Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the Rotary Club of Riverdale is celebrating its tenth anniversary and in that relatively short time this fine group has reached around the world to help people. Rotary's motto is Service Above Self and its object is to encourage and foster the idea of service. The Riverdale Rotary Club is an exemplar of that motto and ideal. The Riverdale Rotary has made itself a part of the community by contributing to the community. We may say that its ideal is charity, the love of giving to others. Among its many activities are annual community awards, sponsoring the first annual Riverfest Music Festival, giving annual awards to area high schools, participating in the arthritis Foundation Mini-Grand Prix, contributions to the Rotary Foundation for Ambassadorial Scholarship for postgraduate study, contributions to the Riverdale Mental Health Association, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, the Bronx Municipal Hospital and Riverdale Neighborhood House. The generosity of club members reaches across the hemispheres to Kenya, where Riverdale Rotary sponsors two scholarships and contributes to a school library, and Ethiopia, where the club president Gilda Chirafisi travelled to join with Rotarians from Addis Ababa to inoculate hundreds of children against childhood disease. The Riverdale Rotary Club is an essential part of the community. But what marks it apart is its essential spirit of giving. I join the community in celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Rotary Club of Riverdale and look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with them.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join in celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Sister Winifred Danwitz, a woman whose accomplishments are so many that they seem crammed into those fifty years, but one who looks forward to doing even more. Sister Winifred is the former Administrator of the Mount Saint Ursula Speech Center for New York City and Professor Emeritus of Special Education at the Graduate School of the College of New Rochelle. She was selected a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her teaching experience includes the College of New Rochelle and its graduate school, Fordham University, Hunter College and Iona College. The list of her organizational activities where she served in a senior position runs off the page. She has almost as many awards. Now she is embarking on her latest venture as Executive Director of Angela House. Angela House began as her idea. It will be an innovative demonstration project to address the problems confronting homeless women and their young. Angela House will serve as a model supportive transitional residence to provide these women and their children with the supervision, support and training in a nurturing environment. Sister Winifred will be as successful in helping these women and their children as she has been in her other endeavors. Her generosity of spirit has made beneficiaries of all of us. I am proud to be able to praise her work, her dedication and her innovation. She is our treasure.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to give congratulations to a great institution of the Bronx, the Emmanuel Baptist Church, which is celebrating its 110th anniversary as a spiritual leader of the community. The church had its actual beginnings in 1876 as a Sunday School Bible class with seven young men meeting at Haven's Hall. The Sunday School grew rapidly with the members building a chapel, and under the leadership of Rev. F.M. Lamb the church was organized on March 30, 1888 with 28 members forming the constituent membership. The church has been ministering to its flock under successive ministries and in 1978 the Rev. Nathan Carroll became the church's first African American Pastor. In October 1986 the Rev. Dr. Major McGuire III was called to this historic church. Under his guidance Emmanuel Baptist has expanded the number of congregants several fold with prayer services now conducted throughout the week. Under Dr. McGuire's leadership the church is beginning construction of a new edifice for its worship services. I have had the pleasure and the privilege of working with the Rev. Dr. McGuire and his wife, the Rev. Darlene Thomas-McGuire, who was unanimously voted co-pastor of the Church. They are a wonderful and dynamic pair working ceaselessly for their community. The Emmanuel Baptist Church is a cornerstone of the community, giving sustenance and spiritual life to its many congregants under the leadership and guidance of Dr. McGuire.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in celebration of the eighty- sixth anniversary of a church that has become a cornerstone to its community--the Butler Memorial United Methodist Church. The church was begun by a small group of spiritually minded individuals in 1912. Today it has grown to a congregation exceeding 800 members with the Rev. Granville A. Forde serving as pastor to his growing flock. A growing church is a busy church and Butler Memorial now has programs for the United Methodist Women, the United Methodist Men, the Methodist Youth Fellowship, four choirs and a number of clubs. The church is celebrating its anniversary as an integral part of its community, giving the congregants of Butler Memorial and the surrounding area the ecclesiastical guidance that allows for the growth of the temporal as well the spiritual. The Rev. Forde is taking this opportunity to award to four good people the Community Service Awards for their commitment, caring and dedication to making a difference. They are Kathleen Cushnie, Joseph King and Mildred Lewis with Anathaleo Blake getting a Youth Award. It is the churches of our community, like Butler Memorial, which make the difference in the lives of the people. I am proud that Butler Memorial is in my district and it is with pride that I rise to celebrate its anniversary of giving to and caring for the people of the Bronx.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, Gwendolyn Byrd is a grand example of someone who has achieved success in both the public and private sectors. So it is with more than a touch of sorrow that on this occasion we are honoring her on her retirement as New Rochelle City Clerk. Gwen was born the eldest of four daughters to Marcus and Juanita Tarrant. After attending Pace University for two years she went to work. And, when her family moved to New Rochelle in 1958, she worked for a number of City agencies before becoming the city's first African American and woman named a Deputy City Marshal. Five years later she opened Byrd's Nest restaurant and also started a catering business which serviced a client list that included the Cathedral of St. John the Devine and many others. In the 1980s she established Hannah's Place at the New Rochelle Marina, serving fresh seafood. In 1989 Gwen joined the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Service counseling the homeless residents of WestHelp on nutrition. Gwen has always been an ardent volunteer and organizer. She is a founder of the New Rochelle Black Women's Political Caucus and the African American Art and Cultural Appreciation Council. She was appointed City Clerk in 1992, the first African American and woman to be appointed to such a high city post. She has given so much for so long I cannot imagine how New Rochelle will get along without her. But that cannot stop me from offering her the very best for a retirement as rewarding as the rest of her life.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in praise of a group of people celebrating the 25th anniversary of working daily to address the needs of senior citizens who live at Co-op City in the Bronx. The Senior Citizens Coordinating Council on Riverbay, Inc. has taken as its mission to seek out and develop resources and services to meet the needs of the elderly in Co-op City, to facilitate service co-ordination between agencies, to establish a safety net of services for the vulnerable elderly, to advocate for seniors at all levels of decision making, and to organize, educate and empower seniors to act on their own behalf. This is a grass roots organization in the best sense, for it is made up of local people banding together to help themselves and others similarly situated. It was organized in 1973 as a non-profit organization to help the elderly in Co-op City, the largest co- operative community in the world with more than 15,000 apartments and 50,000 residents. SCCC was formed shortly after Co-op City opened to help the already large number of retired and those nearing retirement who had come to live in Co-op City. SCCC has organized programs targeting the homebound elderly and operates three centers for congregate meals to help the 90 percent of the seniors in Co-op City who are in the low- to moderate- income categories. I have worked with SCCC and find it an exemplary model of a helping organization; one that is run locally by people from the community to help their neighbors.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, we rise to speak in the highest praise of a woman who has worked for much of her life to improve the lot of people in need, a woman who has done more than probably anyone to save and create housing in the Bronx when it seemed that everyone else was fleeing. Genevieve Brooks is vice president for the Faith Center for Community Development, where she is dedicating herself to creating and preserving healthy neighborhoods. She has been doing this in many guises for most of her life. As Deputy Borough President of the Bronx she oversaw policy implementation for a county of 1.2 million people while managing the day-to-day operations of 120 people and agency professionals, as well as community based organizations, in planning for and improving housing and the delivery of municipal services. She has served on the Boards of Directors of Bronx Health and Human Services Development Corp. and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. She has also served on the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board and the Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. She has organized and run dozens of organizations to improve housing either communally or throughout the Borough. She was instrumental in the Bronx being named one of America's top ten cities. Genevieve Brooks is being honored for her good works by being named Bronx Woman of Distinction. No one is more deserving of this honor; no one has done more to earn it.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, St. Frances of Rome celebrates its centenary this year; one hundred years of neighborhood building in the Bronx. In 1898, using a tent with a cross atop it, St. Frances of Rome was founded in the mostly Irish, German and Italian Wakefield section. Three years later a wooden church building was erected and soon after the growth of the parish caused a Mission Church to be established in the nearby Woodlawn area. Further growth in the parish led to it being subdivided and the Mission Church became St. Barnabas Church. By the mid 1920's property was acquired for a more permanent church and in that same decade the school for St. Frances of Rome was started. The basement church was opened on Easter Sunday in 1926 with the rectory being constructed about the same time. In 1928 Father Moore, the first pastor of the church and a man of vision and energy, died. The great cross on the church is dedicated to him and the street outside was renamed Moore Plaza. In the following years the growth of the parish continued under hardworking pastors who tended their flood with great care and concern. The building continued with the present upper church, an additional school building constructed. The parish adapted to a newer congregation by expanding daycare and programs for the homebound and elderly and establishing a food pantry. I salute the parish of St. Frances of Rome. What it has given to the growth of the Bronx and to New York City cannot be measured in mere numbers. The spiritual unity it has conferred on us has made us a community.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the City of Yonkers and especially the Mount Carmel Baptist Church are fortunate to have a pastor such as the Reverend Willie H. Upshaw. Dr. Upshaw has been pastor of the Church for 31 years, since 1967. It was under his guidance that the membership grew from 150 to more than 2,500. Dr. Upshaw was born in Alabama and began his journey in the church early in life as an active member of the Galilee Baptist Church. In 1957 he moved to New York where he was licensed to the ministry and, in 1967, ordained. That same year Dr. Upshaw became Pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church where he sees to the needs of his flock by visiting and praying with the sick and shut-ins, dedicating infants, bringing the Gospel to persons at nursing homes and prisons and helping those in the community who look to him for guidance and counsel. Dr. Upshaw served as Executive Vice President of the Yonkers Council of Churches, as President of the Ministerial Fellowship of Yonkers, as a member of the Central Hudson Baptist Association, the Central Hudson Baptist Retreat, and the Board of Directors of Yonkers General Hospital. He has received the Community Service Award and was recognized by the American Heart Association for unparalleled dedication to the Heart Healthy Education Project. Dr. Upshaw and his wife Carolyn have two children and two grandchildren. He personifies the good that one man can bring to a community. I salute him for the good work he has done for all of us.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak of an extraordinary person who is being named Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women's Club of Mount Vernon--Adele Zeller. I have known Adele for several years and can attest that she is a dynamic person who gives unselfishly for the betterment of the whole community. She and her husband Noel have owned businesses in Mount Vernon since 1964 and have lived in Westchester County for the past thirty years. They have founded and operated several companies, the latest, Zelco Industries, has expanded operations worldwide with facilities in the United States, Italy, Hong Kong and China. Its broad range of products are distributed in 30 countries around the world. They have also opened a second company in Italy. This expansion can be credited to Adele's remarkable sales and marketing proficiency and her ability to converse in Italian, Spanish and French. Adele is Chair of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Rose YM-YWHA. In both positions she is serving with distinction. Her hard work and caring and her dedication to the community has made Mount Vernon a better community for all who live and work there. I know we all cherish and thank Adele Zeller for her dedication and commitment.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the Association of Jewish Professionals is conferring a well-deserved Leadership in Education award on Bruce Ira Levenberg. Bruce has been a close friend since our days in college together and over the years he has garnered much praise. He has been honored by the American Red Cross and the N.A.A.C.P. He works as a volunteer with AJP Scholarship, the Assisi Project, Holocaust Generations, and is affiliated with Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity. He has been an educator at all levels of schooling and an advocate for children for 28 years. He has earned the praise being given him for his many achievements in education and for helping children. I join his parents, Irving and Sylvania, his wife, Barbara, and their children, David and Jessica in congratulating him.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, the strength of a community is oftentimes measured best by the caliber of those religious leaders who not only mediate the prayers of their flocks, but also are a part of the day-to- day life of their communities. I rise in praise of one of those leaders, Elder C. Nathan Edwers, pastor of the Mount Vernon Friendship Unified Free Will Baptist Church. Elder Edwers is celebrating his ninth anniversary at the Friendship Church, where he was named pastor in 1989, coming from the Calvary U.F.W. Church in Brooklyn. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Bishop Collie Edwers, who has served his calling for 40 years. Elder Edwers serves his community in many capacities; as police chaplain, as a District Leader of the Democratic City Committee, as a member of the Mount Vernon Planning Board and in the Kiwanis Club. He is the General Treasurer of the Unified Free Will Baptist Churches Denomination, President of the General Sunday School Convention and Administrative Assistant of the Mid-Atlantic Annual Conference. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Nyack College and his Masters Degree from the Alliance Theology Seminary. Elder Edwers is married and he and his wife Denise have two children, Sherri Denise, 9, and Eric Nathan, 8. Elder Edwers is leading his congregation in a $1.3 million drive to build a new church for his congregation. I join the community in saluting him for the leadership he has given his congregation.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in praise of a man who came to the United States from Ireland and has in every way made his adopted country a better place for his coming. Sean Mannion is being honored by his colleagues in the Riverdale Post of the American Legion for his four years of service as Commander of the Post. Sean came to us from County Mayo in 1958. He served his new country in the army as a combat engineer from 1960 to 1962 in Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and Fort Dix, New Jersey, seeing more of the United States than most citizens born here. He was on a ship heading towards Cuba during that missile crisis when the Soviet ships pulled back Sean's wife of almost 30 years, Marion, also comes from County Mayo. They have two children, Sean Jr. and Aundree. Sean and his family live in Riverdale where he has become part of the fabric of the community. At Saint Gabriel's Church he is a eucharistic minister and for ten years he has served on the Parish Council. He also gives his time to the Concourse House where he helps the homeless and the destitute. Next year Sean will serve as County Commander of the American Legion in the Bronx. If the United States were to place ads for immigrants, Sean is the kind of person we would want to apply. He brings a sense of service, of giving, and of helping others. I am proud to stand for him today for he epitomizes what America is and how its immigrants have made this country great.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, a little more than a decade ago the Bronx Shepherds Restoration Corporation was organized by ministers and lay people to help save a borough that, while growing again, was in serious need of help. They decided that their goal would be to stimulate the physical, economic and social rehabilitation of their neighborhoods, while simultaneously providing spiritual sustenance and leadership. The Bronx Shepherds, who come from throughout the Bronx, chose an area to help that had many public housing projects and a growing number of families on public assistance. They have worked in many areas to help these people, from weatherization and job training to renovating vacant buildings and sponsoring and marketing homes for low- to middle- income families. They also worked to complete a 267-unit condominium project in cooperation with the New York City Housing Partnership. A large part of the effort by the Bronx Shepherds has gone to training young people for jobs and helping them complete their education. More than 300 young people got their high school equivalency diplomas and the Bronx Shepherds trained another 300 in housing maintenance and repair. They also have programs to move children under 6 who have tested positive for lead in their blood to safe homes and have initiated another program for the frail/elderly. The Bronx Shepherds are a model of what a group can do to help the community and the people in it. I am honored to stand here today to praise their many good works and their persistence in accomplishing them.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Gisele and Hector Goldman, residents of Riverdale. They were married on March 28, 1948 and have given much to their community in their life together. They raised three children, sending them to local schools for their education. They are also founding members of the Riverdale Jewish Center. Every community needs people such as Gisele and Hector Goldman. What they give is stability, a sense of the continuance of life from generation to generation and that while we as individuals may change, the community goes on, offering to its children a sense of belonging, of being part of something larger and nobler. I ask that all of us who believe in love join me in wishing Gisele and Hector congratulations on their first 50 years and many more years of love and togetherness.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, Virgilio and Angela Borrelli are celebrating fifty years of marriage. These two marvelous people met before Virgilio went off to serve his country in World War II. He returned in 1946 and began his courtship of Angela and on March 14, 1948 they were married in Saint Anthony's Church in Yonkers, New York. Angela has been active in the Yonkers Aquahung Women's Democratic Club as well as doing extensive charity work. Virgilio was born in Malito in southern Italy in 1923 and came to America in 1937. He is president of a construction firm and has involved himself extensively in the community. He is a founding member of the Italian City Club. His name is on ``The Wall'' at Ellis Island. They and their three children, Sam, Yvonne, and Margaret Angeletti, and five grandchildren, are celebrating this grand occasion. I join all who believe in love in congratulating them for fifty years together.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, on June 1, 1998, the Islamic Republic of Iran claimed its latest Jewish victim. Rouhollah Kadkodazadeh, a 60-year-old Jewish businessman, disappeared about 10 weeks ago. His relatives did not know where he was, and his relatives' search for him led nowhere until June 1, when the authority, the Iranian authorities, called the relatives in and said, ``Pick up the body.'' No trial date was ever supplied. In fact, it is not even clear whether a trial ever took place or whether Kadkodazadeh was afforded legal representation or the ability to prepare a credible defense. Reportedly, Mr. Speaker, he was charged with being a Zionist, a spy for Israel and a corrupting person on earth; those are all quotes; which can mean anything defined as corrupt in the opinion of the tyrannical Iranian regime. Recent perceptions of moderation and openness and public declarations by Iranian authorities, especially President Mohammed Khatemi, about respect for human rights and the rule of law were beginning to restore a glimmer of hope to Iranian religious minority groups after years of persecution, arrests and extrajudicial killings. This latest execution of a Jewish Iranian only serves to undermine any notion that a meaningful restoration of civility is coming to Iran any time soon. With all the economic hardships, pressures and social and ideological fragmentation which today characterize Iranian society, it is safe to assume that if Israel or anyone else even needed spies in Iran, they could easily locate many less watched people who would probably have better access to confidential information than a 60-year-old Jewish businessman. In this vein the claim that Kadkodazadeh was conducting espionage for Israel does not appear to be credible at all. It is more of the same, more nonsense from the Iranian regime which has no credibility whatsoever. More likely it was an effort to keep an already fearful population, the Jewish population in Iran, about 10,000 strong, living in fear. As to the charge of Zionism, the fact that such an accusation still carries the death penalty in Iran speaks volumes about that country's respect for the freedom of thought and expression. But even if one was to accept this notion as a reality, the simple truth about Kadkodazadeh attested to by those who knew him well is that he was not a Zionist. In fact, according to information I have been provided, he was not politically oriented at all. In Iran very few people are willing to engage in Zionist activities given the government's open hostility to Israel and Zionism itself. All indications are that Kadkodazadeh was an ordinary Jewish person in Iran with no significant distinguishing characteristics from other average Iranian Jews. Making the logical assumption that those who brought him to execution knew these facts, one would conclude that some power within the Iranian regime wanted a Jew killed. As with similar cases throughout the past, the reasons for such killings have been varied. Some believe that radical elements who oppose the somewhat more moderate government's rapprochement with the West and also happened to control the security apparatus as well as the judiciary undertake these sorts of actions in order to discredit the government. Others contend that the execution is simply the result of open hostility to religious minorities in Iran. Whatever the reason for Kadkodazadeh's execution, the world needs to understand that Iranian Jews can no longer carry the burden of supplying a constant stream of sacrificial lambs so that the various factions in Iran can play out their political games. No matter which faction was responsible for the actual killing, the Government of Iran must be on notice that they and only they are responsible for preserving the rights and safety of all citizens of Iran, be they Jewish, Christian, Baha'i, Muslim or otherwise. Mr. Speaker, we in the United States Congress must condemn this brutal act of execution, we must call attention to this brutal act of execution and serve notice in Iran that as a rogue state, she will not be allowed normalization within the international community until there is respect for human rights, democratization and an end to encouraging terrorism and extremism both inside and outside of its borders. What happened in Iran with Mr. Kadkodazadeh is a disgrace, a sham, and should be condemned by all freedom-loving people all across the earth.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of the legislation. Mr. Speaker, the House Action Reports just this week state very clearly that last year both U.S. and Israeli intelligence reports revealed a significant technology transfer between Russia and Iran. Successive reports detailed contracts signed between numerous Russian entities and Iran's Defense Industries Organization to help produce liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. These enhanced missiles are expected to have a range of 1,300 to 2,000 kilometers, well within the range of Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region. There is a wide consensus within the intelligence community that Iranian ballistic missile development has proceeded much more rapidly than expected. The Director of the CIA recently testified that while last year he offered the assessment that Iran would have medium range ballistic missiles within 10 years, he now believes the timetable to be much shorter, and Israeli officials say it could happen by 1999. Many experts are saying that with Russia's cash-strapped technical institutes and research facilities eager to sell to Iranian weapons purchasers, Russia's effective adherence to the obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime is open to serious question. I think U.S. relations with Russia are very, very important but frankly I am tired of the role that Russia has played in transferring technology to Iran. They are playing a destructive role there, they are playing a destructive role in the whole situation in Kosovo with the Albanians and I think the Russians ought to really understand that there is a limit to how much patience we have. I support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I want to also say that I am very concerned about Syria as well, that the Israeli Defense Minister says that Syria is continuing to develop all these kinds of strategic surface-to-surface missiles, and that of greater concern is that Syria is developing these capabilities with the aid of North Korean know-how and Russian raw materials. It is these technologies and material transfers on which the bill before the House focuses today. I just wanted to say to the chairman of the committee that I would hope that the committee would be willing in the future to consider the issue of proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction in Syria as it considers such other issues in the Middle East.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent during roll call votes 203, 204, and 205. If present, I would have voted `yes' on roll call vote 203, `yes' on roll call vote 204, and `no' on roll call vote 205.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, for the last several weeks the world has watched in horror as innocent civilians, men, women, and children, have been slaughtered in the province of Kosova in Europe. Forty thousand people are now fleeing their homes, are now refugees. Kosova is a province of 2 million people, 90 percent of whom are ethnic Albanian, controlled totally and dominated by the Serbs, living under tremendous oppression. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic uncorked ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, and here it is happening again in Kosova. The people of Kosova, the Albanians, have no rights. They have no political rights, no civil rights, no economic rights. They are truly a people under oppression. Unemployment is 80 percent. They have tried for years peaceful resistance. It has not worked. Now their plight is worse than ever. The tens of thousands of Serb troops in Kosova have fired the opening shots, Mr. Speaker, in a renewed campaign of ethnic cleansing. I have warned for years that Kosova was a powderkeg. Unless the U.S. and the international community intervene now to ward off a catastrophe, Milosevic will carry out there what he did in Bosnia, a horrific campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Two hundred thousand people died in Bosnia. It could be worse in Kosova if we let it happen. Thankfully, President Clinton reaffirmed last week during his meeting with Abraham Rugova, President of the Republic of Kosova, that the U.S. would not permit what happened in Bosnia to recur in Kosova. President Clinton was right. But the time, Mr. Speaker, has come to put our money where our mouth is. The ethnic cleansing has begun. The burning of villages has begun. The expulsion of tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians has begun. The halting of humanitarian convoys has begun. All of this is how it started in Bosnia. The United States must now act. In December, 1992, President Bush warned Serb strongman Milosevic that if he vastly increased the military repression in Kosova, the U.S. would respond in kind. This threat, known as the Christmas warning, formed the basis of U.S. foreign policy in the region. President Clinton reiterated the Christmas warning when he entered office. Time and time again State Department officials have noted that U.S. policy has not changed. Today I say the Christmas warning has been triggered. To live up to our pledge to the people of Kosova and maintain our credibility in the region by meeting this solemnly pledged commitment, it is time we act. Here is what we must do. We must strike with NATO air strikes. Today Serbian tanks and artillery are leveling villages, setting houses ablaze, and slaughtering innocent civilians. We should now utilize our assets in the region by destroying these weapons of war in the field and as they sit in their staging compounds. We must declare a no-fly zone over Kosova. Serbian attack helicopters have been used against innocent civilians. This must stop. Furthermore, fighter aircraft have been moved into Kosova. American aircraft in the region must halt any of these flights. We must reimpose the investment ban on Serbia. Milosevic's only access to hard currency has been through international investment. Unless serious progress is made to resolve the Kosova crisis, no additional international investment should be permitted. The outer wall of sanctions on Serbia ought to be maintained, and we ought to reimpose the inner wall of sanctions. We ought to utilize the war crimes tribunal. Milosevic and his henchmen should be fully accountable for their actions in Kosova, and should be prosecuted for any war crimes they commit. We need to get international monitors back in Kosova. In July of 1993 Milosevic spelled OSCE monitors from Kosova. Now more than ever they must return so they can report to the world on the brutality now being committed, and to prevent further acts of atrocity from being committed. On Wednesday, the Washington Post ran an editorial which I believe accurately captured the Kosova crisis, and what U.S. policy should be in response. The editorial said, ``Sanctions are in any case mostly beside the point. Only the credible threat of force and the use of force, if necessary, can deter Mr. Milosevic. The U.S. can intervene now, as it has said it would, or, as in Bosnia, it can be forced to intervene later, after much damage has been done and any solution is far more difficult.'' Mr. Speaker, along with 25 of my colleagues, I am sending a letter to the President making these recommendations. Two months ago we requested a meeting with the President to discuss Kosova. Today we look forward to hearing from the White House when that meeting will be scheduled. The genocide and ethnic cleansing in Kosova must stop and only we and NATO can stop it. The time for diplomatic niceties is over. We must act now. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for the Record: [From The Washington Post, June 3, 1998] Empty Threats The Clinton administration has said time and again that it won't permit Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic to extend his brutal ethnic-cleansing tactics to the independence-minded province of Kosovo. Now Mr. Milosevic's troops are conducting precisely such atrocities in Kosovo, and the administration's response so far: more talk. Kosovo is part of Serbia, which in turn is part of what's left of Yugoslavia. But only 10 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people are ethnic Serbs; 90 percent are ethnic Albanians. For a quarter of a century, the province enjoyed considerable autonomy, but Mr. Milosevic revoked that in 1989 to fuel his nationalist rise to power. Ever since, and under the lash of Serb repression, a Kosovo independence movement has gained strength. The movement has been largely nonviolent. But recently, as ethnic Albanians have become convinced that the West has abandoned them, an armed resistance has rapidly gained support. U.S. policy on all this has been pretty clear--at least in words. The United States doesn't support Kosovo independence, but it does support legitimate aspirations for more autonomy. It favors peaceful dialogue and opposes armed conflict. President Bush warned in 1992 that the United States would use force if necessary to block ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. The Clinton administration embraced that warning in 1993. And as recently as three months ago, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the United States would not ``stand by and watch the Serbian authorities do in Kosovo what they can no longer get away with doing in Bosnia.'' But that's just what Serbian authorities are doing right now. In a wide swath of borderland along Albania, Serb police and soldiers have been destroying villages, killing civilians and turning thousands of men, women and children into refugees. An Austrian defense attache who spent two days touring the isolated region said, ``All the signs are that the Serbs are going on with ethnic cleansing in the Kosovo area.'' U.S. policy in the past three months has been a confusing mixture of sanctions threatened, imposed and withdrawn. Such sanctions are in any case mostly beside the point; only the credible threat of force, and the use of force if necessary, can deter Mr. Milosevic. The United States can intervene now, as it has said it would. Or, as in Bosnia, it can be forced to intervene later, after much damage has been done and any solution is far more difficult.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of campaign finance reform. I will vote for both the Shays-Meehan bill and the bipartisan freshman bill, because I think that those bills go a long, long way in helping to clear up the problems that we have, although I think we still have a long way to go. The Buckley-Valeo decision by the Supreme Court, in my opinion, was one of the worst decisions that was ever put forth in the Supreme Court, equating free speech and money, saying that money, money and more money can be spent on campaigns. We have a situation where only millionaires can afford to run for office in this country. And that is the real threat to our democracy, when the average person can no longer run for office because it costs so much to run for office and the special interests so dominate it with money, money, and more money. Public financing, in my opinion, is the way to go, because that would even the playing field and level the playing field. It is obvious we are not going to get that, so we need to have some kind of restrictions on the obscene amounts of money it takes to run for office in this country. Are we saying that only wealthy people should serve in the United States Congress? We have more and more millionaires here. There is nothing wrong with millionaires, I wish I was one of them, but I do not think they are the only people that ought to serve in the U.S. Congress. We need campaign finance reform, and we need it now. It is a threat to our democracy to do nothing. Let us move on this. Pass Shays-Meehan and the freshman bill.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for yielding time to me. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the 10 percent basket amendment, the Roukema-Vento-Baker-LaFalce amendment. This amendment is similar to an amendment I offered during the markup of this bill in the Committee on Commerce. As a New Yorker, I fully understand the importance and significance of providing the proper framework where financial services can thrive. Our nation's markets are the envy of the world, and New York is the capital of the world's economy. Any legislation that is reported must ensure that our financial structure retains its ability to adapt to the changing needs of the public. To this end, I believe that financial modernization legislation must allow banks, securities, and insurance firms with commercial interests to invest some percentage of its domestic gross revenues in nonfinancial services. Financial modernization legislation should reflect the current market, and permit some form of commercial affiliation. A 10 percent commercial basket is a reasonable first step toward integrating commerce and banking. Legislation on this matter must be flexible enough to ensure that financial service providers can continue to evolve. We cannot push back progress. Without a basket, many firms would be forced to choose between their current commercial activities and newly authorized banking powers. In addition, many firms would have difficulty competing in the global economy without having some ability to invest in foreign entities. While we are pleased that a 5 percent basket was included in the bill, a 10 percent basket provides the proper cushion to accommodate both the normal growth of a commercial enterprise and the potential decrease of financial activity revenues. To this end, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for the 10 percent basket amendment. Financial providers must have the ability and the flexibility needed to move forward as we approach the 21st century. As the gentlewoman correctly pointed out, a 15 percent basket would even make more sense, but this is a scaled-back bill, a moderate bill, a bill trying to make progress, and a bill trying to get a majority of the votes. We cannot put our heads in the sand. We cannot be blinded. We cannot pretend that progress does not march on. To pretend that this is the same financial economy as that of 50 or 60 years ago just does not make sense. I urge my colleagues to vote for this very, very modest amendment, which moves us in the right direction.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. I am very sorry that this amendment is before us today. It is really very divisive. It moves the country in the wrong direction. I do not think we want to go back to the good old days, which were not so good to begin with. I am really amazed because our Republican colleagues have traditionally said that the Federal Government ought not to intrude in the matter of education as far as the States go, and here we are mandating, intruding, and saying that the States cannot even have the ability to decide for themselves what is best for their universities. It makes no sense to me. If we do not believe that the Federal Government should come in with a sledgehammer, then why are we mandating this on States? The States are intelligent enough. They know what kind of programs they want and what kind of programs are best for their States. We ought to leave it alone. I was educated at public universities in my State. I think we do very, very well. I am not interested in theories. In the real world, this country moves forward when people of goodwill work together. We need to stop dividing people. We need to bring people together. People are benefited when they go to school with other types of people. That is best for the society as a whole. It is good for children to get to know other children, not only children of the same background, but children of different backgrounds. And what the Riggs amendment would do is it would resegregate public universities in this country. I do not see how that is good for America. I think it is good that we have all types of people getting to know each other so we can have a brighter future. It does not make sense. Private colleges, as many of our colleagues have stated, could continue to be diversified, whereas public universities would have a stranglehold. Let us not dictate to the States and tell them what they ought to do or what is best for them. We do not need Big Brother. The States know what is best for themselves. This amendment has constantly been worked and reworked and reworked and reworked, which means there has been a terrible problem with it. I wish it would be withdrawn. We have seen what happened in California and in Texas with Proposition 209. This slides the country backwards. Let us move forward and reject the Riggs amendment.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this legislation. Before I came to Congress 10 years ago, I was chairman of the New York State Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and I can tell my colleagues that needle exchange programs work, they save lives. I am as opposed to drugs as the next person, but I also live in the real world. I represent an area of New York City, the Bronx, where AIDS has just gone sky high, and we need to use every available resource that we have to try to combat the scourge of AIDS. As has been said by my colleagues, needle exchange programs are used to get addicts into drug treatment programs. Why would we not want to use every tool that we have? We do not have the luxury of being ostriches and sticking our heads in the sand. We do not have the luxury of feel-good legislation. We do not have the luxury of platitudes. We live in the real world, those of us that represent inner cities, and we want to make sure that AIDS is not spread. This did not come before the Committee on Commerce of which I am a member. I wish it had because we could have had some hearings and we could have made some good points. But this legislation does not make sense. Please, choose life over death. Defeat this legislation.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent during roll call votes 110, 111, and 112 because my flight from New York was delayed. If present, I would have voted `aye' on roll call 110, `aye' on roll call 111, and `aye' on roll call 112.