. I always say that my ability to speak in front of groups stems from watching my mother do the same, since I was a little boy. She was always very outgoing and to this day goes bowling every week, and until just a few years ago directed the singing and dancing shows at her condominium in Florida. My mother has always been a very kind person, loving and caring to her family, one, who along with my father always taught me right from wrong, and stressed education as the key to elevating oneself in helping to gain a better future. My mother and my father, Phil, had the benefit of 47 wonderful years of marriage together, where they worked hard and struggled to provide a good life for me and my sister, Dori. Today, my mother is grandmother to 11 children. Pat and I have given my mother 3 grandchildren: Julia, Jonathan and Philip, and Dori and Jordan have given my mother 8: David, Rachel, Yosef, Yacov, Naomi, Malky, Esty, and Ricky. My mother was born in New York City as the second child of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Yudis or Julia and Joe, who came to this country, like so many others, for a better life. Her mother, my grandmother, Julia, lived with us when I was growing up and raised my mother and her sister Bea and brother Irving, because she was widowed at an early age. My mother, who they tell me was a ``tomboy'' growing up, learned to be self-reliant and resilient at an early age, traits which she still manifests today. Mr. Speaker, I want to tell my mother how very much I love her and what a tremendous inspiration she is to me today and has been so my whole life. I hesitated entering this into the Congressional Record and giving her a surprise party, because she doesn't look her age, and doesn't want too many people to know. But having achieved this milestone is something of which to be proud, especially after two heart surgeries and a lifetime of giving herself to family, friends, and everyone with whom she's come into contact. With my mother, one can certainly say she may be one year older than last year, but she'll never be old. Congratulations, and Mazel Tov, mom. May you have many, many more years of life's pleasures, and may you continue to brighten the lives of all those you touch.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, in demonstration of my support for family owned businesses and farms, and because estate taxes are, in general, too high and burdensome, I cosponsored H.R. 8. I am glad that my action helped to shed light upon this issue. However, H.R. 8 was never a perfect bill. While rightfully focusing on the need to help reform the estate tax, the bill goes too far. I am concerned that although the bill does help small businesses and family farms, the majority of people who benefit if H.R. 8 passes are not average Americans, but the most wealthy. Furthermore, the bill would result in a substantial revenue loss over the next 10 years. This week, I have reviewed the amendment to H.R. 8 which will be offered by our colleagues, Representatives Rangel, Cardin, and Stenholm. This Democratic alternative specifically addresses the issue of providing relief to our farmers and families, which is the most important aspect of estate tax reform. I will, therefore, be very pleased to support the Democratic substitute as it addresses the very reason I cosponsored H.R. 8. It is my hope that this amendment will pass so that I can vote for H.R. 8, as amended. However, given that the Democratic substitute is markedly superior to the underlying bill, I will vote against H.R. 8 if the Democratic substitute fails.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I warmly congratulate Seymour Naidich who is celebrating his eighty-first birthday. This is a double commemoration for a wonderful man who recently celebrated his Golden Wedding anniversary of a half century of love, warmth and affection with his wife, Blanche. Seymour and Blanche have two daughters, Donna and Michelle who are joining with the extended family, of which I am happily a member, to wish Seymour the happiest of birthdays as he enters his ninth decade. Seymour and Blanche met in 1947 after he returned from serving in World War II in the African and Asian theaters. It is emblematic of the closeness of Seymour and his friends that he met Blanche through a friend who had dated her. They spent the day at the friend's house and on the way home he impulsively asked if they could meet again the following day. The rest is a story for everyone who believes in love. Seymour's celebration of his eightieth birthday was deferred for a year because of illness. But now he is well and we all look forward to celebrating this wondrous event with the promise of more golden years to come.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, public service, when performed wisely and well, is the most noble of callings. Today I honor a man who has been in public service and who performed in just those ways. Edward Weiss is retiring from the United States Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, after 30 years of service. In his many capacities with the Department, Ed has received outstanding performance ratings from every United States Attorney General under whom he has served since 1981. He is well known for his ability to prepare and litigate cases. He also coordinated the Criminal Alien Program for the New Jersey District. Ed received his BA degree from Syracuse University and graduated from Brooklyn Law School. He and his wife Susan have two daughters; Robyn, in a pre-doctorate program in Religion at Hebrew University, and Karen, studying law at George Washington University. Ed is retiring to follow his other passions, hiking and traveling. He is a dedicated professional of who we can all be proud. I join his many friends in wishing him and his family many happy years in his retirement.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today we have something to sing about: The Parkchester Chorus is celebrating its 60th Anniversary. This wonderful group performed its first spring concert in 1940. It was founded by residents of the Parkchester housing complex and is the oldest choral group in the Bronx. Over the years the group has expanded from out of the Parkchester community and now draws its members from as far as New Jersey and Connecticut. But it still reflects its roots in the Bronx as a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, nonsectarian choral group. The Parkchester Chorus is a vital part of the cultural life of the Bronx. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Chorus and its members for their valuable contributions to our lives and their gift of music to our parents, to us and to future generations. I offer them three musical cheers.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the year 2000 is significant for many reasons, not least of which is it being the 33rd anniversary of the Rev. Doctor Willie Upshaw's ministry at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Yonkers, a church which has grown under his guidance and inspiration from 150 congregants to more than 2,500. This incredible expansion of his ministry is based on his motto: ``Its no secret what God can do.'' The high esteen and love given the Rev. Upshaw by his congregation is based on his devotion to his pastoral duties of visiting and praying with the sick and shut-ins, dedicating infants, bringing God to patients at nursing homes and to prisons, and helping those in the community who seek him out for his wisdom and counsel. Under his pastorate eight deacons have been ordained and seven ministers licensed, of who two have been ordained. Under Pastor Upshaw the Youth Church Ministry has been organized, drawing large numbers of young people to membership through the Rites of Passage and Vows of Purity programs, movements made easier by the Pastor's great love for all youth. Pastor Upshaw has also served in many other capacities: Executive Vice President of the Yonkers Council of Churches, President of the Ministerial Fellowship of Yonkers, member of the Central Hudson Baptist Association, and member of the Board of Directors of the Yonkers General Hospital among so many others. Rev. Upshaw has contributed an almost infinite amount of goodness and decency into the community. I am proud to stand here today to congratulate him on 33 years of his pastorate and to wish him, and all of us, many more years.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure today to introduce my good friend, my constituent, and my minister who gave the prayer this morning, Reverend Alpheus Townsend of the Unity Temple of Peace in my district in the Bronx, New York. Pastor Townsend is a wonderful American success story. He resides in my District with his wife Millicent and son William, and is truly a champion, living the American dream, as so many immigrants who have come to our shores and helped to make our country the great Nation that it is. Reverend Townsend was born in Jamaica and came to the United States in 1965 and worked at a number of jobs in New York, at Bankers Trust on Wall Street for 5 years as an operations specialist and at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. But he knew that the ministry was really his call. He attended Unity Ministerial School in Missouri and was ordained in 1981. He founded the Unity Temple of Peace in the Bronx, New York, in my district, in 1982 and continues to pastor there. Just recently, he was elected president of the Clergy Coalition of the 47th Precinct in the Northeast Bronx, which serves all five boroughs of New York City. It is a wonderful organization, assists many, many people, young, old, all types of people. He assisted in writing the bylaws and charter for the organization. He has provided college scholarships to high school students, and I have been pleased to work with him in this regard and to contribute to these scholarships because young people, as we know, of course, are our future. And Pastor Townsend has especially ministered to young people. He has worked with the council and the community and works with the police to enhance the quality of life in the community. Mr. Speaker, I am honored and privileged to not only call Pastor Townsend, my constituent, but am honored and privileged to call him my friend. We have worked very, very closely together. He honors me and all of us with his presence today. I thank the Speaker for allowing him to give the prayer this morning so that the entire House of Representatives and, indeed the entire country of the United States, can see what a wonderful pastor he is and how truly he is doing God's work and truly doing work for all of us. Again, it is people like the Reverend Townsend who have come here to this country as an immigrant, who have participated and have really helped to make this country the great country that it is. I thank the reverend.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, a concerned, giving and caring man is retiring from public office after many years of serving the people of his communities. Joe Williams is stepping down as President of the City Council of Warren, Ohio. He has already received many awards for his outstanding public service; including the Governor's Award and the Mayor's Award for outstanding civic contributions, the City Council Citation, Honorary Auditor by the State Auditor and Honorary Deputy. He was inducted into the Trumbull (County) African-American Achievers Hall of Fame and has also been honored by the Black Knights Police Association and Who's Who Among Black Americans. He holds the record for being elected to the City Council for 22 years and has been elected to the Trumbull County Central Committee of the Democratic Party for five terms. He was the first African American to represent the Seventh Ward and the first to become President of the Warren City Council. Joe was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama where he attended the Tukegee Institute, completing an Associate Degree in Electrical Design. In 1977 the City of Tuskegee proclaimed him Honorary Mayor. Joe has been an electrician for 34 years at General Motors. He is married to Marilyn Hainesworth Williams and they have two children. Joe Williams is an outstanding example of someone who dedicates his life to his family and his community. He is a public servant who could serve as a role model for all of us. I congratulate him on his many accomplishments and wish him the very best in the future.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, America has been very fortunate in that many of its finest citizens come from other lands, landing here to better their lives or sometimes only hoping to escape persecution. Joseph Pure is a man who did both. He was born in Bialystock, Poland 75 years ago. Like all European Jewry he came face to face with the Holocaust. He is more fortunate than the great majority because he survived. He came to America from a ravished Europe and in the course of his life here founded the very successful Woodworking Specialty Company and several other firms. But he did not forget his heritage and was extremely supportive of Jewish causes. He also became a mentor for a generation of young. His strong character, determination, industry and luck made him a success in America and made America a better country for his coming here. He is a shining example of how people can prosper under freedom, away from the evils of totalitarianism. Joseph Pure was married to the late Alice Pure and they had three children, Samuel, Ellen and Vivian, and a granddaughter, Nicole Negrin. I want to wish him a very happy 75th birthday. He has earned the best wishes of all of us.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about Elias Karmon, who is being honored tonight at a testimonial dinner celebrating his 90th year. To read what he has done is to wonder if anybody else did anything. He has generously given of his considerable talents to virtually every worthy cause and individual. In 1943 he successfully fought the extradition of a young African American to North Carolina. He has been named an honorary Puerto Rican, by the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, is a charter member and founder of the Bronx Urban League, and a life member of the Zionist Organization of America. He has been honored by, among too many others to mention, the Bronx Council of churches, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Bronx Boys and Girls Club, the American Red Cross, the Bronx YMCA, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (which he helped to found). He has organized fund raisers for many worthy organizations. He helped to found the South Bronx Board of Trade, aiding minority businesses in particular, and was four-time president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. If that wasn't enough, he is probably the only man to have a housing development, a gym and a swimming pool named after him. Elias Karmon's accomplishments would scare lesser people. Even in his 90th year, he is not slowing down, for which we all give thanks. I want to thank him for the many outstanding and wonderful things he has done for the Bronx and its people and wish him many more years.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, we all rely on hospitals for our well-being or more accurately, the people in our hospitals to help us through our individual crises. One of the people I want to praise today for his work is Gerald Squillante, Director of the School of Radiation Therapy at Montefiore Medical Center. He has brought diligence and compassion to his work and he is being honored for his 18 years of service at Montefiore Hospital to the people of the community. He graduated from the first class of the School of Radiation at Montefiore Medical Center's Radiation Oncology Department. For the 18 years he has served as Director he has dedicated his time and ability to assist the administrative, technical and medical staff whenever they have called on him. He has been a dedicated teacher who helped his students reach their goal of graduating from the School of Radiation Therapy Technology and to pass the National Registry Examination in order to obtain their licenses to treat. He has shown care and devotion to his family, his colleagues and his students, who are known with affection as ``Jerry's Kids''. I want to join with his family, friends, colleagues and students in wishing him the very best on his anniversary. The work he does certainly is a benefit to all of us.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, nearly three decades ago the rise in juvenile delinquency led to the creation of the Riverdale Community Center. It gave a growing number of teenagers, who were unsupervised after school because their parents worked, a place to go. Drug and alcohol abuse were escalating as was teen pregnancy. The dropout rate was also soaring. The Community Center was organized to provide a structure where, under adult supervision, teens could escape the dangerous crosscurrents of life in the streets. A free weekend recreation center was opened, then an after school program was added followed by a drug outreach program. Soon more than 1,400 teens a year participated in the after school program. In addition, the Center developed an Adult and Youth Education Center where, for modest fees, families could take classes. This program now serves upwards of 1,000 children, adults and seniors in a variety of courses. Today, more than 2,400 people a year enjoy the many programs at the Riverdale Community Center. The Center is a marvelous example of what a community can do when faced with adversity. Instead of wringing their hands, the parents of Riverdale mobilized. The Riverdale Community Center every year serves more people in more and better ways. I am proud to honor the Center on the occasion of its annual brunch. I congratulate the Center for all it has accomplished--and it has accomplished an awful lot.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida, my mother's congressman, for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 331, commending Israel's redeployment from southern Lebanon. Israel has fully complied with UN Resolution 425, removing its troops from Lebanon. Now I think it is fairly obvious that Syria ought to do the same. There are currently 35,000 Syrian troops in Lebanon, and clearly those troops stop the Lebanese people from being masters of their own destiny. Syria allows Hezbollah, has allowed Hezbollah to stage attacks on the Israeli soldiers who were in southern Lebanon. If Hezbollah attempts to go across the border and attack Israel proper, the blame will surely be and squarely be at Syria's doorstep. Indeed, when Israel announced that it was withdrawing from southern Lebanon, something that the United Nations and the Syrians and other Nations, the Arab Nations, have all said that they wanted for all these years, it was the Syrians who warned Israel and said they better not do that, they better not leave, which, to me, was simply mind boggling. When Israel said it will remove its troops from Lebanon, the Syrians were the ones who objected. So it clearly shows that Syria has been using Lebanon and the Lebanese people as bargaining chips and for whatever purposes, other purposes they have for many, many years. Syria should get out of Lebanon now and allow the Lebanese people to control their own destiny. I commend Prime Minister Barak and the Israeli government and the Israeli people for clearly showing that they want peace. What better way to show peace is at hand than to have Syria pull out as well? When President Clinton met with Mr. Asad in Europe not long ago trying to help broker a peace between Syria and Israel, it was painfully clear to all that Mr. Asad and the Syrian government was not really interested in a genuine peace. In order to have peace, there has to be give-and-take. There has to be compromise. Both sides need to give in. But Mr. Asad, unfortunately, wanted it to be only a one-sided peace. So the world really can look now at the Middle East and see which country is prepared to take risks for peace, which country is taking risks for peace, which country wanted to do it together, and not being allowed to do it together is now doing it unilaterally taking risks for peace. That country is Israel. Syria ought to do the same. We ought to pass this resolution unanimously.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, this vote defines what kind of a Nation we want to be. There is no doubt that business will make a lot of money if this bill passes; but are we only for the almighty dollar, or are we for morality and doing what is right? The almighty dollar or human rights? The almighty dollar or American jobs? The almighty dollar or environmental concerns? Why can we not continue our annual review of China instead of giving them a permanent blank check? It is the only leverage we have. Is it only the almighty dollar that counts? Shame on us if it is true. Vote ``no.''

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I am joining Montefiore Medical Center, a keystone of health care for the Bronx community, in honoring Veluppillai Sivapalasingam for his quarter century of conscientious and compassionate service to the citizens of the Bronx, especially those from the Norwood neighborhood. He joined Montefiore's Radiation Oncology Department 25 years ago and began a career of helping his professional, administrative and support staff, his students, and most especially, his patients. When he joined Montefiore he was the first Clinical Instructor for the School of Radiation Therapy Technology and in the ensuing 25 years he has taught all of the graduates as well as the current students the clinical skills required to use a Linear Accelerator for patients diagnosed with cancer. He has dedicated his time and talents to the technical and medical staff and has served as a tireless advocate for patients. His devotion to family, friends, colleagues and patients over his quarter century with Montefiore has earned him the honored sobriquet of a true gentleman. Mr. Sivapalasingam has given much to this community. I congratulate him for all of his good work and wish him many more years with us.