Eni Faleomavaega

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, in reference to H. Res. 905, I submit an address by former Senator Sam Nunn, Co-Chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, presented on December 16, 2003 at a symposium entitled Kazakhstan: Reducing Nuclear Dangers, Increasing Global Security. Symposium Keynote Address (By Sam Nunn) I want to thank our guests for joining us today in the United States Senate, where so much deliberation has taken place on how to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and where the example of Kazakhstan has been welcomed and celebrated as a model of what we must see in the 21st century. President Nazarbayev is one of the greatest champions of nuclear nonproliferation in the world--not merely by his words, but--most importantly--by his actions and his nation's example. President Nazarbayev tells a very striking personal story in the prologue of his book Epicenter of Peace. As a child, he remembered having in his home an army rifle that had been taken by one of his relatives--a Kazakh militiaman--in a rebellion against a regular Russian army unit in 1916. One day his grandmother said that the rifle had brought suffering--that it should be cast out of the house. So President Nazarbayev's father took the rifle to the authorities, but not before removing the bayonet, which the grandmother ordered be made into a sickle. She supplied the handle that she made herself from her old spindle. As a young boy, the President used that sickle to cut hay. This childhood event--dismantling a weapon and building from it a tool of peace and commerce--foreshadowed the work of his adult life. It is the heart of the Biblical passage ``they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.'' President Nazarbayev dismantled his nation's nuclear weapons and out of that action built a friendship with the United States, an example for the world, and an opportunity for his people to move toward a more promising future. Iran and other nations could learn from Kazakhstan that a nation can grow, modernize, make progress, and gain stature not in spite of renouncing nuclear weapons, but because of it. Increasing global security also has a critical economic dimension. In making the decision to disarm, President Nazarbayev also chose to use his nation's resources to build an economic base that would benefit all the citizens of Kazakhstan. The world's economy and stability depends on diversifying our energy base--so the Kazakhstan role in energy development is very important. The pressure is appropriately increasing on both governments and industry to embed ``transparent'' processes and good governance practices into their management systems. The government of Kazakhstan clearly understands this issue, given the heightened attention to increased oil production in the Caspian region. The transparency demonstrated by the government of Kazakhstan recently in announcing at a press conference the royalties received for a recent large petroleum project is a very positive step, and one that should be recognized, showcased, and supported widely. Revenue transparency is an issue on which industry and governments will likely continue to face pressure. I applaud the inclusive and constructive approach that has been taken to date, and I encourage all parties involved to continue the dialogue and working together to advance this important topic. Without economic stability--every step in the security arena becomes more difficult. Let me acknowledge and thank Minister Vladimir Shkolnik for his role both in Kazakhstan's economic development and in its nuclear disarmament example. President Nazarbayev had the personal vision to renounce nuclear weapons, but he also had something just as important. He had in Minister Shkolnik, a man with the determination and the skill to get it done. The world owes you a great debt, Mr. Minister. I also want to thank Ambassador Saudabayev, who this past August in Athens, Georgia, so graciously presented to me Kazakhstan's highest award to non-citizens. The Ambassador is a vigorous and talented advocate for Kazakhstan's interests in the United States. He has a keen understanding of where our nations' interests intersect, and how we can advance them together. Kazakhstan is fortunate to have a man of his talent in Washington. It is fitting that we meet here in the halls of the United States Senate, because it was here that the first legislative debate took place on the question of reducing the nuclear threat in the post-Cold War world. Let us recall what was at stake back in 1991. In December of that year, Vice President Dick Cheney was then Defense Secretary, and he offered this analysis: ``If the Soviets do an excellent job retaining control over their stockpile of nuclear weapons--let's assume they've got 25,000-30,000; that's a ballpark figure--and they are 99 percent successful, that would mean you could still have as many as 250 that they were not able to control.'' So far--strong, visionary actions by many people have kept that dire but plausible scenario from becoming reality. Dick Lugar was an indispensible partner in creating the Nunn-Lugar Program and a central crucial force in the Senate for spending U.S. dollars to help secure nuclear weapons and materials in the former Soviet Union. Graham Allison was a brilliant voice from the outside urging action. At the start, many members of Congress criticized this effort as aid to the Soviet military. Six weeks or so later, the Senate voted 86-8 to spend $400 million to help secure the Soviet nuclear stockpile and limit the spread of nuclear weapons as one country split into fifteen countries, and one nuclear power was replaced by four. This first vote was not a blank check; it was a challenge. We had to prove to the Congress that Cooperative Threat Reduction made a clear contribution to our national security. The courageous actions of President Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan and Ukraine made a world of difference in proving the effectiveness of our efforts. I understand the term ``Kazakh'' is a version of a Turkic word meaning ``free or independent''. The moment Kazakhstan became free, it set an independent course among the nations of the world. Its President declared the nation would renounce nuclear weapons. Its parliament voted in 1993 to confirm that--and set in motion the plans to destroy more than one hundred SS-18 ICBMs, each with 10 high-yield warheads, along with other smaller nuclear weapons--a larger nuclear arsenal than held by China, France or the United Kingdom. President Nazarbayev's view was like his grandmother's: these weapons have caused only suffering; they should be cast out of the country. The world should understand, more than it does, the Kazakhstani suffering that led to that decision. As everyone here knows, the Soviet Union's premier nuclear test site was located in Kazakhstan at Semipalatinsk, where it was the site of the first Soviet nuclear explosion, and nearly 500 more over the next forty years, more than one hundred of them above ground. Because of the environmental devastation caused by the Soviet nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk, President Nazarbayev ordered the test site closed on August 29, 1991--four months before the collapse of the Soviet Union and 42 years to the day after the first nuclear test there. The release of radiation at the test site was far more severe than Chernobyl--yet the world hears much of Chernobyl and little of Semipalatinsk. Seventy percent of all Soviet nuclear testing took place there. More than a million people suffered dangerous doses of radiation from exposure to fallout from the test site. Those exposed have suffered high rates of cancer, infant mortality, birth defects, immune deficiencies and nervous system disorders. Many of these health defects don't end with the first generation; they are passed on to children. It was in large part an understanding of their suffering and a respect for their sacrifice that caused Kazakhstan to become a world leader in renouncing nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan was not only willing to dismantle its nuclear arsenal, but also eager to destroy the test sites. Kazakhstan and the United States became strong security partners from that decision forward, and money appropriated here in the Congress helped pay for the dismantling of the nuclear weapons, the destruction of the silos and the sealing of the nuclear test tunnels. That is an impressive record of security cooperation. Yet there is another accomplishment of U.S.-Kazakhstan relations that is a model for nuclear nonproliferation, and that is Project Sapphire. In 1993, Kazakhstani officials approached the U.S. Ambassador in secret, alerting him to the existence, at the lightly-secured Ulba Metallurgical Plant, of 1,300 pounds of weapons-grade uranium--enough to make dozens of nuclear weapons. Both Iraq and Iran were known to be seeking this kind of high-grade material. It was dangerous, plentiful and vulnerable. After a year of planning, a 31-person team from the United States flew to the region and worked with Kazakhstani experts for six weeks to take the material out of its containers, take precautions to make it safe during transport, repackage it, and then ship it back to the United States on two Air Force transporters. Once securely stored in Tennessee, this uranium was blended down and used to generate civilian power, in a continuation of the ``swords to plowshares'' tradition. This example shows how indispensable cooperation is in keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of dangerous people. The U.S. team arrived back in the United States in late November. Elections three weeks before had turned leadership of several legislative committees in Congress over to new chairmen, some of whom were opposed to Cooperative Threat Reduction. Project Sapphire offered dramatic and visible proof of the security value of this program and helped strengthen the arguments of those of us who fought to continue funding. Project Sapphire also provided a model for future operations of this kind--such as an operation four years later in the Republic of Georgia; a recent operation in Serbia called Project Vinca, where NTI working with the U.S., Russian and Serbian officials, removed 100 pounds of highly enriched uranium from the nuclear research reactor near Belgrade; an another successful operation in Romania a few months ago. The United States and Kazakhstan must intensify our ties across the board--economic, educational, cultural, and especially on matters of security. We have to continue to work together to shut down Kazakhstan's fast breeder reactor that generated weapons- usable plutonium. We have to make sure the weapons scientists who used to work at the Stepnogorsk anthrax factory can find peaceful work. NTI is working with Kazakhstan now on how to convert an active research reactor from using 90% enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium, and on blending down tons of fresh HEU power reactor fuel for sale as LEU. Kazakhstan has an important role in global security. Much remains to be done and each crucial step is important to Kazakhstan security, U.S. security and world security. We must recognize and our priorities and resources must reflect that: 1. The gravest danger in the world today is the threat from nuclear, biological, an chemical weapons. 2. The likeliest use of these weapons are in terrorist hands. 3. Preventing the spread and use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons should be the central organizing security principle for the 21st century. Terrorists are racing to get weapons of mass destruction, and we are not yet racing to stop them. The citizens of all nations need to understand that no one--no matter where in the world they live--is safe from the consequences of a terrorist nuclear attack. The economic impact of the September 11 attacks was felt in all parts of the globe. Tourism dollars plunged. Airlines went bankrupt. Corporations announced layoffs. But a nuclear 9/11 would make World Trade Center attacks look like a warning shot. It would be impossible to calculate the economic costs, because there is no way to calculate how long it would take for citizens to recover the confidence they need to spend and invest. The public would assume that if the terrorists had one nuclear weapon, they could get another. If they would use it in one city, they would use it in another. If even one goes off, it's hard to see how we could fully recover. We have to prevent it from happening-- ever. How difficult is it for terrorists to attack us with a nuclear weapon? That depends on how difficult we make it. No terrorist can launch an attack without weapons-grade material--plutonium or highly enriched uranium. Most terrorists lack the sophisticated infrastructure necessary to produce these materials; they would have to steal or buy them. So the most effective, least expensive way to prevent nuclear terrorism is to lock down and secure weapons and fissile materials in every country and every facility that has them. The world is in a race between cooperation an catastrophe. To win this race, we have to achieve cooperation on a scale we've never seen or attempted before--not because cooperation will give us a warm feeling of community, but because every. other method will fail. Sam Nunn is co-chairman and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He is also a senior partner in the law firm of King & Spalding, where he focuses his practice on international and corporate matters. He served as a United States Senator from Georgia for 24 years (1972-1996). Raised in the small town of Perry in middle Georgia, he attended Georgia Tech, Emory University and Emory Law School, where he graduated with honors in 1962. After active duty service in the U.S. Coast Guard, he served six years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He first entere politics as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives in 1968. During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Senator Nunn served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He also served on the Intelligence and Small Business Committees. His legislative achievements include the landmark Department of Defense Reorganization Act, drafted with the late Senator Barry Goldwater, and the ``Nunn-Lugar'' Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which provides assistance to Russia and the former Soviet republics for securing and destroying their excess nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. In addition to his work with NTI, Senator Nunn has continued his service in the public policy arena as a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech and as chairman of the board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He is a board member of the following publicly held corporations: ChevronTexaco Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company, Dell Computer Corporation, General Electric Company, Internet Security Systems Inc., and Scientific-Atlanta Inc. He is married to the former Colleen O'Brien and has two children, Michelle and Brian, and one grandchild. On the nuclear front: the mission is difficult--but it is not complicated. We know where the dangerous and vulnerable materials are; we know what how to be done; we know how to do it; we have made some progress--but not enough. There remains a dangerous gap between the pace of our progress and the scope and urgency of the threat. The threat extends well beyond the former Soviet Union. There are 100 nuclear research reactors and other facilities in 40 countries using highly enriched uranium--the raw material of nuclear terrorism. Some of it is secured by nothing more than an underpaid guard sitting inside a chain-link fence. In August 2002, when nuclear weapons material was removed from the research reactor near Belgrade, the U.S. and Russia said they were going to move quickly on 24 similar sites. But it's now been over a year and only one additional site has been addressed. Two out of 25 shows the lack of urgency of this work. We can argue as to who is to blame--Russia or the United States or other countries--but the bottom line is that our security is at stake no matter who is to blame. Most governments and most leaders have still not acknowledged by their actions, by their resource priorities, and by their cooperation that the threat of catastrophic terrorism is the most immediate, most likely, most potentially devastating threat we face; that it threatens all of us equally; that it demands urgent action; that it requires a new level of cooperation. This is the kind of danger that ought to focus our attention--because if we don't prevent this threat, nothing else will matter. What must we do? NTI has funded a project that brings together a consortium of 21 research institutions across Europe, Russia, the U.S. and Asia to work together on threat reduction. Let me summarize their conclusion: 1. Nuclear weapons and materials--wherever they are in the world--represent a grave danger. We must secure all of it, everywhere, quickly to reduce the terrorist threat. 2. Tactical nuclear weapons must be accounted for and secured. 3. All excess weapons-grade nuclear materials should be secured and then destroyed. 4. Chemical weapons--every one of them--should be secured and destroyed. 5. Biological weapons facilities of the former Soviet Union must be open and transparent. We must help convert these facilities and the labors of the scientists who used to work in them, to peaceful commercial purposes. The most positive recent development in Cooperative Threat Reduction came in the summer of last year when the G8 nations pledged $20 billion over ten years to launch the Global Partnership and to secure and prevent the read of weapons and mass destruction. Since this announcement many other nations have joined the partnership. Kazakhstan has a great deal to contribute to the partnership, and I hope that you will join. The partnership should include everyone who has something to safeguard and who has something to contribute to safeguarding it. Kazakhstan is unique as an example of leadership. A great opportunity to accelerate the work of the global partnership comes next summer in Sea Island, Georgia, where the leaders of the G8 will meet again. Either the G8 will dramatically expand its threat reduction efforts, or the Global Partnership will remain a second-tier response to a first-tier threat--and leave grave dangers to our children. In the race between cooperation and catastrophe, we have taken steps in the right direction, but we're long past the time when we can take satisfaction with step in the right direction. A gazelle running from a cheetah is taking steps in the right direction. It's not just a question of direction; it's a matter of speed. If a terrorist nuclear device exploded tonight in Washington, New York, Astana, Moscow or London, what would we wish we had done to stop it? Why aren't we doing that now?

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, again I want to thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), especially in her capacity as chairperson of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and especially my good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), who is our ranking member of the subcommittee. I certainly want to thank also Chairman Henry Hyde and Mr. Tom Lantos, our senior ranking member of the House International Relations Committee. Without their support, Madam Speaker, House Resolution 905 would not be possible. And I really, really appreciate their help and assistance in providing this resolution now before the floor. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 905, congratulating Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan, and for its efforts on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. House Resolution 905 is historic for these reasons, Madam Speaker. It is historic because this is the first time the U.S. House of Representatives has considered legislation in praise of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic that has proved to be a true ally of the United States. It is also historic because it is being considered on the 60th birthday of my dear friend and brother, I consider my brother, the Honorable Kanat Saudabayev, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States. Ambassador Saudabayev has worked tirelessly to represent the interests of Kazakhstan in the United States and has served His Excellency, Mr. Sursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, with distinction and honor. Ambassador Saudabayev and his wife and children and grandchildren are with us. It is my privilege to wish him a happy birthday and commend him for his service to his nation and certainly to the United States as well. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 905 recognizes Kazakhstan as a model for advancing the cause of nuclear nonproliferation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited a ruined economy and became overnight the world's fourth largest recipient and supplier of nuclear weapons. This arsenal of nuclear weapons could possibly have helped to resolve the financial problems of this young and struggling nation. However, under the leadership of President Nazarbayev, the people of Kazakhstan, knowing firsthand the horrible effects of nuclear tests, made a choice to renounce nuclear weapons all together. In fact, immediately after achieving independence, and in spite of threats from the Kremlin, President Nazarbayev closed and sealed the world's second largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk, where the Soviet Union conducted almost 500 nuclear tests from 1949 to 1991. Our Nation assisted President Nazarbayev to dismantle these nuclear weapons through the leadership of former Senator Sam Nunn and Chairman Richard Lugar, with the enactment of the Nunn-Lugar Act that provided the necessary funds to carry out the elimination of these nuclear weapons. Madam Speaker, today few know about President Nazarbayev's heroic decision which, in my humble opinion, changed the course of modern history. Few know that this story about Kazakhstan did not bargain and did not lobby to gain political or economic dividends from its choice. Rather, Kazakhstan, for the sake of global peace and security, consciously chose to ensure a brighter future for their children and for the rest of the world. Can you believe a Muslim country having in its possession all these nuclear weapons that President Nazarbayev could have easily doled out, sold them, and made it such that it could have been a very, very dangerous situation for the world. I believe we should speak out more often of Kazakhstan's example, Madam Speaker. While I am grateful that the world is aware of the Chernobyl disaster, where several thousands perished, I am saddened that the world knows so little about the tragedies of Semipalatinsk, the Marshall Islands and French Polynesia, where children and elderly have gone dying for decades as a result of Cold War policies and also being directly affected because of nuclear contamination. At Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, the cumulative power of explosions from nuclear tests conducted by the former Soviet Union is believed to be equal to the power of 2,500 explosions of the type of bombs dropped in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. More than 1.5 million people of Kazakhstan suffered from nuclear contamination as a result of these tests, and a horrifying array of diseases will continue to destroy the lives of these good people. Madam Speaker, as a Pacific Islander, I have a tremendous affinity to the people of Kazakhstan because the Marshallese and the Polynesian Tahitians also know firsthand the horrors of nuclear testing. Bikini is one of 29 atolls and five islands that compose the Marshall Islands. These atolls are located north of the equator and are scattered over some 357,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. Because of their location away from regular air and sea routes, these atolls were chosen by our government to be the nuclear proving grounds for the United States. From 1946 to 1958 the United States detonated 67 nuclear weapons at the Marshall Islands, which included the first hydrogen bomb explosion of what is known as the Bravo shot, a 15 megaton shot, which is equivalent to 1,000 times more powerful than the bombs we dropped on Nagasaki, Hiroshima. Acknowledged as the greatest nuclear explosion ever detonated by the United States, the Bravo shot vaporized six islands, and created a mushroom cloud 25 miles up in the atmosphere. It has been said that if one were to calculate the net yield of the tests conducted in the Marshall Islands, it would be equivalent to the detonation of 1.7 Hiroshima nuclear bombs every day for 12 years. The U.S. nuclear testing program exposed the people of the Marshall Islands to severe health problems and genetic abnormalities for generations. The U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands also set a precedent for France to use the islands of the Pacific for its own testing program. For some 30 years the French Government detonated approximately 218 nuclear bombs on Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls near Tahiti. In 1995, while the world turned a blind eye, the newly elected President, Jacques Chirac, announced that France would violate the 1992 world moratorium on nuclear testing and exploded eight more nuclear bombs on Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls beginning in September 1995. Chirac said the nuclear explosions would have no ecological consequences. Give me a break. They described his decision as irrevocable. And what is known about this is that we even told France, you don't need to explode any more nuclear bombs. You can do it electronically. Despite all of this, still couldn't do it. I also made an irrevocable decision to accompany Mr. Oscar Temaru, the current President of French Polynesia on the Greenpeace warrior vessel which took us to Moruroa as part of some 20,000 demonstrators who came from Europe, from Japan, from the United States, from New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere to protest President's Chirac's decision to break France's commitment to a moratorium not to conduct any more nuclear tests. Later I personally visited Moruroa under the supervision of the French Government, and to this day portions of that atoll is still contaminated. Madam Speaker, in 2003, as a direct result of my friendship with the good Ambassador from Kazakhstan, I became aware of the magnitude of the problem of Semipalatinsk. In August, 2004, I felt a deep sense of obligation as a Member of Congress who had visited the nuclear test sites in the Marshall Islands and in French Polynesia and also now to the Semipalatinsk test site. During my visit and in later discussions with President Nazarbayev, I learned that I was the first American legislator to set foot on ground zero where the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear device in 1949. And guess what, Madam Speaker? It is still contaminated to this day. Madam Speaker, considering the courageous decision made by President Nazarbayev to shut down the Semipalatinsk test site so that you and I and future generations may live in peace, I believe we have a moral responsibility to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters in Semipalatinsk. This is why I am pleased that this House resolution calls upon the administration to establish a joint working group with the Government of Kazakhstan to assist in assessing the environmental damage and health effects caused by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region by the former Soviet Union. As important as this resolution is, Madam Speaker, I also believe the international community should more fully acknowledge Kazakhstan's tremendous contribution to world peace. While I am pleased this year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, I believe President Nazarbayev, Senator Richard Lugar, and Senator Sam Nunn should also be seriously considered for the Nobel Peace Prize for reaffirming the worth and advancing the rights of human beings around the world and by dismantling the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal, closing and sealing the Semipalatinsk test site, and most recently blending down 6,600 pounds of weapons-usable highly enriched uranium, or enough to produce up to 25 nuclear warheads, converting the material for peaceful use and thereby preventing it from falling into the hands of terrorist organizations. I submit, Madam Speaker, these are some of the achievements that President Nazarbayev and Senator Lugar and Senator Nunn have made, and they certainly should be recognized by leaders of our world community. I want to share with my colleagues the substance of the paper that was delivered by my good friend, Ambassador Saudabayev, concerning what happened in Kazakhstan. And I quote: ``The people of Kazakhstan have experienced firsthand the devastating force of nuclear weapons. During four decades, the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear explosions at the world's largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk. The cumulative power output of these explosions equaled 2,500 Hiroshima-size bombs. More than 1.5 million Kazaks were exposed. ``That is, Kazakhstan made the unprecedented step in the history of the world and became the first country to shut down a nuclear test site and renounce the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal. At that time this arsenal was larger than the nuclear weapons stockpiles of Great Britain, France, and China combined. Kazakhstan had 1,040 nuclear warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles SS-18 and 370 nuclear warheads for cruise missiles and 40 strategic multipurpose bombers TU- 95 to deliver them.'' The point I wanted to make about the Ambassador's statement, Madam Speaker, is that Kazakhstan is no longer involved in this madness of developing as well as holding on to nuclear weapons. With the recent announcement of our need to establish a global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk, it is only fitting and fair that we should acknowledge Kazakhstan's commitment and leadership in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. For this reason I urge my colleagues to support the House Resolution 905. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. H. Res. 905 congratulates Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test site in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan and for its efforts on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. H. Res. 905 is non-controversial and historic. It is historic because this is the first time the U.S. House of Representatives has considered legislation in praise of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic that has proved to be a true ally of the U.S. It is also historic because it is being considered on the 60th birthday of my friend and brother, His Excellency Kanat Saudabayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Ambassador Saudabayev has worked tirelessly to represent the interests of Kazakhstan in the U.S. and has served his President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, with distinction and honor and, today, it is my privilege to wish him a happy birthday and commend him for his service to his nation and ours. Also, at this time, I thank Chairman Henry Hyde and Ranking Member Tom Lantos of the International Relations Committee for their support in moving this important legislation forward. I also thank Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Gary Ackerman, Chair and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, for cosponsoring this legislation. Without their support, H. Res. 905 would not be possible. H. Res. 905 recognizes Kazakhstan as a model for advancing the cause of nuclear nonproliferation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited a ruined economy and the World's fourth largest nuclear arsenal. This arsenal could possibly have helped to resolve the financial problems of this young and struggling nation. However, led by President Nazarbayev, the people of Kazakhstan, knowing firsthand the horrible effects of nuclear tests, made a choice to renounce nuclear weapons. In fact, immediately after achieving independence and in spite of threats from the Kremlin, President Nazarbayev closed and sealed the world's second largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk where the Soviet Union conducted more than 450 nuclear tests from 1949 to 1991. Today, few know about President Nazarbayev's heroic decision which undoubtedly changed the course of modern history. Few know this story because Kazakhstan did not bargain and did not lobby to gain political or economic dividends from its choice. Rather, Kazakhstan, for the sake of global peace and security, consciously chose to ensure a brighter future for their children and ours. For this reason, I believe we should speak more often of Kazakhstan's example. While I am grateful that the world is aware of the Chernobyl disaster where thousands perished, I am saddened that the world knows so little about the tragedies of Semipalatinsk, the Marshall Islands and French Polynesia where children and the elderly have been dying for decades as a result of Cold War policies that to this day have never been set right. In Semipalatinsk, the cumulative power of explosions from nuclear tests conducted by the former Soviet Union is believed to be equal to the power of 2,500 explosions of the type of bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. More than 1.5 million people in Kazakhstan suffered from nuclear contamination as a result of these tests and a horrifying array of disease will continue to destroy the lives of many more. As a Pacific Islander, I have a special affinity for the people of Kazakhstan because the Marshallese and Polynesian Tahitians also know firsthand the horrors of nuclear testing. Bikini is one of 29 atolls and five islands that compose the Marshall Islands. These atolls are located north of the equator and are scattered over 357,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. Because of their location away from regular air and sea routes, these atolls were chosen to be the nuclear proving ground for the United States. From 1946 to 1958, the United States detonated 66 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands including the first hydrogen bomb,or Bravo shot, which was 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Acknowledged as the greatest nuclear explosion ever detonated by the U.S., the Bravo shot vaporized 6 islands and created a mushroom cloud 25 miles in diameter. It has been said that if one were to calculate the net yield of the tests conducted in the Marshall Islands, it would be equivalent to the detonation of 1.7 Hiroshima nuclear bombs every day for 12 years. The U.S. nuclear testing program exposed the people of the Marshall Islands to severe health problems and genetic anomalies for generations to come. The U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands also set a precedent for France to use the islands of the Pacific for its own testing program. For some 30 years, the French Government detonated approximately 218 nuclear devices at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in Tahiti. In 1995, while the world turned a blind eye, the newly elected President of France, Jacques Chirac, announced that France would violate the 1992 world moratorium on nuclear testing and explode 8 more nuclear bombs at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls beginning in September 1995. Chirac said that the nuclear explosions would have no ``ecological consequences'' and described his decision a ``irrevocable.'' I also made an irrevocable decision and, in August 1995, accompanied Mr. Oscar Temaru, who is now the President of French Polynesia, on the Green Peace Warrior which took us to Moruroa in protest of President Chirac's decision to break the world moratorium. Later, I personally visited Moruroa under the supervision of the French Government and I remember well the fact that on certain areas of the island, it was off- limits and obviously contaminated and unfit for human occupation. After years of denial, the French Government has finally admitted there are leakages of radioactive materials from these atolls where the nuclear tests were conducted. As a result, some 10,000 Tahitians are believed to be severely exposed to nuclear radiation and the French Government has done little or nothing to properly diagnose or even give medical treatment to the Tahitian workers who were victims of this tragedy. In 2003, as a direct result of my friendship with Ambassador Saudabayev, I became aware of the magnitude of the problem of Semipalatinsk. In August 2004, I felt a deep sense of obligation as a Member of Congress who had visited the nuclear test sites in the Marshall Islands and Tahiti to also visit the Semipalatinsk test site. During my visit and in later discussions with President Nazarbayev, I learned that I was the first American legislator to set foot on ground zero in Kazakhstan. Considering the courageous decision made by President Nazarbayev to shut down the Semipalatinsk test site so that you and I and future generations may live in peace, I believe we have a moral responsibility to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters in Semipalatinsk. This is why I am pleased that H. Res. 905 calls upon the Administration to establish a joint working group with the Government of Kazakhstan to assist in assessing the environmental damage and health effects caused by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region by the former Soviet Union. As important as this resolution is, I also believe the international community should more fully acknowledge Kazakhstan's contribution to world peace. While I am pleased that this year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), I believe President Nazarbayev should also receive the Nobel Peace Prize for reaffirming the worth and advancing the rights of the human person by dismantling the world's 4th largest nuclear arsenal, closing and sealing the Semipalatinsk test site, and most recently blending down 6,600 pounds of weapons-usable highly enriched uranium, or enough to produce up to 25 nuclear warheads, converting the material for peaceful use and thereby preventing it from falling into the hands of terrorist organizations. I also believe Senator Richard Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn should likewise be honored for establishing the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program which provides assistance to Russia and the former Soviet republics for securing and destroying their excess nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. With the recent announcement of our need to establish a global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk, it is only fitting and fair that we should acknowledge Kazakhstan's commitment and leadership in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 905 and I thank Minority Leader Pelosi and Majority Leader Boehner for bringing this timely resolution to the floor. Madam Speaker, I gladly yield 5 minutes to my dear friend and colleague from the great State of Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, how much more time do I have on this side?

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to commend the gentlewoman from Nevada for a most eloquent statement. And nothing pleases me more than to know that one of my colleagues has had personal experience in dealing with nuclear testing. I must say for the record I am probably one of the few Members who have ever visited the actual nuclear test sites. I have been to French Polynesia. I have been to Moruroa. It is not a very pleasant sight when you see a nuclear explosion like a flower, a beautiful array of colors, but very deadly. I have been to Semipalatinsk, ground zero, where the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear weapon in 1949. That place is still contaminated. So with 10,000 French Tahitians who were exposed to nuclear contamination, 1.5 million people of Kazakhstan exposed to nuclear contamination, several hundred Marshallese people exposed to nuclear contamination, Madam Speaker, I submit we have a moral obligation to help these people, to assist them with their medical needs. And, unfortunately, I must say my own government has not done a very good job in helping the people of the Marshall Islands, providing the best medical treatment that we can give. When that 15-megaton hydrogen bomb was exploded, there was no warning given to the people living in Rongelap and Utirik. And guess what? That nuclear cloud that came over as result of the explosion of this hydrogen bomb literally caused some very serious problems. I have talked to some of the women in the Marshall Islands. Five times they have had to have cancer operations of the lymph nodes. And this is just an example of our failure as a government to fulfill our responsibility to what we have done to these people in the Marshall Islands. And I want to say that I commend also the Government of Kazakhstan and all the efforts that they are making. I visited the hospitals, seen the nuclear victims and, sad to say, the cancer, the results of women not giving birth in normal cycles. This is very bad, and I sincerely hope that my colleagues and we as a government could be more responsible, especially in our responsibility to the people of the Marshall Islands. Madam Speaker, I have several documents of a symposium that was conducted December 16, 2003, here in Washington, D.C., and I will include in the Record the statement of Ambassador Kanat Saudabayev and a table also indicating the various nuclear explosions that had taken place since we started this madness in 1945 up until 1998. A realistic comparison to make here: We exploded a 15-megaton bomb. The Soviet Union exploded a 50-megaton hydrogen bomb in 1961, which was 3,333 times more powerful than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bombs that we exploded in Japan. You can just imagine what this means to the 1.5 million Kazaks who were exposed in this terrible, terrible time of our world's history, what the Soviet Union had done to these good people. Madam Speaker, again I want to thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from Florida for her support and management of this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Symposium Remarks by Kanat Saudabayev Hon. Senator Nunn, Congressmen Faleomavaega, Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, It is difficult to overestimate the pressing urgency of today's symposium; weapons of mass destruction and the desire by international terrorists to use them have become the most dangerous threat in the world. The people of Kazakhstan have experienced first-hand the devastating force of nuclear weapons. During four decades, the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear explosions at the world's largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk. The cumulative power output of these explosions equaled 2,500 Hiroshima-size bombs. More than 1.5 million people suffered from these tests in Kazakhstan, and vast territories became absolutely useless for life. That is why Kazakhstan made the unprecedented step in the history of the world, and became the first country to shut down a nuclear test site and renounce the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal. At that time this arsenal was larger than the nuclear weapons stockpiles of Great Britain, France and China combined. Kazakhstan had 1,040 nuclear warheads for intercontinental. ballistic missiles (ICBMs) 55-18 and 370 nuclear warheads for cruise missiles, and 40 strategic multipurpose bombers TU-95 to deliver them. Today, there are no nuclear weapons in Kazakhstan. The infrastructure of the test site has been demolished. This was possible due to close cooperation between our two countries during the past decade under the Nunn-Lugar Program. It could have been very different. In the early days of independence, there was no shortage of foreign emissaries asking our President to keep the nuclear weapons, saying that you are going to be the first and only Muslim nation with nuclear weapons and that you are going to be respected by the whole world. I must say that a significant portion of Kazakhstan's elite of that time were also in favor of keeping the nuclear arsenal. Today it would be fair to say that our renunciation of nuclear weapons was a courageous choice of historic significance by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The President convincingly tells the story of what was behind that choice in his book, Epicenter of Peace, which we present to you today. I must say that the book's first presentation in Washington was supposed to happen on September 11, 2001. The time that has passed since that tragic day has only confirmed and reinforced the urgent need to tackle the problems discussed in the book. Yet another argument against weapons of mass destruction and their proliferation is the photo exhibit, Kazakhstan: From Nuclear Nightmare to Epicenter of Peace, which you can see here. Today Kazakhstan strongly urges the world to follow our example and further reduce and eliminate nuclear arsenals as well as other weapons of mass destruction, and prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorists. This is the reason Kazakhstan has become a strong partner of the United States and the international coalition in the fight against terrorism from the very first days after the tragedy of September 11. We provide assistance to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Today our troops, the only ones. from our region, are taking part in the postwar stabilization and restoration of Iraq. I believe Kazakhstan's experience of cooperating with the United States in nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and eliminating the infrastructure that supports them provide meaningful answers to modern challenges. We are eager to further strengthen our cooperation with the United States and other nations who are interested in the prevention of further proliferation of WMDs. Today's forum, taking place in the U.S. Congress, a universally recognized citadel of democracy and freedom, is vivid proof of strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan and the U.S. to ensure security in the world. There are people in this room today who by the call of duty and the call of heart are committed to the ideal of nonproliferation and are doing everything possible to free the world of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The symposium has gained a special significance with the participation of outstanding statesmen such as senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar who established the famous Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. I believe their enormous contribution to global security has yet to be fully appreciated by the world. The Presidents of our two countries, George W. Bush and Nursultan Nazarbayev, support this symposium's goals and each sent a message. It is with great pleasure that I would like to carry out the honorable mission assigned to me by President Nursultan Nazarbayev and read out his message to the symposium.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I just have a couple of minutes and I want to yield to myself to again commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) for offering this legislation. We have a long way to go as far as the sport of soccer is concerned. I just wish that maybe if it wasn't so much into American football, our Nation could concentrate and focus on the fact that this is the number one sport in the world. And I am sure that if we turn our resources, our technology, our know-how into becoming competent and being really proactive in this support, maybe our own country could also be favored to be among the top players in this sport. It was interesting to note, Madam Speaker, that all the expectations were supposed to be on Brazil, and the great player Renaldo was supposed to give Brazil another World Cup. And then even Argentina was supposed to focus on this. But never was there any expectation that teams from Europe would dominate as they did, where Italy has now won this great sport. Madam Speaker, I did have the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) to come and also make a presentation, but unfortunately he is tied up with other meetings, but I am sure that he will have a separate statement to be submitted to be made part of the Record.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for the management of this legislation. Madam Speaker, just over a week ago I had the tremendous pleasure of watching the thrilling finale of the World Cup championship match in Germany. As the winning penalty kick zipped past the French goalkeeper, I felt the joy of millions of Italians as they celebrated their historic fourth World Cup victory. For that matter, the entire planet with billions of people witnessing this special event, the number one sport in the world, not American football, I beg to say, Madam Speaker. The Italians are known for the passion they exhibit in every endeavor they undertake. I cannot agree more with that. Whether it is in art, literature, mathematics, business or especially soccer, Italians all over the world pour their heart and soul into every task they assume. Madam Speaker, this passion has led great men like Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Constantino Brumidi, Enrico Fermi and captains of industry A.P. Giannini, to contribute to the rock-solid foundation on which this country is built. Not to mention some of my favorite singers, Mario Lanza, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, and the list goes on. This passion has also contributed mightily to the strong alliance between Italy and the United States since the end of World War II. Our bond with Italy kept the Soviet menace at bay during the decades of the Cold War. Today, Italy aids in the fight for democracy. Our Italian allies fight, bleed, and even die to bring democracy to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. This passion was unabashedly unleashed in the worldwide celebrations following the Italian national soccer team's historic victory in Germany. I, for one, reveled in the images of our Italian friends singing and dancing around the world. In all this praise for Italy and its fantastic soccer team, I would like to congratulate the fans who traveled to Germany to support their beloved Azzurri, as the national soccer team is known. During the month-long tournament, the fans were a model of civility and good spirits. Madam Speaker, the Italian fans, along with those from 31 other nations, enjoyed the beautiful country of Germany and all of its 64 thrilling soccer matches without any major incidents. Finally, I would like to commend those involved with the security of the World Cup tournament. As we all know, this kind of world gathering, unfortunately, presents potential terrorist opportunities as well as other dangers. The German Government and security officials performed magnificently, the venues were safe, and the atmosphere always enjoyable. This was an exciting month, capped off with an unforgettable ending for our longtime friends and allies, the Italian people. I strongly support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, in reference to H. Res. 905, I submit an address by Dr. Graham Allison, Professor at Harvard University and Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, presented on December 16, 2003 at a symposium entitled Kazakhstan: Reducing Nuclear Dangers, Increasing Global Security. Symposium Remarks (By Graham Allison) It is a great honor for me to participate in this happy event and to celebrate the twelfth birthday of Kazakhstan, and, as the Minister said, the tenth anniversary of Kazakhstan's participation in the Nunn-Lugar CTR Program. I want to congratulate Ambassador Saudabayev and his colleagues for putting together such a remarkable event, and President Nazarbayev for the actions that make it possible for us to celebrate this occasion. I am going to make four points. First, I want to agree strongly with Sam Nunn about the importance of the success of Kazakhstan. John Kennedy had a saying, which he would frequently observe, that ``success has a thousand fathers, or mothers, and failure is an orphan.'' If we are celebrating a success today, I would say this is a success of President Nazarbayev for a leadership that is truly remarkable and which one gets some sense for in his book, Epicenter of Peace. But I would also celebrate Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar for their initiative without which the events that we are celebrating surely would not have occurred. Without the Nunn-Lugar Program, an initiative undertaken by members of Congress, not by Administration, that put this issue front and center and provide the wherewithal to deal with it, the story of Kazakhstan, I believe, would have turned out differently. So I want to congratulate the two of them and to say what a remarkable process I believe this was. Historians have a hard time dealing with counterfactual. In fact for all of us when something has happened, it seems like, well, it almost had to happen. But let us imagine what might have been. Just imagine that a Kazakh leader, let's call him President Nazarbayev, sought to rest operational control of some 1,400 nuclear weapons, the fourth largest arsenal in the world, from former Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces' troops whose chain of command continued to run to Moscow. Would they have succeeded? Would Moscow have taken these efforts to seize operational effort as a casus belli and attacked these missile facilities or indeed Kazakhstan itself? Had a contest for control of the nuclear arsenals ensued, would some of these weapons have been fired? If so, since most of the warheads were mounted on ICBMs that had been programmed to hit and were targeted against the United States, millions of Americans could have suffered instant nuclear death. I had a great fortune to work in the first Clinton Administration on nuclear weapons issues. And I believe that without the courageous actions of President Nazarbayev, the Kazakh government and the cooperation of the U.S. and Russian government in that effort, and the US participation through the Nunn-Lugar Program, these events would not have occurred the way they did. That's my first point. Second point. I also wanted to support Sam Nunn in talking about Kazakhstan being too modest, I think, too reserved, too reticent about taking its example of nuclear disarmament to others. I was actually encouraged when Ambassador Saudabayev read the letter from President Nazarbayev and I am afraid I'm not quoting him exactly, but I think he said, ``Kazakhstan has earned the moral right to call on the world to follow its example.'' I think that's exactly correct. And I think if the Kazakh Government were a more active player with other governments, especially acting on the basis of the moral right that it has earned, the world would become a safer place. Who could better deal with Iran than Kazakhstan? President Nazarbayev knows Iranian leadership very well indeed. So who can explain to them the consequences of alternative path better than President Nazarbayev? So I thought that this has come to the point when Kazakhstan needs to be less modest and less reserved. It should be proud of what it accomplished becoming a nuclear-free nation. Thirdly. If the denuclearization of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus whose nuclear arsenal was eliminated was the signal success of the 1990s, I believe, the signal failure was the failure to capitalize on those events to push through a more general solution. In 1998 nuclear tests were conducted by India and Pakistan when they declared themselves nuclear weapons states. But could one of them turn to example provided by Kazakhstan, and Ukraine and Belarus, more, even more, becoming a platform or a foundation of a more global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism and to realize that the nuclear war could be lost? And I believe the answer is yes. So, my fourth and final point, especially for Christmas season, is a piece of good news. Good news that, I think, Sam has already suggested, but I would like to put slightly more provocatively. The unspoken and frequently unrecognized fundamental insight, I believe, is that nuclear terrorism is preventable. Nuclear terrorism is, in fact, preventable. In the absence of fissile material, either enriched uranium or plutonium, there could be no nuclear programs and, therefore, no nuclear terrorism. So, all that we have to do, all is a lot, but all that we have to do, is to prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear weapons or fissile materials for these weapons to develop. Fortunately, manufacturing or producing new highly enriched uranium or plutonium is a successive lengthy process that requires large and visible and indeed vulnerable facilities. Until now, all the fissile materials that currently exist were successfully protected. The technology for doing so already exists: Americans lose no gold from Fort Knox, nor does Russia lose items from the Kremlin Armory. So all that we have to do, and it's a lot, but all that we have to do is prevent production of new fissile material, lock down or eliminate all the fissile materials that currently exist. I have a piece in the current issue of the Foreign Affairs that is coming out next week, in which I make this argument at some length and propose a new doctrine of what I would call the ``Three No's'': 1. No new nuclear weapons. 2. No new programs, no new facilities for producing either enriched uranium or plutonium. 3. No new nuclear states. Kazakhstan, I think, is the best example of all three of these. There's no question that Kazakhstan can be a source of nuclear 9/11, because Kazakhstan has no nuclear weapons, it has no production facilities of either enriched uranium or plutonium, and it has no fissile material. I believe that is something that people with Nuclear Threat Initiative and Sam Nunn should be given credit for. And I congratulate our Kazakh partners for their extraordinary endeavor. Director of Harvard's major Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (BCSlA), Professor Graham Allison has for three decades been a leading analyst of U.S. national security and defense policy with a special interest in terrorism. As Assistant Secretary of Defense in the first Clinton Administration, Dr. Allison received the Defense Department's highest civilian award, the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, for ``reshaping relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan to reduce the former Soviet nuclear arsenal.'' This resulted in the safe return of more than 12,000 tactical nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics and the complete elimination of more than 4,000 strategic nuclear warheads previously targeted at the U.S. and left in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus when the Soviet Union disappeared. As Director of BCSlA, Dr. Allison has assembled a team of more than two dozen leading scholars and practitioners of national security to analyze terrorism in its multiple dimensions. Products include: Avoiding Nuclear Anarchy (1996), America's Achilles Heel: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack (1998), Catastrophic Terrorism (1998), and others. A 1995 Washington Post op-ed by Dr. Allison warned that: ``In the absence of a determined program of action, we have every reason to anticipate acts of nuclear terrorism before this decade is out.'' Dr. Allison was the organizer of the Commission on America's National Interests (1996 and 2000) that included leading Senators and national security specialists from across the country (former Senator Sam Nunn, Senators John McCain, Bob Graham, and Pat Roberts, Condoleezza Rice, Richard Armitage, Robert Ellsworth, and others). The Commission's work highlighted the threat of mega-terrorism as a major challenge to American national interest. Senator Roberts credited the work of the Commission as inspiration in his creating a Subcommittee on Emerging Threats of the Senate Armed Services Committee. At the initial session of that Subcommittee on March 11, 1999 he warned that there is ``a real opportunity for a handful of zealots to wreak havoc on a scale that hitherto only armies could obtain. Targets will be selected for their symbolic value, like the World Trade Center in the heart of Manhattan, because terrorists need to escalate their attacks, making each more spectacular and horrific than its predecessor. Dr. Allison is also a leading analyst of Russia and its transformation to democracy and market economy as well as an authority on the threat of loose nukes and weapons of mass destruction. He has written numerous articles and op-eds in the foremost journals and newspapers and is a sought-after speaker and commentator. Dr. Allison's seminal book, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, first published in 1971, and significantly revised and re-issued in 1999, ranks among the bestsellers in political science with more than 350,000 copies in print. Dr. Allison was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was educated at Davidson College; Harvard College (B.A., Magna Cum Laude, in History); Oxford University (B.A. and M.A., First Class Honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics); and Harvard University (Ph.D. in PoIitical Science).

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, in reference to H. Res. 905, I submit an address by Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, presented on December 16, 2003 at a symposium entitled Kazakhstan: Reducing Nuclear Dangers, Increasing Global Security. Symposium Keynote Address by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee It is a pleasure to be here today to celebrate the decision made by Kazakhstan to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear state. A little more than a decade ago, when the Soviet Union collapsed, Kazakhstan became the fourth largest nuclear power in the world. But instead of enlarging the nuclear club, Kazakhstan joined Ukraine and Belarus in turning away from weapons of mass destruction. Courageous leaders chose instead to embrace the NPT and the arms control process in eliminating offensive nuclear, chemical and biological arms from Kazakhstan. The world cheered when Kazakhstan became a non-nuclear state in November 1996. I am proud of the role the United States played in Kazakhstan's decision and of our role in facilitating the removal of thousands of nuclear warheads and the elimination of hundreds of SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles, silos, and command centers. The addition of three more nuclear weapons states would have been a devastating setback to the reduction of offensive nuclear arms around the world. historic significance Kazakhstan's wise and brave choice stands in stark contrast to events in India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Iran. In 1998, the world was shocked by the testing of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan. In January of this year, the international arms control process was again shaken by the departure of North Korea from the NPT. Last month, the world watched closely as the IAEA deliberated over Iran's numerous NPT violations amid Tehran's threats of withdrawal should the body seek to enforce the treaty's provisions. With these events in mind, the world should be especially appreciative of the course selected by Kazakhstan. Leaders in Almaty faced the same choices as their counterparts in New Delhi, Islamabad, Pyongyang, and Tehran. But instead of violating international norms and pursuing nuclear weapons, Kazakh leaders made the right choice. When searching for success stories, the international community should turn to Kazakhstan. The presence of dangerous weaponry in the states of the former Soviet Union was not a problem that the U.S. Government was prepared to deal with in 1991. Most decision- makers in Washington were highly skeptical of assisting the newly independent states in eliminating their inherited arsenals. In fact, many were opposed to committing funds to any program that seemed to benefit the former Soviet Union. The atmosphere was decidedly hostile to initiatives that focused on foreign problems. Americans were weary of the Cold War and the Gulf War. Both Congress and aspirants in the 1992 Presidential election had decided that attention to foreign concerns was politically a lowered priority. In this atmosphere, Senator Nunn and I proposed legislation to commit a portion of Defense Department resources each year to the cooperative dismantlement of the old Soviet arsenal. The House of Representatives had previously rejected a plan to commit one billion dollars to addressing the problems of the former Soviet Union. That outcome did not give Senator Nunn and me much of a springboard for our initiative. Yet we brought together a bipartisan nucleus of Senators who saw the problem as we did. Remarkably, the Nunn-Lugar Program was passed in the Senate by a vote of 86 to 8. It went on to gain approval in the House and was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. Many believed that the Nunn-Lugar Program would be a relatively simple affair wherein weapons would be quickly safeguarded and destroyed. But these efforts were far more complex than most expected. It wasn't until Sam Nunn and I took high-ranking Bush Administration officials with us on a trip to the former Soviet Union that executive branch implementation was accelerated and a strong commitment was established. At a cost of less than two-tenths of one percent of the annual U.S. defense budget, the Nunn-Lugar Program has facilitated the destruction of 520 ballistic missiles, 451 ballistic missile launchers, 7 mobile missile launchers, 122 bombers, 624 long-range nuclear air-launched cruise missiles, 408 submarine missile launchers, 445 submarine launched ballistic missiles, and 27 strategic missile submarines. It also has sealed 194 nuclear test tunnels. Most notably, 6,212 warheads that were on strategic systems aimed at the United States have been deactivated. To put this into perspective, Nunn-Lugar has dismantled more nuclear weaponry than the countries of Great Britain, France, and China currently possess in their stockpiles and arsenals combined. Nunn-Lugar also has undertaken previously-classified emergency missions in cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan to thwart proliferation. Project Sapphire is the best known. In the pre-dawn hours of November 20, 1994, as winter descended upon northeastern Kazakhstan, experts from the Departments of Defense and Energy took possession of enough highly enriched uranium to make between 20 and 30 nuclear weapons. Two U.S. C-5 cargo planes then flew 20 hours with five mid-air refuelings, to deliver the material safely to the United States and prevent it from falling into the hands of rogue states or terrorist cells. Nunn-Lugar also assisted Kazakhstan in eliminating the former Soviet nuclear weapons testing complex. The Degelen Mountain Test Tunnel Complex and Balapan were the sites of hundreds of nuclear weapons tests throughout the Cold War. In close cooperation with Kazakh partners, the Nunn-Lugar Program systematically dismantled the complex and sealed nearly 200 nuclear test tunnels and shafts. These facilities will never again contribute to the weapons systems that threatened the world during the Cold War. More recently, the Nunn-Lugar Program concluded an agreement with Kazakhstan to raze to the ground the world's largest anthrax production and weaponization facility. Stepnogorsk, built by the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, will be completely eliminated and decontaminated. The Nunn-Lugar Program has already eliminated or dismantled equipment necessary for the production of biological weapons. But now we will take the additional step of razing the weapons-related buildings to the ground. Currently, American contractors are removing windows, non-load bearing walls, and other debris and disposing of it prior to the commencement of demolition. Each building will be contained and eliminated in a secure and ecologically safe manner.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I certainly would like to thank the gentleman from Missouri for offering me this opportunity to say a few words in support of this resolution. I certainly want to extend my commendation to the gentlewoman from California for being the chief sponsor of this bill, and I regret to say I should have been an original cosponsor, and I want to be on record that I want to be on as an original cosponsor of this resolution. Madam Speaker, August 6, 1525 means a lot to the Salvadoran Americans in our country. As the gentlewoman from California said earlier, we almost have a million fellow Americans whose ancestry is from El Salvador. On August 6, 1525, the official founding of Villa De San Salvador was declared in the Valle de las Hamacas, or the Valley of the Hammocks, where the indigenous ancestors of El Salvador fought historic battles against the submission and abuse of Spanish colonialism in order to preserve the life and liberty of the Cuscatleco population. This is very significant and important, Madam Speaker, and I certainly want to say that we truly are a Nation of immigrants. Whether you be from South America, and even if you are from Ireland, we can never forget the problems there, the people starving to death, and there was the Irish potato. Madam Speaker, I don't know why you call it the Irish potato; potato came from America, and that is what saved millions of our fellow Irish people coming over here to this country. The interesting thing about it, too, is I have been to Central America and I have been to El Salvador, and I say that for good reason, millions of these people coming from Latin America come to this country why? Because they love freedom, they seek opportunity for jobs, and want the best America has to offer. What's wrong with that? I think this resolution signifies the importance that we should recognize not only the presence of our fellow Salvadoran Americans, but also the contributions that they made to this great country. Again, I commend the gentlewoman from California for proposing this resolution and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my dear colleague and chairman of the Asia Pacific Subcommittee on International Relations, the distinguished gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), for his authorship of this important resolution. Mr. Speaker, as the world's oldest democracy, the American Government rarely takes the time to mark important events in the lives of the world's few remaining monarchs. The key decisions affecting the livelihood of nations and the stability of the world system are made in the halls of parliaments and in the offices of presidents and prime ministers around the world. But a handful of the world's monarchs continue to play a critically important role in the lives of their nations, and are worthy of our praise and admiration. The King of Thailand is just such a monarch. As Thailand celebrates the 60th anniversary of the King's ascension to the throne, it is important to remember the King's many contributions to the prosperity and stability of our closest ally in Southeast Asia. While Thailand is governed by democratically elected parliament and prime minister, the King has kept a firm hand on the tiller of the nation. After a military coup in 1992 in which hundreds of Thai citizens were killed in the streets of Bangkok, the King summoned the general to a nationally televised audience. The Thai people watched as the general crawled across a carpet to the feet of the monarch where he was promptly upbraided for his actions which threatened the stability of the nation. The general promptly resigned and democracy was restored. Just over the past few months the King again has played an important role in resolving a political crisis which had led to large street demonstrations in Bangkok. After strong words from the King, Thailand's judiciary moved to approve a new round of national elections in which all of the major political parties will participate. The King's ability to influence the outcome of these two events is directly related to the enormous esteem in which he is held by the good people of Thailand. The Thais, from all walks of life, greatly respect and admire the King and give much credence to his words as well as his actions. Thailand's democratic development under the King's leadership has greatly enhanced U.S.-Thai relations. Our two nations remain treaty allies, and Thailand was designated as a major non-NATO ally in 2003. Mr. Speaker, Thailand also made significant contributions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq and has participated in many vital United Nations peacekeeping missions. Economic ties between the United States and Thailand have also grown significantly over the past decade. With the passage of this resolution, Congress not only commemorates the 60th anniversary of the King's ascension to the throne, it also celebrates the strength of the U.S.-Thai relationship and Thailand's many contributions to regional and international security. It has been my personal experience also, you know who your friends are, and I remember this as a Vietnam veteran, Thailand was there and stood with us. It might also be of interest to our colleagues, it so happens that the number one golfer in the world's mother is from Thailand, Mr. Tiger Woods. With that, Mr. Speaker, I know that our relationship between our two nations could not be closer. And again, I commend the gentleman from Iowa for introducing this resolution. I also want to commend the chairman of our committee, Mr. Hyde, and our senior ranking member, Mr. Lantos, for their support and leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to commend the distinguished chairman of the International Relations Committee, Mr. Hyde, and the senior ranking member, Mr. Lantos, for their support of this legislation that was introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts). Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. The breakup of the Soviet empire in the early 1990s jolted the international political system and fundamentally changed the course of global history. More than a dozen new nations emerged from the ruins of the Soviet Union, stretching from the heart of Europe to deep in Central Asia. While the dissolution of the Soviet Union greatly advanced the progress of democracy and human rights, this forward march was not without setbacks. Looking at the map today, half of the nations formerly within the Soviet orbit have truly embraced democracy, human rights and economic reform, while others continue to struggle with debilitating other totalitarian regimes. Mr. Speaker, since their first steps towards freedom from the firm grasp of the Soviet Union in 1990, the Mongolian people have strongly embraced democracy and human rights. They took to the streets in the bitter cold to force the Mongolian Communist Party from power, and quickly replaced it with a democratically elected government. Since 1990, Mongolia has held several rounds of free and fair elections for president and parliament. While the rapid development of democratic institutions has not been without growing pains, the government of Mongolia remains a strong and vibrant democracy which has sought to play a responsible role in the global community. With a newly shared commitment to democracy, the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mongolia has flourished over the last decade and a half. Mongolia has contributed troops, engineers and medical personnel to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and helped to train units of the Afghan National Army. The United States has also provided over $150 million in assistance to the Mongolia people since 1991. Mongolia is now eligible for funding from the Millennium Challenge Account, and it is our strong hope that a compact with Mongolia will be signed in the near future. Ties between the United States and Mongolia were further solidified by visits to Mongolia in 2005 by the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. The United States and Mongolia have also shared a commitment to working for freedom for the Tibetan people. As a Buddhist nation, Mongolia has twice welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama, despite enormous pressure from Beijing to prevent this from happening. Mongolia's willingness to resist China's strong-arm tactics demonstrates the nation's deep-seated commitment to human rights and religious freedom. Mr. Speaker, since it emerged from the iron clutch of the Soviet Union in 1990, Mongolia has been a good friend and ally of our Nation. With passage of this resolution introduced by my good friend, Mr. Pitts, Congress will further signal its support for even stronger ties between our two nations. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood. I am pleased that this body can play a small role in commemorating this important and significant anniversary in the lives of the people of Mongolia. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for introducing this legislation. It was my personal privilege to know personally the previous ambassador of Mongolia to the United States, and I have known him for several years as he made every effort to establish a relationship between our two nations. Again, I commend my good friend from Pennsylvania for introducing this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Chairman, I first would like to express my appreciation to Chairman Bonilla and our senior ranking member, Ms. DeLauro, for allowing me this opportunity to introduce this amendment on behalf of my colleagues, the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno), the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo), and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank the distinguished chairman and the ranking member for their support of my amendment. Mr. Chairman, the bill as reported by the committee provides five hundred thousand dollars for the Resident Instruction Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in the Insular Areas. Our amendment would increase this amount by two hundred thousand dollars for a total of seven hundred thousand dollars for this program. The Resident Instruction Grants Program is a competitively-awarded program administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Program is authorized by Section 7503 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. Resident Instruction Grants, as described by C-S-R-E-E-S, are designed to promote and strengthen the ability of institutions in the insular areas to carry out teaching and education programs within the food and agricultural sciences and related disciplines. This Program helps the land-grant institutions in the territories meet their unique needs by strengthening their institutional educational capacities in instruction and curriculum, and by enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. Funding this program at a more sufficient level will allow for a more efficient use of existing educational funds by the institutions in the territories. Partnerships between faculties at insular area and mainland institutions can be forged with continued and increased funding for this program. The amendment would reduce the amount appropriated for the National Research Initiative competitive grants program by a corresponding amount to ensure budget neutrality. The NRI is slated to receive roughly a five percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2006 level under this bill. The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed this amendment and determined that it is budget neutral. Adoption of this amendment would fund the Resident Instruction Grants Program at an amount closer to what my colleagues from the territories and I have requested in this cycle. The additional two hundred thousand that this amendment would provide is still below the amount my colleagues and I originally requested. This figure is also below the amount recommended for this program by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. Mr. Chairman, for the past three fiscal years my colleagues and I have requested a level of funding for this program proportional to the level provided under this bill for historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal colleges. The land grant institutions in our districts, in ways similar to the 1890 and 1994 institutions, are underserved and have unique needs that deserve to be addressed. We have written to the subcommittee chairman and to the ranking member to request their support for the Resident Instruction Grants Program. We have done so most recently as of last week regarding this specific amendment, a version of which was preprinted in the May 16 Congressional Record by my colleague from Guam, Ms. Bordallo. We are grateful Mr. Chairman that Chairman Bonilla has recognized the unique needs of the land-grant institutions in the insular areas. He understands their potential to contribute more substantially with USDA support to national agricultural research missions. This Program was first funded two years ago with the support of Chairman Bonilla and our colleague from Ohio, Ms. Kaptur. This program is important to strengthening the curriculum in the agricultural and food sciences in the territories. The territorial colleges were designated by Congress in 1972 as part of the land grant university system, and are considered 1862 institutions. They include American Samoa Community College, the University of Guam, the University of the Virgin Islands, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Northern Marianas College, and the College of Micronesia in Palau, Pohnpei, and the Marshall Islands. The institutions in the territories do not have the advantage of housing long-established and historically well-funded agricultural and food science programs as do many of the flagship programs within the 1862 institutions. Our institutions boast a much smaller faculty and student enrollment compared with the most reputable 1862 institutions on the U.S. mainland. Our institutions also do not have the capability and capacity, from an institutional perspective, to effectively compete for National Research Initiative dollars at the national level. The inherent disadvantages experienced by our institutions are significant concerns from a policy standpoint. We seek to address these concerns with the amendment. The amendment simply recognizes that the 1972 community--the land grant in the territories--should have the ability to compete amongst themselves for research and instruction grants. This amendment would afford them that opportunity. I hope the gentleman from Texas, Chairman Bonilla, and the gentle lady from Connecticut, Ms. DeLauro, can support this amendment and, provided that it is adopted, will work to support this increased level of funding in conference with the other body. I thank the gentleman from Texas for committing the first funds for this program two years ago and for his continued support of the land- grant colleges in the territories. I also want to thank Mr. Chairman, the Ranking Member for her support, as well as the assistance of Martin Delgado and Martha Foley of the subcommittee staff. This program is important to us and to our institutions in the territories. We hope we can strengthen the Resident Instruction Grants Program in future years, but we recognize that the modest increase proposed by this amendment is a good start. I urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Senate bill 1235, the Veterans Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006, and I thank my colleagues for including my provision which makes it possible for Samoan or Hawaiian or Native American veterans to qualify for VA home loans. In 1992, as a result of the leadership of the chairman and ranking members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee of both Houses, we were able to establish a pilot program in 1992 which became Public Law 102-547, making it possible for Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and American Samoans to qualify for VA home loans. One of the problems that was encountered by the thousands of Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and American Samoans was the fact that they were not able to get any commercial loans because they lived in reservations for Native Americans; they lived in reservations for Native Hawaiians. They lived in homestead lands. For my people, they lived in communally owned lands. What this legislation does is it simply allows these people to participate in this important program. I especially want to thank Chairman Steve Buyer and Ranking Member Lane Evans of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and also Chairman John Boozman and Ranking Member Stephanie Herseth of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, and Mary Ellen McCarthy, Democratic Staff Director for Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, for their support and tireless efforts in making this possible. I also want to thank the VA for assisting the Veterans' Affairs Committee and my office in drafting the appropriate language to make this a go. Mr. Speaker, as we approach Memorial Day to remember and honor our military men and women who have died in serving our Nation during a time of war, I believe Senate bill 1235 is a fitting tribute to the veterans who are still with us. And I am especially pleased that this legislation provides my district's veterans with the housing opportunities and other benefits that they deserve. For this reason, I again thank my colleagues and I sincerely ask my colleagues to approve this legislation.