Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the life of San Mateo City Councilman Gary Yates, one of the city's most talented and effective public servants, who passed away suddenly last weekend at the age of only 54 years. During his quarter-century as a San Mateo City resident, Gary served his community in many capacities, from mayor to president of the local homeowners association. Gary was, however, far more than just an officeholder; he was a dedicated advocate for the needs and interests of all the citizens of the City of San Mateo. He championed initiatives to improve paramedic response times; worked to make city government more efficient by expanding the use of performance bonuses; fought to maintain the beauty of the City of San Mateo by authoring a successful ballot measure to limit the height and density of buildings; and spent countless hours solving public problems both large and small. Mr. Speaker, Gary Yates deserves credit for helping to make the City of San Mateo one of the most pleasant cities places in America to live. Gary Yates was a dear friend, and it was an honor and a pleasure for me to work with him on a number of issues of importance to the people of the City of San Mateo over the past two decades. His daughter, Dana, served ably as an intern in my office. I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to Gary's wife, Linda, and his entire family. Mr. Speaker, yesterday morning the San Mateo County Times eloquently recounted the outstanding legacy that Gary Yates has left to his community, his friends, and his family. I ask that this editorial be placed in the Record. Yates Will Be Missed San Mateo County Times, May 24, 2000 With the untimely death of City Councilman Gary Yates on Sunday, San Mateo has lost a politician, a civic-minded citizen, a friend. Yates was a man who, in the words of City Manager Arne Croce, ``lived and breathed this community.'' Yates, 54, served on the council since 1993. But his community involvement stretched back 25 years before that when the San Francisco-born man chose San Mateo as his home town. Yates became involved with local issues as a member of the Fiesta Gardens Homes Association, and was later president of the umbrella organization, San Mateo United Homeowners Association. He served as mayor in 1996 and would have held the office again next year. Yates was remembered by his colleagues on the council as a mediator who could disagree without rancor and always had the community's best interests in mind. He respected the council's decisions, even when votes didn't go his way. He was also a strong advocate for public safety, pushing for Advanced Life Support paramedic services countywide and convincing city residents to pass a bond measure funding seismic retrofits at the police and fire stations. Today, when lots of cities can't even get enough candidates together to hold a contested council election, and many residents are too busy with work and family to get involved in local issues, someone with Yates' dedication to civic life is rare indeed. Gary Yates will be missed most by his wife, Linda, and his children, Jeff, Dana and Alicia. But the loss echoes throughout San Mateo, which has one less leader and advocate.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers and its dedicated staff. Since its inception seven years ago, the Coalition has been the driving force behind the international grassroots campaign to return Israel's missing soldiers to their families. The Coalition's efforts, both in the United States and abroad, have jarred the conscience of the international community on behalf of American citizen Zachary Baumel and other missing Israeli soldiers. The single-minded dedication of this organization to assisting these soldiers, who were all but forgotten by the international community, has thrust the issue once again onto the international agenda. In particular, Mr. Speaker, I want to note the successful lobbying efforts of the Coalition for legislation which I introduced in the Congress last year--H.R. 1175, ``a bill to Locate and Secure the Release of Zachary Baumel, an American Citizen, and Other Israeli Soldiers Missing in Action.'' Some one hundred Members of the House joined as cosponsors of this legislation, and ultimately the bill passed with the unanimous support of both the House and Senate. It was signed into law by President Clinton last November. I took this action in order to raise the priority of this issue in American foreign policy and to facilitate a more concerted effort to bring closure on this matter after eighteen frustrating years. Mr. Speaker, Israel is our closest ally in the region, and some years ago Israel played a major role in securing the release of American hostages being held in Lebanon. Now it is fitting that we repay this debt and take meaningful action on behalf of Israel's missing soldiers. Success in this endeavor can only strengthen American initiatives in the Middle East by creating an atmosphere that can make Middle East peace a reality. On June 4th of this year, Mr. Speaker, the Coalition is sponsoring ``An Evening of Conscience'' Dinner in Jerusalem. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Coalition great success at this upcoming event and recognize the leadership and staff of the Coalition for the remarkable work that has been done by Coalition Chairman Daniel Eisen, and the Coalition staff members: Brigitte Silverberg, Reya Eisen, Daniel Ehrlich, Daniel Grisarou, Gittel Davis, Gedalya Gower, and the Coalition's Washington representatives Alyza D. Lewin and Vicki Iseman. Mr. Speaker, it is my sincere hope that Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz, and Ron Arad will soon be home with their families and that the dedicated staff of the Coalition will be able to find other uses for their many talents.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations status is unwise, unprincipled, and counterproductive. American multi-national corporations are realistic enough to understand that most of them will never sell anything in China. They will create production platforms taking advantage of cheap labor and non-existent health, safety, and environmental regulations to replace American men and women who work for a living wage in the United States. In our economic relations with China, it is we who have the leverage, not the Chinese. They have a $70 billion trade surplus with the United States--and this surplus is vital for their military armament plans and their economic progress. We have all the cards but pretend to be impotent. Mr. Speaker, fig leaves have a noble function in Greek sculpture-- they conceal valuable and at times indispensable parts. The ``Commission'' proposed in this legislation gives a bad name to fig leaves. We have governmental and private studies overflowing our desks, all proving the outrageous human rights abuses, violations of religious freedom, and the denial of political discourse that permeate China. No one in his or her right mind believes for a moment that yet another commission will have any impact on the dictatorial regime in Beijing. China's victory in this struggle today, however, will be carefully studied and imitated by the new KGB-trained President of Russia. Our ability to advocate pluralism, religious freedom, and political liberties in Russia will be profoundly crippled by the hypocrisy of this debate today. President Putin will have no trouble learning the lesson that what we really care about is stability and investment opportunities. All the rhetoric about liberty, freedom of the press, and religious freedom is just that--sheer rhetoric with no substance. Mr. Speaker, China already has Normal Trade Relations with the United States. This measure on which we are voting today merely protects this repulsive regime from an annual debate in the Congress, which over the past decade has pointed out China's serious shortcomings. Now the government in Beijing will have a free ride.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, there are four basic points I would like to make. First, I want to join the majority leader and my other colleagues in commending the State of Israel for withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon. These forces were inserted into southern Lebanon in the first place because there were cross-border raids resulting in the death and mutilation of large numbers of Israelis, adults as well as children. The Israeli forces were in southern Lebanon not as an occupying force. Israel did not covet a single square inch of Lebanese territory. They were there as a buffer to protect the northern communities of the State of Israel from terrorist attacks. I want to particularly commend Prime Minister Barak, Israel's most highly decorated soldier, for having the courage and taking the initiative in withdrawing these forces. Too, Mr. Speaker, we now have to ask Lebanon to act like a sovereign and independent country. Lebanon has a sizable military. That military now must move to the southern border of Lebanon, as any other country would do, so that the Lebanese military will protect its own territory. It is unacceptable that terrorist groups such as Hezbollah maintain control over the border region. Should that happen, it is easy to predict that a conflagration is just around the corner with incalculable consequences. So the second thing we in this Congress must call for is for Lebanon to accept its own responsibility as a sovereign nation and to protect its own southern border. The third point, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make relates to Syria. Syria has had over 30,000 troops in Lebanon for years. The excuse for the stationing of such a huge Syrian military force in Lebanon was the presence in southern Lebanon of Israeli forces. That presence no longer exists. Let me repeat. That presence no longer exists. There is not a single Israeli soldier left on Lebanese territory. I call upon President Asad to remove all of his forces from Lebanon. There is no justification in the 21st century for a neighbor to have occupying forces in a sovereign country. Syrian forces must forthwith withdraw from Lebanon if, indeed, a regional peace is to be built. My final comment, Mr. Speaker, relates to the United Nations. The United Nations has about 4,500 troops in southern Lebanon. Some of these troops have been effective in policing. Some of the United Nations forces have performed their responsibilities well. Others have not. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, whom we will welcome here tomorrow for lunch, now has the task of persuading the Security Council to send an additional United Nations force made up of dependable national contingents to assist in the policing of southern Lebanon. If these things happen, Mr. Speaker, we might look forward to the restoration of peace and stability between the state of Israel and the state of Lebanon. May I say on a personal note, Mr. Speaker, that my first trip to Lebanon was in 1956. In the 1960s, I was asked to assume the Presidency of the American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon used to be referred to as the Switzerland of the Middle East and justifiably so. I hope that the Lebanese government will show the responsibility and the courage to move in this crisis. If they do, a new future will be opened to the Lebanese people who certainly deserve it, and peace between Lebanon and Israel will follow the peace that was established between Egypt and Israel and Jordan and Israel. Once the Lebanese-Israeli peace is at long last established, President Asad of Syria will recognize that he, too, has this option to make peace with his neighbor Israel so that, at long last, this region can live in peace.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of my colleagues to a special remembrance during May of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. I would especially like to express appreciation and respect for Asian/Pacific Americans and their invaluable contributions to our country. Asian/Pacific Americans are an integral part of the diversity of this country. Mr. Speaker, the greatness of this country rests upon all its members embracing both the common bond of freedom and democracy, and equally, the fact that nearly all Americans are either immigrants themselves or descendants of immigrants, participating in a country and society of remarkable history and myriad cultural traditions. The Asian American community itself reflects the wonderful diversity of this country. Southeast Asians, South Asians, East Asians, and Pacific Islanders are all groups which have faced different obstacles and overcome different odds to their lives as Americans. The term Asian/Pacific American encompasses such a wide range of categories that it is doubly ironic that they have faced so many stereotypes, damaging assumptions, and injustices, in this country. Mr. Speaker, our country witnessed the honorable service of those patriotic Japanese American soldiers who fought in World War II, while their family members and friends were forced into internment camps. We should never forget the loyalty of Hmong veterans, Chinese-Americans who gave their lives building railroads across this country, South-Asian immigrants denied equal employment opportunities, and those Asian/ Pacific Americans who were the innocent victims of hate crimes. Despite the struggle that Asian/Pacific Americans have faced in this country, they have been among our nation's finest and greatest contributors, scientifically, economically, artistically, and politically. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely fortunate to work side-by-side with such great Asian/Pacific-Islander contributors as Congressman Faleomavaega, Robert Matsui, Patsy Mink, David Wu, and also, Mr. Underwood. They are not the only Asian Pacific-Islander leaders of note. I am especially privileged to work with such great humanitarians as Bill Lann Lee, the Acting Assistant Attorney General of Civil Rights and Harold Koh the Assistant Secretary of Democracy, Labor, and Human Rights. By appointing more Asian Pacific Americans than any former President has, President Clinton has, I hope, only begun what will become an increasing trend in political appointments. Mr. Speaker, there is a long list of Asian/Pacific Americans who have contributed intellectually and culturally to this country. Perhaps some of the most inspired and famous of these contributors are Asian/Pacific American women. ABC news correspondent Connie Chung has been a respected media presence for years. Doris Matsui, who is the current Deputy Assistant to the President has long been a prominent public service figure. Architect Maya Lin has given America an unforgettable monument to the Vietnam War. Writers Iris Chang, Jhumpa Lahiri, winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and Janice Mirikatani, the current Poet Laureate of San Francisco have gained wide-spread critical and popular recognition for their work. Two years ago, Kalpana Chawla became the first Indian American astronaut in space. Mr. Speaker, Asian/Pacific American women have truly taken the public spotlight with their accomplishments and courage. On a national level, we are all familiar with the scientific work of Dr. David Ho, an innovative researcher who has battled to fight the AIDS virus. Throughout the world, Mr. Speaker, we have the privilege of being surrounded by breath-taking architecture, and among the most amazing buildings are the exquisite structures which reflect the visions of I.M. Pei--the magnificent East Wing of the National Gallery of Art here in Washington, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, the entrance to the Louvre in Paris, and many others. Across the United States, people have been moved by the thoughtful essays of Ronald Takaki, the memoir-based fiction of Chang-Rae Lee, and the musical inspiration of Zubin Mehta and Yo-Yo Ma. We are all awed by the strength and grace of athletes such as Michelle Kwan, former 49er Jesse Sapolu, and golfer Tiger Woods. Mr. Speaker, I especially wanted to highlight three wonderful Asian/ Pacific American heroes in my home district of San Mateo/San Francisco. They are Alice Bulos, an activist for Filipino-American issues, Ann Ito, the co-founder of the League of Women Voters, and David Louie a premiere reporter seen on the local Channel 7 News. Mr. Speaker, these local pioneers are incredible contributors to the cultural vitality of the San Francisco Bay Area and an integral part of the active Asian/ Pacific American population which is a hallmark of the Bay Area. Mr. Speaker, to individually recognize each of the Asian/Pacific Americans who have made outstanding civic and social contributions to this society would be an endless task. However, I believe that this month we should take the time to understand and realize that every Asian/Pacific American in this country has faced varying levels of ignorance and harmful bias in this country. It is our duty as Members of Congress to fight against any intolerance or prejudice in this country and to congratulate the achievements of Asian/Pacific Americans which are, in the light of the past and present injustices perpetrated against them, especially triumphant. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join with me in celebrating the stirring history and the breath-taking diversity that Asian/Pacific Americans have given to this country.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago, here on Capitol Hill, our outstanding Secretary of State, Madeleine K. Albright, and the National Endowment for Democracy, joined by a number of Members of Congress marked the 10th anniversary of the election victory of Burma's National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi in free Burmese elections in May 1990. Shortly after that democratic victory, the Burmese military annulled the results of the election and seized power in a military coup. After the military crackdown against the victors of the democratic election, supporters of the National League for Democracy were arrested and many were forced to flee their homeland. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest, and has been harassed and intimidated by the vicious and brutal military dictatorship. In appropriate recognition of her peaceful struggle for democratic change in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The continued military harassment of Ms. Suu Kyi was so intense and bitter that she refused to leave Burma last year when she learned that her husband was dying of cancer in the United Kingdom. It was clear that the military junta would not permit her to return to Burma if she had left. Aung San Suu Kyi was able to speak to the gathering only via a videotaped message, but she expressed thanks to the United States and other countries for ``supporting us in our endeavor to have the results of the 1990 elections recognized at this time, when the military regime are trying hard to pretend that the results of the elections are no longer valid.'' Mr. Speaker, in marking this important Burmese anniversary last week, Secretary Albright delivered an impassioned message of support for Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese patriots of the National League for Democracy. Secretary Albright said: ``We renew our commitment to Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy. As long as you struggle, we will do all we can to assist. And we know that you will not stop struggling until you prevail.'' Mr. Speaker, that spirit truly pervades the position of the Administration, the Congress, and the American people toward the repressive regime in Burma and toward the heroine, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has the courage and integrity to stand up against that vicious anti-democratic military junta. In her outstanding speech, Secretary Albright strongly reaffirmed the American commitment to the people of Burma. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Secretary Albright's entire speech be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give serious attention to her thoughtful remarks. Remarks at National Endowment for Democracy Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Thank you very much, Carl, and I am truly pleased to be here today for this event, and I am very pleased to be here with my good friend, Ambassador Vondra, Ambassador Jayanama, and the members of Congress who just left. But I'm very glad they were here. Congressman Pelosi and Congressman Kucinich, Congressman Lantos and Congressmen Payne and Porter. And they have really been wonderful supporters of democracy and I'm always very pleased to be able to work with them. And there are so many other distinguished colleagues, guests and friends who are here. The National Endowment for Democracy is one of my favorite institutions. And I think Carl explained why. It has pioneered the use of our own civil society to work with supporters of democracy from other countries and cultures. It's had extraordinary success in helping democracy-builders learn from each other by sharing experiences across national lines. And by so doing has helped to give global impetus to the movement to democracy. The Open Society Institute and the Institute for Asian Democracy provide further evidence that the desire to choose one's own leaders freely and without fear is indeed a universal human aspiration. It is also a universal human right. Today, we assemble to mark the tenth anniversary of the last time that right was exercised by the people of Burma, and to pay tribute to the overwhelming winner of those elections, the National League for Democracy, and to its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. As many of you know, Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of the late Aung San, the hero of Burmese independence. She was educated abroad, but in 1988, returned to Burma. This was a period of turbulence, but after years of military rule, a democratic opening did, in fact, seem possible. Although reluctant at first, Aung San Suu Kyi began to speak out with fearless eloquence, and to electrifying effect. As a result, the 1990 elections were a rout. The NLD won more than 80% of the Parliamentary seats contested. But instead of respecting the people's voice, the military tried to silence it. The authorities consolidated their own powers, threw dozens of elected representatives in jail, and drove others into exile. Aung San Suu Kyi, herself, spent more than five years under house arrest. Some time ago, when I was serving as US Permanent Representative to the UN, I traveled to Burma. I met with General Khin Nyunt, head of the military intelligence. We didn't get along very well. According to the General, the authorities are saving Burma from chaos by imposing stability upon an ethnically diverse population. Thus, he said, the government is not only respected by the Burmese, but loved. ``After all'', he said, ``our people smile all the time.'' I replied that, under repressive regimes, people may smile, but they do so out of fear, not happiness. And no true nation can be built on fear. This is also Aung San Suu Kyi's core message. She has written that it is ``not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.'' As Carl mentioned, I did meet Aung San Suu Kyi in 1995. I went to Rangoon immediately after the Women's Conference in Beijing. And she and I, I must say, hit it off immediately. She is a remarkable woman of fragile beauty and inner strength, and I admire her more than almost anyone that I have met. People often ask me about the symbolism of my jewelry. Well, today here the freedom light and here is a necklace that Aung San Suu Kyi gave me. And if in any way she would know that, I would be very pleased. She is a wonderful person who has kept the spirit alive. She is using the tenth anniversary of elections to renew her call for a dialogue aimed at returning her country to democracy. The authorities have responded with a new wave of arrests and slanders. In a sense, the battle of wills between Aung San Suu Kyi and the government is grossly unequal. The military has all the weapons of coercion. So each time Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to her supporters in Burma, she is vulnerable. Each time she expresses outrage about the lack of opportunities available to Burmese children, or the decline in education, the spread of disease, the loss of freedom--she is vulnerable. And each time she records a videotape of the type we just watched, she is vulnerable. Always, she is vulnerable. We, here in the United States, cannot change that. But we can ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi and her Burmese allies are never alone, for their bravery and sacrifice are part of a larger struggle that has engaged the energies and courage of humankind for generations. After all, Gandhi was vulnerable when he told a Court in colonial India that ``non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good.'' In fighting apartheid, Mandela was vulnerable. In defending Jewish emigration, Shcharansky was vulnerable. In asserting her rights, Rosa Parks was vulnerable. The struggle for freedom is never easy and never over. Progress depends on courageous leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi, and on those willing to undergo hardships and grave risks such as the members of the NLD. It also depends on us. Vaclav Havel, who endorsed Aung San Suu Kyi for the Nobel Prize, has told me many times how important it was for those struggling to bring freedom to Central and Eastern Europe to know they had friends around the globe. Last year, the National Endowment helped bring together the World Movement for Democracy in New Delhi. Next month, the United States will participate in a Community of Democracies conference in Warsaw. And our purpose is to see that the democratic tide remains a rising tide around the world, by helping those who have gained freedom to sustain it, and by expressing solidarity with the efforts of those who seek freedom to secure it. Today, we renew our call to the authorities in Rangoon to abide by the democratic wishes of their people; and to free political prisoners, end torture, fight narcotics production, and halt forced labor. We renew our commitment to Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League of Democracy. As long as you struggle, we will do all we can to assist. And we know that you will not stop struggling until you prevail. The yearning for freedom is relentless. The walls it cannot overwhelm, it will nevertheless erode. And I am confident the day will come when Burma is free. And Aung San Suu Kyi's democratic dream will become a reality through the inspiration of his daughter, the bravery of the Burmese people, and the support of those who love liberty around the world. I thank you all very much for participating in this event because I think that for Aung San Suu Kyi to know that there are people all over that support her must be a source of strength to her. She a truly remarkable woman, and we owe her a great deal. Thank you very much.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, May 4, Members of Congress joined with representatives of the diplomatic corps, executive and judicial branch officials and hundreds of Holocaust survivors and their families to commemorate the Days of Remembrance in the rotunda of the United States Capitol. The theme of this year's commemoration was ``The Holocaust and the New Century: The Imperative to Remember.'' After more than half a century, Mr. Speaker, we must still commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust in order to honor the memory of those victims of Hitler's twisted tyranny. At the same time, we must mark this catastrophe because mankind still has not learned the lessons of this horror, as evidenced most recently by the mass killings in Kosovo. Mr. Speaker, David Ivry, Israeli Ambassador to the United States delivered a moving address at this year's Day of Remembrance ceremony. I ask that Ambassador Ivry's remarks at the Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Capitol be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give them thoughtful consideration. David Ivry was appointed Israeli Ambassador to the United States in January 2000. From 1977 to 1982, he held the rank of Major General and Commander of the Israel Air Force. Ambassador Ivry is a graduate of Technion University, where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Aeronautical Engineering. He has held many governmental posts, most recently serving as Israel's National Security Advisor and Head of the National Security Council. He and his wife Ofra have three children and two grandchildren. Remarks of David Ivry, Israeli Ambassador to the United States His Excellency, Goran Persson Prime, Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr. Chairman, honored Members of Congress, diplomatic colleagues and friends: ``Yizkor--remember.'' The act of remembering has always been a basic principle for the Jewish people. In order to remember, the Jewish people have a traditional prayer called the Yizkor, which is recited around the world today. The word Yizkor is in the future tense. It teaches us that the act of remembering the past goes beyond the present and pushes humankind into the future. My father left Czechoslovakia when Hitler came to power. He reached Israel in 1934 and that is where I was born. Our house contains an album with photos of many members of my family who perished in the Shoah. Few understood the danger. Few believed that such a tragedy could take place. Few imagined that the human mind could conceive such a twisted path. Even today it is difficult to understand. There were brave individuals who provided shelter to Jews. My father's sister was given shelter and hidden by a Christian family in Bratislava, and at the end of the war she made Aliya to Israel. We must also remember those who extended a hand while endangering themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, in my career as an Air Force pilot, I was given the privilege to view the world from thirty thousand feet and above. From that altitude, armed with the responsibility and collective memory of our people's history, one can see the past, present and future. We were given the opportunity to engage and destroy the immediate threats that faced the Jewish nation. And we committed ourselves to diminish the threats to future generations. However, the dangers to humanity are not always military in nature. They are also found in the realm of ideas: in the promotion of evil, in the active denial of evil, or even in the refusal to see evil. The United States played an important role in the founding of the State of Israel, as a shelter for the Jewish people. The commandment ``To Remember'' is also a commandment to remember the positive, and so we will. The Jewish People remember the American role. The Jewish People see the United States as a symbol and example of moral principle and justice. We pray that this superpower will continue to lead the world so that tragedies such as the Shoah will never be repeated in the 21st century.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to rise in strong support of H.R. 4475, making appropriations for the Department of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, which is now under consideration by the House. First, Mr. Chairman, I want to commend my dear friend, Congressman Frank Wolf, the distinguished gentleman from Virginia who is the chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, for his truly outstanding leadership in crafting a transportation spending bill that deals effectively with critically needed infrastructure improvements for our Nation's highways and airports, as well as dealing with important transportation safety concerns. In particular, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman and his colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for including in this bill the full administration request of $80 million for the BART San Francisco International Airport [SFO] extension in fiscal year 2001. This amount is commensurate with the full funding grant agreement reached between the Department of Transportation and BART. This critical funding will enable BART to meet its current substantial construction cash flow needs and minimize unplanned financing costs. The BART SFO Extension has been a top transit priority in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than a decade because people have long recognized the value of bringing reliable and convenient train service directly to the San Francisco International Airport, which is now the fifth busiest airport in the entire country. The extension will provide an additional 8.7 miles of track and four additional stations. The project will link the existing 95-mile, 39-station BART system, which serves four counties on both sides of San Francisco Bay, with the expanding San Francisco International Airport. At present, Mr. Chairman, the Bay area is beset with growing traffic congestion, which threatens the economic health of our area, which is one of the fastest growing and strongest regional economies in the United States. The BART SFO Extension is a major step toward alleviating this traffic congestion. Forecasts regarding usage of the future BART line support this finding. Ridership is projected to reach nearly 70,000 passenger trips per week day by the year 2010, and it is estimated that some 18,000 to 20,000 of these riders will be going to or from the airport. This will make this new line one of the most heavily used lines in the entire BART system. I am delighted to report, Mr. Chairman, that 60 percent of the construction of this project has already been completed along the main line of the extension, and construction is more than 85 percent complete inside the airport. More than 4 miles of subway have already been completed and construction is moving ahead rapidly at each of the four stations on this line. Mr. Chairman, it is truly gratifying to see this important rail- airport link take shape. Again, I sincerely thank Chairman Wolf for his continued support of this worthy project. Thanks to the timely and appropriate Federal funding for this project included in this bill, we can all look forward soon to celebrating the historic opening of the long-awaited BART SFO Extension.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the proud history and social contributions of the Pilgrim Baptist Church of San Mateo, California. Since its founding over seventy-three years ago, this house of worship has grown not only in numbers but also in its commitment to community service. During the 1920's, the Peninsula south of San Francisco was dotted with small towns, neighborhoods filled with people of many colors and creeds who were drawn to the beauty and promise of the Bay Area. In this era of change the Pilgrim Baptist Church was born. On New Year's Eve 1925, A.J. Lucas of San Mateo hosted a prayer and watch meeting in his North Fremont Street residence. These gatherings became regular occurrences in the months to follow, as Mr. Lucas and his fellow believers convened on Sunday and Thursday evenings at the Lucas' home. On April 4, 1926, the church was formally organized and named the Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church. During the decades to come, as America waged a world war and the City of San Mateo grew into a vibrant community of culture and commerce, the Pilgrim Baptist Church continued to thrive. In 1962, when it constructed its present sanctuary at a cost of over $100,000, Pilgrim had over four hundred members. The church's outstanding reputation inspired the formation of new congregations throughout the Peninsula, many of them guided by former Pilgrim members. In addition to educating its congregation and community about religious principles, the Pilgrim Baptist family offers a network of support that reflects the finest of its Christian values. Men and women with problems can turn to the church for spiritual guidance, emotional strength, and peer support. Others turn to Pilgrim Baptist Church in times of joy, among them the many Peninsula students who celebrate their high school graduations at the church's annual festivities to honor the accomplishments of African-American youth in the Bay Area. Some of these young people have received college scholarships from The Dukes and Duchesses, a group of Pilgrim congregants who work together to encourage minority educational advancement. Mr. Speaker, chronicling every one of Pilgrim's religious and cultural contributions would be an arduous task. From the Home Bible Study Ministry to the annual concerts of the Mass Choir in honor of Black History Month, the Pilgrim Baptist Church offers extraordinary blessings to so many Bay Area residents. Today, more than three-quarters of a century after A.J. Lucas began holding prayer meetings in his home, Pilgrim Baptist Church remains a beacon for the San Mateo community. Under the able leadership of its current pastor, Rev. Larry Wayne Ellis, membership is now approaching 600 people, and the congregation prepares to dedicate a new Education and Fellowship Building addition this July. Mr. Speaker, the contributions of Pilgrim Baptist Church truly reflect the Biblical injunction to love and serve one another. I urge all of my colleagues in the Congress to join me in commending the values and public service of this exceptional San Mateo institution.

Mr. LANTOS

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

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this resolution. At the outset, I would like to commend my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), for crafting this resolution, which is so necessary to focus attention on the continuing violations of human rights in all forms in Vietnam. I also want to commend the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, my good friend, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) for their work on this resolution. Mr. Speaker, Vietnam continues to be--25 years after the conclusion of that tragic war--one of the most repressive societies on the face of this planet. Similarly to China, Vietnam has opened up its economy to some extent, but its political system is as rigid, unbending, and repressive as it has ever been. I call, therefore, on the government of Vietnam to release all religious and political prisoners, all prisoners of conscience; and to immediately cease the harassment, detention, physical abuse and imprisonment of Vietnamese citizens who are exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of belief, expression, and association. I call on the government of Vietnam, Mr. Speaker, to abolish article four of the Vietnamese constitution and repeal all regulations and codes and decrees prohibiting citizens the rights to free expression, freedom of association, freedom of the press and religious worship. I also think it is critical that we as a body call on the government of Vietnam to set an early timetable for open and fair elections that at long last will facilitate the inclusion of Vietnam in the community of civilized nations and allow its citizens to peacefully choose their own local and national leaders, free from fear and intimidation. I think it is particularly significant, Mr. Speaker, that the government of Vietnam has prevented the United Nations special rapporteur on religious intolerance from meeting with the various religious leaders during his visit to Vietnam. Vietnam has an obligation, as a signatory of the appropriate treaties, to allow access by United Nations' officials to all religious practitioners. We are indeed pleased that a quarter century has gone by since the conclusion of that tragic war, but we are appalled at the continued suppression of the Vietnamese people. I earnestly hope and trust that this move by the Congress of the United States, which I trust will be approved unanimously, will begin the process of opening up the political situation in that country. And I once again commend my friend from California (Mr. Rohrabacher). Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in the relatively short time that she has been with us, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez) has demonstrated extraordinary qualities of leadership in many fields but particularly in the field of defending human rights. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 3 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez).

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), for introducing this legislation. I want to commend the ranking member, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), for supporting it. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year in January several of us visited the headquarters of the International Red Cross, and we had extended discussions with the top leaders of this very fine organization concerning the issue we are debating this morning. While I must say I am deeply impressed by the work of the International Red Cross, I was appalled by the failure of the leadership in Geneva to take decisive action to put an end to this outrageous form of discrimination. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent have been doing an outstanding job and Israel's parallel organization, the International Magen David Adom, has been there helping in every single international crisis. They were in the front lines of the humanitarian effort both in East Timor and Indonesia and in the tragic bloody crisis of Kosovo. They were among the very first groups to arrive, both in Greece and Turkey, in the wake of the earthquake, and, of course, they stood shoulder to shoulder with us to save American and Kenyan lives following the outrageous bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. I particularly want to commend the Chairman of the American Red Cross, Dr. Bernadine Healy, for proposing that we withhold any dues to the International Red Cross until this singularly appalling form of discrimination is terminated. I strongly support her posture, as I am sure all of my colleagues in this body and in the other body do. The Red Cross is doing an outstanding job. It should not besmirch its reputation internationally by being part and parcel of an appalling medieval discriminatory measure. The time is long overdue to put an end to this practice and to recognize Magen David Adom as a full-fledged member of the International Society of the Red Cross. Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend my colleagues for introducing this resolution.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to my friend Stan Smith, who is retiring after 25 years of distinguished service for San Francisco's working families as the Secretary Treasurer/Business Representative of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council. Stan's lifelong commitment to organized labor began in 1955 when he entered the building trades as an apprentice glazier. He became a journeyman in 1958. His exceptional skills and devotion to assisting his fellow workers were recognized in his election as President of Glaziers Union Local #718 in 1958, an office he held until 1965. Stan's selfless dedication to the causes of organized labor was further demonstrated when he was elected Field Representative of Local #718 in 1965. In this position, he was tireless in the pursuit of justice, and he was masterful in settling grievances, bargaining, and resolving disputes arising during the collective bargaining process. Mr. Speaker, Stan Smith's stellar career culminated in his election to the office of Secretary Treasurer/Business Representative of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO. In this position, Stan has worked tirelessly to bring prosperity and security to Bay Area working families. He was an exceptionally able steward of all of San Francisco's construction unions, and in this position assured their full participation in the prosperity that we have enjoyed in the Bay Area. Mr. Smith's credentials as a master tradesman are as stellar as his accomplishments in organized labor. He co-authored the first apprenticeship manual for the glazing trade, which is used throughout the United States and the world. His service on the Flat Glass Industry Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee was exemplary. He serves as an Executive Committee member of the California State Building Trades Council, and he is the past Vice President of the San Francisco Labor Council, as well as a co-founder of Labor and Neighbor. Stan is also an honorary member of the Elevator Constructors Local Union #8. Mr. Speaker, Stan Smith's commitment to helping others is typified by his outstanding service as a leader in numerous organizations seeking to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youth, minorities and women in apprenticeship programs in the construction industries, including Young Community Developers, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, Cal/OSHA Advisory Committee, Mission Bay Citizens Advisory Committee, Apprentice Opportunities Foundation, and the Youth Guidance Center Committee. He has also held a number of leadership positions with community organizations, including service as a director of the Bayview Hunters Point Model Cities Program, and as a member of the community advisory group on the University of California at San Francisco's Long Range Development Plan, the San Francisco Open Space Committee, and the Booker T. Washington Community Center. Stan is also San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown's appointee to the Golden Gate Bridge District Board of Directors. A graduate of George Washington High School, Stan Smith also served in the United States Marine Corps from 1951 to 1966, initially on active duty and later in the reserves. He is the loving husband of Kathy Maas and the proud father of six children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I greatly admire Stan Smith's dedication and commitment to working people of San Francisco. I invite my colleagues to join me in expressing gratitude and esteem for his lifetime of service and in wishing him a rich and rewarding retirement.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on December 2, 1938, two hundred children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin arrived in Harwich, Britain. Over the next two years--between 1938 and 1940--some nine to ten thousand children arrived in Britain from Nazi Germany. These missions of mercy, which were supported by the United Kingdom, were called Kindertransport (Children's Transport). The program rescued refugee children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Three-quarters of that number, some 7,500, were Jewish, and the other approximately 2,500 were of other ethnic and religious backgrounds. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the mission of mercy of the Kindertransport. I think it is appropriate that we mark that anniversary and pay tribute to the Government of the United Kingdom for their involvement with this effort in saving the lives of these ten thousand children. The British government eased its immigration restrictions for certain categories of Jewish refugees after the Nazis staged their violent pogrom against Jews throughout Germany and Austria on November 9, 1938, called Kristallnacht (``Night of Broken Glass''). The Movement for the Care of Children in Germany coordinated the effort to assist refugee children. This organization, in cooperation with the British Committee for the Jews of Germany, worked to persuade the British Government to permit an unspecified number of children under the age of 17 to enter the country from Germany and territories that were incorporated in Germany. Once the children arrived in Britain, private citizens and charitable groups, including Jewish organizations as well as Quakers and many other Christian denominations, guaranteed payment for each child's care, education, and eventual emigration out of Britain. In return for this guarantee, the British government agreed to permit unaccompanied refugee children to enter the country with simple travel visas. Parents and guardians could not accompany their children, and as a result, infants included in the program were tended by older children. Children with friends or relatives in Britain were generally favored, but other children were accepted if they were homeless or orphans, or if their parents were in concentration camps or otherwise no longer able to support them. About half of the children lived with sponsors in London. Other children who did not have sponsors were taken to a summer camp in Dovercourt Bay and other facilities until individual families agreed to care for them or until hostels could be organized to care for larger groups of the children. These homes and hostels were located throughout Britain. After the war, many children from the Kindertransport program emigrated to Israel, the United States, Canada, and Australia, or became citizens of Great Britain. Most of these children never saw their parents again. Mr. Speaker, as we mark sixty years since the conclusion of the Kindertransport program, I want to pay tribute to the British Government and the British people for providing sanctuary for these refugee children. If they had remained in Nazi Germany, it is clear that most if not all of them would have suffered tragic deaths. Mr. Speaker, I would like to express thanks to Margret Hofmann of Texas for bringing to my attention this heroic effort. She has striven to teach others, through stories like this one, about the humble heroes of the Holocaust. I would also like to thank Richard M. Graves of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for providing me with information about the Kindertransport.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, the Institute of International Education (IIE) held a meeting of its board today here in Washington and also honored a number of individuals for their contributions to international educational and academic exchanges. The IIE is an independent nonprofit organization which is a resource for educators and academic institutions around the world. It was established in the United States shortly after the end of World War I to encourage international education. The Institute is the administrator of the Fulbright Program, which is our nation's premier public diplomacy initiative, and it provides training and leadership development programs for public and private sector initiatives. The mission of the IIE is to increase the number of students, scholars, and professionals who have the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research outside of their own country and to strengthen and internationalize institutions of higher learning in the United States and abroad. Mr. Speaker, as the economy of the United States is increasingly integrated into the global economy, as our communications are increasingly instantaneous throughout the world, and as our national security, health, and well-being are increasingly affected by events thousands of miles from our shores, the importance of international education and understanding cannot be underestimated. In this increasingly interconnected world, the role and importance of the IIE likewise has become much more important. Mr. Speaker, at the luncheon awards ceremony today here on Capitol Hill, Dr. Henry Kaufman, the Chairman of the Board of the Institute of International Education made outstanding remarks about the importance of international education for our nation's economy and for our continued leadership in the world. Dr. Kaufman had a distinguished career spanning a quarter century at Salmon Brothers, where he was Vice-Chairman of Solomon, Inc. After leaving that firm, he established Henry Kaufman and Company in 1988. He is a widely published author on economic and financial issues. In 1989, he became Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of International Education. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Dr. Kaufman's particularly important remarks be placed in the Record, and I urge my colleagues to give them the serious and thoughtful attention they deserve. Remarks of Dr. Henry Kaufman, Chairman, Institute of International Education, April 13, 2000 Ladies and Gentlemen: The Board of Trustees of the Institute of International Education welcome you to this very special gathering here in the Rayburn House Office Building. We are here today to recognize the lives of public service of our two recipients of the Stephen P. Duggan Award for International Understanding. Our two honorees have spent a portion of their professional lives as educators. Both recognize that the work force for the global economy that will be needed in the decades ahead requires an understanding and appreciation of other countries, other peoples and other cultures. And both recognize that international educational exchange is the best way to achieve that. Each year, with the support of the Department of State, the Institute of International Education conducts research on the international student mobility. The most recent Open Doors data tells us that last year 114,000 American students pursued some study abroad. That is less than one percent of the students enrolled in our colleges and universities. Most of them studied abroad for one semester or less, and most in countries where English is the native language. IIE believes that we must do better if we are to retain our position of leadership in this ever more interdependent world. Many of our own educational institutions are equally committed to assuring that their students have a study abroad experience. We are discussing with Members of Congress and their staffs ways that legislatively we may be able to establish programs that would foster student mobility. The 490,000 foreign students studying here in the U.S. represent a contribution to our economy of some $13 billion. In addition, they internationalize our campuses by bringing their own perspectives to issues encountered in the classroom. The U.S. share of the market of students studying abroad from throughout the world is shrinking. Many European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, are actively recruiting those students. In initiating a push to have universities in the United Kingdom educate a 25 percent share of that market, Prime Minister Tony Blair said as recently as last June: ``People who are educated here have a lasting tie to our country. They promote Britain around the world, helping our trade and our diplomacy. It is easier for our executives and our diplomats to do business with people familiar with Britain.'' By the same token, those who have studied here have observed an open democratic system of government, have experienced the freedoms we take for granted, have perfected their English language skills and have learned of the economic potential of our country as a trading partner. Their perspectives are informed by their personal experience of American values and the American way of life. They have an understanding and appreciation of the United States that can come only from living here.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, before I begin my 1-minute, on behalf of all of my Democratic colleagues, I want to welcome back to the House the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), our colleague and friend. We are delighted to have him back. Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the victory of history over hate. The pseudohistorian in England, David Irving, who denied the Holocaust, had his comeuppance in a British court yesterday. The great American scholar of the Holocaust, Professor Deborah Lipstadt of Emory University, called David Irving a Holocaust denier. Yesterday, British justice agreed. That is why we celebrate history over hate. Steven Spielberg and others in countless documentaries have used film to show what the Holocaust was, that it resulted in the mass murder of 6 million people. Pseudohistorian David Irving, a racist and anti- Semite, has destroyed his own career. He is banned from Germany, Canada, and Australia. Today, I am introducing legislation to ban him from ever visiting the United States.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, this morning at a breakfast in Redwood Shores, California, the Family Service Agency of San Mateo County honored 25 high school students at a ``Winners Breakfast,'' an annual recognition of high school seniors who have overcome great odds and are role models for their peers. Some six hundred people joined in celebrating the achievements of these outstanding students. The Family Service Agency of San Mateo County is a private, non- profit social service organization which has established and supported programs throughout the County for children, seniors and families, and the Agency started the Winners Breakfast five years ago together with local businesses, the San Mateo County Office of Education and community leaders. Mr. Speaker, this year the Family Service Agency is recognizing students who have faced a wide range of challenges, from homelessness, poverty and family and gang violence to chronic illness, personal tragedy, substance abuse and single parenthood. The students were chosen by personnel at the schools which they attend, and each honored student received a scholarship of $500 paid for by sponsors of the program. Heather Angney of the San Mateo County Times has written a series of excellent articles which appear in today's issue of the newspaper paying tribute to those students being honored today, and the Times is one of the supporters of the effort to provide funds for these students. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues in the Congress to join me in paying tribute to these outstanding students who were honored today for their perseverence in overcoming the tremendous difficulties they faced. These students are as follows: Alexandra Chiles of Atherton was diagnosed with cancer at age 12 and endured endless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Many years, she was too sick to enjoy Christmas. When she was able to go to school, she often went with thin hair and her face swollen by drugs. Through all this, Alex achieved more than most students, qualifying for the National Honor Society, gentling a nervous horse and volunteering in soup kitchens. In Alex's case, the recognition is bittersweet. She died March 22. Her parents, Anita and Robert Chiles of Atherton, will attend the breakfast and join in recognizing other students who are succeeding in spite of great challenges. As Alexandra's mother said, ``She was a wonderful model of how we should all confront our problems in life.'' Maria Ruth Alvarado of Woodside High School prevailed over abuse, homelessness and poverty to become an activist at school and in her East Palo Alto neighborhood, tutoring at community centers and starting a support group for gay and HIV-positive people. Albert Balbutin of Oceana High School faced his father's death, his mother's depression and financial hardship and decided to turn his life in a positive direction. He raised his grades from Ds and Fs to As and Bs, became co-president of his class and started Unity 2000, a campus organization dedicated to stopping teen violence. Sarah Carr of Pescadero High School was considered a discipline problem with a bad attitude who wouldn't graduate. But she turned herself around with the encouragement of school staff and has improved her grades, stopped using bad language and started smiling. She plans to attend college next year. Karen Cerri of Westmoor High School was abused by her biological and foster families until she was adopted into a loving home at age 10. She now coaches a swim team and serves as a peer counselor, and she hopes to become a paramedic or firefighter and adopt a foster child. Rosalyn Curincita of Redwood High School and Sequoia High School was distracted from her school work while caring for relatives and marrying at an early age. She entered Redwood and made up two-and-a-half years of work in just one year. Although she works to support her family, she maintains excellent grades, enabling her to return to Sequoia to finish her senior year. Jared Frias of Carlmont High School was in an automobile accident in which he lost a leg and two people died, including a friend who was like a brother to him. While in the hospital, Jared organized a Holiday Toy Drive for children in the hospital. And last fall, with the aid of a prosthetic limb, he returned to his favorite sport -- football. Renee Frost of Aragon High School has worked hard despite lifelong family disruptions and financial disadvantages. She attends the Regional Occupational Program, where she is described as ``best in her class'' in a Travel and Hospitality Careers course. As the school's receptionist, she greets the public, organizes the career center bulletin board and helps students enroll in classes. Robert Gomez of Mills High School has been in a wheelchair since childhood because of cerebral palsy. With divorced parents, he has relied on himself to achieve his academic goals. Despite physical limitations, Robert participates in school activities, attends ball games and supports other students. He hopes to attend college and become a lawyer. Diana Gonzalez of Community School North lived the life of a gang member from age 11 to 16. She attributes her transformation to the help of God, her best friend and her boyfriend. She graduated from the Gateway Center program with straight A's and enrolled in Community School North. She is on schedule to graduate with a GED by June and will attend Bryman College in San Francisco. Robert ``Tito'' Gonzalez of Terra Nova High School is deaf in one ear, which affects his school performance. He was placed in special education in fourth-grade but worked so hard he switched to mainstream classes by sixth-grade. Robert has a 3.2 gpa, was voted ``best artist'' by his senior class and is considering a career in microbiology and genetics. Emily Jaime gives credit for her achievement to a fourth grade tutor who encouraged her to read, and that moves her to volunteer at an elementary school twice a week, and now 12 years after failing first grade, she's heading to Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Emily's father left the family when she was four, and she hasn't seen him much since, but her mother and grandmother encouraged her to make the most of opportunities, gap and told her to get a college diploma, something neither of them was able to do. Lauren Kass of Pilarcitos High School had struggled in school starting in junior high. But after transferring to the Cabrillo district's independent study program, she thrived academically and personally. She received her diploma in February and now works at a preschool and rides and trains horses. She hopes to eventually open her own preschool. Linda Khiev of Sequoia High School has held her family together since her mother's illness last year, working part-time and handling household duties. Despite the stress, she remains at the top one percent of her class academically. Linda hopes to become a physician. Victor Lopez of Aragon High School has been largely independent since his mother returned to Mexico to care for his grandmother when Victor was 14. Victor has been a Peer Helper for three years and is a member of student government. He doesn't let negative peer influences deter him, and his dream is to become a pediatrician. Wendy Maravilla of Thornton High School had a baby in her junior year and had to work part-time and enroll in an independent study program. She is training to become a certified nurse's assistant and working part-time at Marshall's. Wendy firmly believes she can accomplish her dreams, including her goal to become a registered nurse. Osvaldo Munoz of El Camino High School faced his father's long illness and death this past October. Throughout this difficult time, he has remained a strong, mature and constant support to his mother and family and volunteered at Family Service Agency's Club Leo J. Ryan after-school program. Osvaldo plans to attend Skyline College and study computer science. Daniel ``Dan'' Nawahine of Hillsdale High School has a ``can do'' attitude despite the challenges of having speech and language delays and various learning and motor challenges. He is a student in the Disorders of Language Program and plans on working at San Francisco International Airport in the Ramp Service after he completes the ROP Airport Training Program. Sulia Pale of Capuchino High School was in an extremely traumatic car accident in 10th-grade, leaving her with deficits in learning, memory, attention and problem solving, along with emotional and personality changes. In June, Sulia will be the first in her family to graduate from high school. She plans to attend community college and have a career in the air and travel industry. Amanda Peacock of South San Francisco High School has dealt with tragedy twice in her life. When she was seven, her baby sister died of leukemia. In March of this year, she lost her 8-year-old sister to leukemia. Despite this, Amanda completed ROP's Hotel and Hospitality Services Class and plans to attend a junior college after graduation. Jason Shaughnessy of Hillsdale High School was abandoned by his father when he was two years old. His mother disappeared when he was in fifth-grade. The support of his grandfather, aunt, uncle and cousins has enabled Jason to have a sense of belonging, to build confidence and to have maturity beyond his years. He plans on attending a four-year college and majoring in psychology. Amelia Tauataina of Peninsula High School was chronically truant and her parents day laborers who spoke little English, had difficulty providing the academic support she needed. Through an interpreter, her parents connected with her teachers and counselors, and Amelia is now a star student. She completed a 125-hour internship at Alaska Airlines and was hired there. She plans to enroll in San Francisco City College. Meghan Walsh of El Camino High School has had to bear more responsibility than usual for a person her age. When she was four, her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and must use a wheelchair. Her father became her mother's full-time caretaker, putting financial strain on the family. Meghan maintained a positive attitude and is a peer tutor, maintains a 3.7 gpa and is on the yearbook staff. Ricky Whitfield of Sacred Heart Preparatory Academy was one of only eight students of color enrolled in Sacred Heart Preparatory Academy. Learning difficulties made school challenging. Then, on Dec. 26, 1999, his mother died after a battle with cancer. Ricky maintained his academic goals and stayed active in school drama and choral activities. He is considering becoming a minister or educator and wants to make a difference in his East Palo Alto community. Tiffany Williams of South San Francisco High School moved to California during the summer of her sophomore year with hopes of attending a college in the University of California system. Without her parents and friends, she was homesick, scared and lonely, but she joined school clubs, tutored after school and became copy editor of the yearbook. She hopes to major in biology in college and later attend medical school.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today the House International Relations Committee held a hearing focusing on the status of the negotiations between China and Tibet. The principal witness representing the Administration was the Honorable Julia V. Taft, Special Coordinator for Tibetan Refugee Issues and also the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. Assistant Secretary Taft gave a particularly insightful analysis of the current situation in Tibet. She noted that ``tight controls on religion and other fundamental freedoms continued and intensified'' during the past year. She further noted that there were ``instances of arbitrary arrests, detention without public trial, and torture in prison'' as well as ``intensification of controls over Tibetan monasteries and on monks and nuns. Religious activities were severely disrupted through the continuation of the government's patriotic education campaign.'' Mr. Speaker, we have a number of important upcoming matters involving China and its human rights record. At the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the United States has tabled a resolution calling for an investigation of human rights abuses in China. The Administration and many of us in the Congress are now engaged in a major effort to win international support of members of the Human Rights Commission for the full consideration of the resolution that our government has presented in Geneva. Later next month, the House of Representatives will consider the Administration's proposal to grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations status for our trade with China. Many of us in the Congress have extremely serious concerns about the advisability of extending this status to China because of Beijing's human rights record. Because the printed transcript of today's hearing of the International Relations Committee will not be available to member of the Congress for several months, Mr. Speaker, I ask that the outstanding testimony of Assistant Secretary Taft be placed in The Record. I urge my colleagues to give careful and thoughtful consideration to her statement as we consider the issues that will be before the Congress in the next few months. Statement of Julia V. Taft, Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, House International Relations Committee April 6, 2000 Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, it is a great honor to appear before you today to testify on the current situation in Tibet. I was appointed a little over a year ago to serve as Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. My policy goals are two-fold: first to promote a substantive dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives, and second, to help sustain Tibet's unique religious, linguistic, and cultural heritage. Mr. Chairman as you and your colleagues know, disputes over Tibet's relations with the Chinese government have a long, complex history. Recognizing that this is your third hearing on Tibet, I do not propose to summarize it again today. Instead, I would like to describe the current circumstances in Tibet, talk a little about developments over the past year, and what I've been doing since my appointment. Current Situation in Tibet As our human rights report on China for 1999 makes clear, tight controls on religion and other fundamental freedoms continued and intensified during a year in which there were several sensitive anniversaries and events. This year's report documents in detail widespread human rights and religious freedom abuses. Besides instances of arbitrary arrests, detention without public trial, and torture in prison, there was also an intensification of controls over Tibetan monasteries and on monks and nuns. Religious activities were severely disrupted through the continuation of the government's patriotic education campaign that aims to expel supporters of the Dalai Lama from monasteries and views the monasteries as a focus of ``anti-China'' separatist activity. UNHCR reported that 2905 Tibetans left Tibet during the year, and Tibet Information Network reported that approximately \1/3\ of those left to escape campaigns and pursue religious teaching in India. In fact, two of Tibet's most prominent religious figures have left Tibet during the past 18 months reportedly for these reasons. The 14-year-old Karmapa, leader of Kagyu sect, and the third most revered leader in Tibetan Buddhism, left Tibet in late December to pursue religious teachings in India. Agya Rinpoche, former abbot of Kumbum Monastery, a senior Tibetan religious figure and an official at the Deputy Minister level, left China in November 1998. Among reported reasons for his departure were increased government pressure on Kumbum Monastery including the stationing of 45 government officials, the imposition of patriotic re-education, and a heightened role demanded of him by the Government in its campaign to legitimize Gyaltsen Norbu, the boy recognized by the Chinese leadership as the 11th Panchen Lama. Although China has devoted substantial economic resources to Tibet over the past 20 years, it remains China's poorest region. Language problems severely limit educational opportunities for Tibetan students, and illiteracy rates are said to be rising sharply. The average life span of Tibetans is reportedly dropping, infant mortality is climbing, and most non-urban children are chronically undernourished. Recent reports suggest that privatization of health care, increased emphasis on Chinese language curriculum, and continuing Han migration into Tibet are all weakening the social and economic position of Tibet's indigenous population. Lacking the skills to compete with Han laborers, ethnic Tibetans are not participating in the region's economic boom. In fact, rapid economic growth, the expanding tourism industry, and the introduction of more modern cultural influences also have disrupted traditional living patterns and customs, causing environmental problems and threatening traditional Tibetan culture. In Lhasa (the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region) Chinese cultural presence is obvious and widespread. Buildings are of Chinese architectural style, the Chinese language is widely spoken, and Chinese characters are used in most commercial and official communications. Drawn by economic incentives to the region, ethnic Han Chinese are estimated to comprise more than half the population of Lhasa; some observers estimate the non-Tibetan population of the city (mostly Han and Hui) to be roughly 90 percent. Chinese officials estimate that 95 percent of Tibet's officially registered population is Tibetan, with Han and other ethnic groups making up the remaining 5 percent. These numbers reportedly do not include the large number of ``temporary'' Han residents, including military and paramilitary troops and their dependents, many of whom have lived in Tibet for years. The Dalai Lama, Tibetan experts, and others have expressed concern that development projects and other central Government policies encourage massive influxes of Han Chinese, which have the effect of overwhelming Tibet's traditional culture and diluting Tibetan identity. Reports indicate that increased economic development combined with the influx of migrants, has contributed to an increase of prostitution in the region. Experts who work in the region report that hundreds of brothels operate openly in Lhasa; up to 10,000 commercial sex workers, mostly ethnic Han, may be employed in Lhasa alone. Much of the prostitution reportedly occurs in sites owned by the Party or the Government, under military protection. The incidence of HIV among prostitutes in Tibet is unknown, but is believed to be relatively high. Because of the deterioration of the Chinese Government's human rights record the U.S. Government announced on January 12 its intention to introduce a resolution focusing international attention on China's human rights record at this year's session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) in Geneva. We are working hard with other nations to defeat China's anticipated no-action motion and to pass the resolution. Our criticism of China's human rights practices reflects core values of the American people and widely-shared international norms--freedom of religion, conscience, expression, association, and assembly. These rights are enshrined in international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China has signed but not yet ratified or implemented. Other developments In addition to utilizing multilateral human rights fora, the President and Secretary Albright have continued to use every available opportunity to urge the Chinese leadership to enter into a substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives. President Jiang Zemin indicated to President Clinton during their June 1998 summit in Beijing that he would be willing to engage in such dialogue if the Dalai Lama affirmed that Tibet and Taiwan are part of China. Despite our repeated efforts throughout the year to foster such dialogue and the willingness expressed by the Dalai Lama, the Chinese leadership has not followed up on Jiang's remarks to the President. Nevertheless, the Administration remains committed to implementing an approach to human rights that combines rigorous external focus on abuses while simultaneously working to promote positive trends within China including, in the case of Tibet, Chinese willingness to engage with the Dalai Lama to resolve Tibet issues. I am convinced that this principled, purposeful engagement will produce results over the long-term. We have also continued to raise individual cases of concern. Most notable is the issue of the welfare and whereabouts of Gendhun Cheokyi Nyima the boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama and his parents, who have been held incommunicado now for nearly 5 years. When we received disturbing, unconfirmed reports the boy had died in Gansu province and was cremated in secrecy, our Embassy made formal representations expressing concern about his whereabouts and welfare. Although the reports of his death were unsubstantiated and thought to be untrue by the Tibetan exile community, the Administration publicly urged the Chinese Government to address continuing concerns of the international community about the safety and well-being of the child by allowing the boy and his family to receive credible international visitors, and to return home freely. The Chinese government has continued to refuse to allow direct confirmation of his well-being. In response to an inquiry from the Congress, the Chinese Government acknowledged the whereabouts and earlier ill- health of Ngawang Choephel, the Tibetan ethnomusicologist and former Middlebury College Fulbright Scholar who was incarcerated in 1996 and is now serving an 18-year sentence on charges of subversion. We have repeatedly urged the Chinese government to allow his mother to visit him while incarcerated, as is her right under the Chinese Prison Law. However, her repeated requests to be allowed to visit him have not been granted. We have also urged China to release Ngawang Choephel on medical grounds as a humanitarian gesture. What I've been doing over the last year? Over the past year I have made it a point to learn all that I can about Tibetan issues so that I am able to ensure the effective presentation of these issues in our U.S.-China bilateral discussions. I have maintained close contact with the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy to Washington, Lodi Gyari. Throughout the year, I requested meetings with the Chinese Ambassador, however, such meetings have not been granted. I am hopeful that this year I will be able to sit down with the Ambassador and discuss the Chinese government's views on social, political, and economic issues related to Tibet, as well as explore ways we can help get the dialogue back on track. I've met with scores of people from like-minded countries, government officials, people from foundations and academia, experts in U.S.-China relations and NGO officials. Each meeting has produced ideas on how to improve the situation inside Tibet, as well as substantive thoughts about how to restart dialogue. Despite the fact that I am the only Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues world wide, my appointment has prompted other nations to identify counterparts to discuss this issue. I realize now that there is a wealth of knowledge and talent around the world interested in helping to improve the situation in Tibet. In fact, I just returned from Brussels where the European Parliament held an all-Party Parliamentarian Session on Tibet to discuss multilateral efforts and how we can best coordinate future strategies. In January I visited Dharmasala, India in my capacity as Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration. The purpose of my trip was to evaluate and review the $2 million in assistance programs the United States provides for Tibetan refugees. After receiving a very warm welcome, I had the opportunity to meet with many members of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to discuss the grant. I was overwhelmed by the tremendous sense of good will and community, especially among the younger generation despite the fact that this generation has never even seen Tibet. I learned on my visit that nearly the entire Central Tibetan Administration is made up of Fulbright Scholars. These bright, young adults undoubtedly had much more lucrative opportunities in the United States, Europe or India, yet a remarkable 96% have returned to Tibetan settlements to make their talents available to the CTA. Equally impressive is how traditional Tibetan culture is integrated into nearly every facet of daily life. However, having just been to Nepal in October where I met with new arrivals who were traumatized and had endured great hardship while crossing the Himalayas, I was anxious to visit the transit center in Dharmasala where all new arrivals spend some time before being placed in settlements throughout India. During my visit the center was teeming with refugees. The new arrivals were quiet, but far more animated than the refugees I had seen in Kathmandu just three months earlier. The rooms were crowded, but clean and orderly. Many were wearing the new shoes and dark pants they received after arriving at the Kathmandu reception center. Attached to the transit center was a small, three-room medical clinic for routine medical care. Although the USG grant makes a very positive impact on the lives of these refugees by providing support for the reception centers, preventive health care, basic food, clothing, clean water and income-generating projects, I am looking into funding repatriation for Tibetans that return to Tibet from the PRM budget as well as exploring ways that IO's, NGO's, and private industry might be helpful in developmental assistance. Additionally, I met with the Dalai Lama twice over the past year and I look forward to seeing him this summer when he is in Washington for the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival. During the meetings I have had with him, he reiterated his concern about the marginalization of the Tibetan people living in Tibet and requested that I devote some attention to finding ways to improve the lives of those still in Tibet through culturally sustainable enterprises. As I began to narrow down options on ways to be helpful, Congress appropriated $1 million to support activities which preserve cultural traditions and promote sustainable development and environmental conservation in Tibet. The responsibility of the earmark was assigned to the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs and my office will have an important role in managing the money and monitoring the performance of these new programs over the course of the year. A Congressional Notification is before Congress which would allocate $750,000 to the Bridge Fund for several agricultural and micro credit initiatives in Tibet. The remaining $250,000 will be made available through a competitive process for NGO's who qualify for project funding. Conclusion The treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese government over the past 50 years has been inconsistent with international norms and standards of respect for fundamental human rights. The Dalai Lama has shown enormous courage in accepting the impracticality of insisting on independence and calling for ``genuine autonomy'' within Chinese sovereignty. Chinese spokesmen have responded by stating their willingness to engage in a dialogue with the Dalai Lama if he renounces independence and pro-independence activities. The problem appears to be solvable. Ultimately it comes down to a question of will, especially on Beijing's side. There are significant Chinese interests that could be advanced in moving forward on Tibetan autonomy. The Dalai Lama is still active and healthy; his prestige will be crucial in carrying the opinion of the Diaspora and most Tibetans in the autonomous regions. Only he can ensure the successful implementation of a negotiated settlement. Conversely, maintaining order over an unhappy population is a drain on the resources of a still developing country. Widespread knowledge of China's human rights offenses in Tibet has brought about pressure on China's leadership to explain its Tibet policy to the international community. My impression is that the situation in Tibet deeply troubles China's international partners and foreign leaders and that this is affecting their diplomatic engagement in Western countries. Since China's number one priority is the stability and the unity of the PRC, Chinese leaders may find that a more enlightened policy toward Tibet would be an important step toward enhancing the respect they have earned from the economic transformation of their country. It is my sincere hope that parties will resume dialogue that looked so promising in 1998. Preservation of Tibet's unique cultural and religious traditions depends on it. In closing, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to testify today. I look forward to working with you another year on this extremely important issue.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as a Co-Chair of the Danish Caucus, I would like to take a moment to recognize and commend the actions of the young heir to the Danish throne, Crown Prince Frederik. It is quite encouraging to see a young man who serves as a model of behavior for the youth of Denmark and who uses his time and influence to educate others and serve his country. Presently--instead of lounging about Frederiksborg, the Danish Royal Palace--Prince Frederik is serving as the medic for a four month, 2,200 mile dog sled expedition across Greenland with five other members of the Greenland patrol. The Los Angeles Times (March 3, 2000) described the Prince's adventure: ``The 31-year-old heir to the Danish throne has . . . served in the army, navy, and Danish version of the Seabees. The Harvard graduate will get his pilot's license and will train with the air force after the Greenland expedition, [called] Sirius 2000.'' Every step of Sirius 2000 is broadcast on the expedition's website (http://www.expedition.tv2.dk), which has drawn ``enormous interest, especially among school children who are following the expedition as part of their studies,'' according to Freddy Neuman, whose public relations agency is handling media inquiries about the trip. The effort unites TV2 with the Ministry of Education in a project to teach young Danes about Greenland. Crown Prince Frederik's daring outdoor adventure teaches schoolchildren and the general public alike about Greenland, the frigid and thinly populated land that has been under Danish rule for most of the last two centuries. According to the Los Angeles Times, ``Scholars and scientists at the Arctic Institute and the Danish Polar Council here say they are thrilled that Frederik's participation is putting the territory, its indigenous people, and the Greenland Patrol--which is marking its 50th anniversary with the event--on the global map.'' Leif Vanggaard, a retired navy captain and surgeon with 30 years experience treating Arctic injuries, said of the expedition: ``The TV programs and web site and all these connections to schools make it educational as well as functional.'' Mr. Speaker, Crown Prince Frederik's trek across frigid Greenland is helping to remind mainland Denmark of its other thinly populated, yet environmentally rich territory. The Prince's daily courage and dedication to his mission and the nation are notable accomplishments, and an inspirational demonstration of how a privileged young man can wisely use his public visibility to benefit others.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Ballenger, for managing this bill on behalf of the majority, and I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Wexler, for managing this bill on behalf of the minority. I also want to thank our colleagues who have cosponsored this resolution and helped bring it to the floor: Chairman Ben Gilman of New York who cosponsored this resolution and brought it up for consideration in the International Relations Committee; Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas who worked with me to bring this resolution to the floor of the House today for consideration. This resolution has been cosponsored by a number of our colleagues from both sides of the aisle and both sides of the political spectrum. I appreciate their endorsement and their strong support for the resolution. Mr. Speaker, this resolution condemns the extremist, racist, and xenophobic statements and positions of leaders of the FPO party of Austria and expresses profound regret and dismay that the FPO will play a major role in the new government of Austria. It is most appropriate for the House of Representatives to express our serious concern about the participation of such a political party in the government of Austria. Austria has a difficult background, and has had problems dealing with its legacy during World War II. Unlike Germany, Austria never underwent the ``de-Nazification'' process that took place in Germany after the war. Austria was treated as ``Hitler's first victim'' when, in fact, many Austrians were perpetrators of Nazi violence. As a young boy in neighboring Hungary, I saw the newsreels in 1938 of the Austrian people throwing flowers to German soldiers who marched into Austria at the time of the Anschluss. I saw few signs then that Austrians considered themselves ``victims.'' As historians have noted, Mr. Speaker, the proportion of Austrians who were members of the Nazi Party was higher than the proportion of Germans. The unfortunate recent experience of the people of Austria electing Kurt Waldheim as president of the republic after his deplorable Nazi past became known publicly, indicates the necessity and importance of dealing with instances of extremism and racism in Austria in particular. In view of this background, it is extremely important that the Congress make clear to the people of Austria and to the government of Austria that xenophobia, extremism, and racism have no place in a free and open and democratic society. Mr. Speaker, other countries around the world have made known their disapproval of the inclusion of the FPO in the Austrian coalition government, and they have taken diplomatic action against Austria. The fourteen other member countries of the European Union--Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom--have limited diplomatic contacts with the new Austrian Government. The European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Commission of the European Union have all expressed opposition to the new government. Similar actions showing disapproval have been taken by other democratic countries, including Canada, Norway, and our own Administration. The ambassador of Israel has returned to Jerusalem. Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize that this action by governments throughout Europe is not inspired by narrow political considerations. It is not simply center left governments in Europe condemning a political party on the right. In the European Parliament, the center right political faction, including representatives of the conservative German Christian Democratic Party, led the fight for the resolution condemning the participation of the FPO in the Austrian Government. The President of the European Parliament, Madame Nicole Fontaine, who is a member of the Center Right political faction of the European Parliament, expressed support for the adoption of the Parliament's resolution criticizing the FPO. The Resolution adopted by the European Parliament was practically unanimous. Mr. Speaker, the concern of the European Union for the consequences of the FPO participating in the Austrian Government coalition are valid. A country such as Austria, which is a member of a union of European states which had adopted a common currency and which are regulated by common economic legislation, must avoid xenophobia and racism. Unfortunately, that is precisely the platform on which the FPO ran its last election campaign. A disturbing element of this extremist campaign is the position that Joerg Haider, the former leader of the FPO, and the party itself have sought to minimize the Holocaust and the Crimes of the Nazi Era, and they have been remarkably public in their praise of Nazi Germany. In the past, Haider praised Adolf Hitler's ``sound employment policy'' during a debate in the Carinthian parliament. On another occasion, Haider called Waffen SS veterans ``decent people with character who stuck to their belief through the strongest headwinds.'' On yet another occasion, Haider called the Nazi death camps ``punishment camps.'' That glibly ignores the fact that a quarter of those killed in Nazi death camps were children, not capable of crimes. It is significant that the FPO was the only major Austrian political party which was not represented at the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Mauthausen Nazi death camp a few years ago. Mr. Speaker, I do want to make clear that the Resignation of Joerg Haider as leader of the FPO a few weeks ago does not change the necessity for this resolution. Haider remains the guiding light of the party. He is still the Governor of one of Austria's most populous provinces. The Deputy Speaker of the Austrian Parliament and a leader of the FPO, Thomas Prinzhorn, made the following statement after Haider's resignation: ``It is not a resignation. He [Haider] is a provincial governor and remains our strong man.'' It is a step backward which is necessary in order to make two solid steps forward.'' Haider's resignation from the post of party leader does not reflect any fundamental change whatsoever in the party's program. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. It is important that the Congress of the United States make a clear and unequivocal statement on the issue of a xenophobic, racist, and extremist political party participating in the new coalition government of Austria. Mr. Speaker, I ask that a White Paper on Joerg Haider and the Freedom Party (FPO) in Austria which I prepared for our colleague Dana Rohrabacher be placed in the Record at this point. This includes an excellent analysis by the Anti-Defamation League of Haider and FPO policies and statements on racism and xenophobia. I think it is important to include this material in our debate today. White Paper: Joerg Haider and the Freedom Party of Austria--(FPO) Reaction of the International Community--Statements by international leaders regarding the inclusion of the FPO in the Austrian coalition government. israeli prime minister ehud barak ``The inclusion of an extreme right-wing party . . . in the government of a European country such as Austria should outrage every citizen of the free world.'' (Reuters, ``What they said in row over Austrian Freedom Party,'' February 2, 2000) german chancellor gerhard schroeder ``What he [Haider] said about the SS and about foreigners expresses a kind of thinking which to me is undemocratic.'' (Reuters, ``Haider `undemocratic,' Germany's Schroeder Says,'' February 20, 2000.) french prime minister lionel jospin ``The ideas of the Freedom Party are contradictory to the principles on which the European Union was founded . . . No, Haider's party is not a National Socialist party, but it is an extreme right-wing, xenophobic party, whose leader has in his time paid homage to Hitler, his labour policies and the Waffen SS.'' (Reuters, ``Jospin Says Austria Must Wake Up to Haider `Threat,' '' February 1, 2000.) portuguese prime minister antonio guterres ``It (the EU's sanctions against Austria) is a position that represents a symbol and a lesson for the world. It is a battle for the ideals of tolerance, opposition to xenophobia and against the mistreatment of foreigners in any country.'' (Reuters, ``What they say about Austria's Haider,'' February 1, 2000.) polish foreign minister spokesman piotr dobrowolski ``What Haider says is dangerous, xenophobic . . . It brings back Europe's worst memories.'' (Reuters, ``What they say about Austria's Haider,'' February 1, 2000.) lord david russell-johnston, head of the parliamentary assembly of the council of europe ``Haider is an opportunist who has, in the past, come often very close to or even crossed the boundaries of acceptability when it comes to the respect of our basic values of democracy, human rights and tolerance.'' (Reuters, ``Council of Europe Says Haider a Worry for Europe,'' February 2, 2000.) American jewish committee statement ``We are certain that Americans are appalled at this development and will consider what appropriate steps can be taken to impress upon Austria that it cannot invite extremist and racist groups into its new government with impunity and without penalty.'' (American Jewish Committee, ``Austria's Inclusion of Haider's Party in its Government Brings Deserved International Ostracism and Isolation,'' Press Release, February 4, 2000.) anti-defamation league statement ``Bringing Joerg Haider and his Freedom Party into the government is a disservice to Austria . . . It is astonishing that a significant portion of the population is ready to embrace a party and leadership that espouses xenophobic and nativist positions and statements.'' (Anti-Defamation League, ``ADL Reacts to Announcement that Haider and His Xenophobic Party May Join Austrian Government,'' Press Release, February 1, 2000.) Joerg Haider--Anti-Immigrant Statements: Defending NAZI Policy and Nazis (The following is an excerpt from Joerg Haider--The Rise of an Austrian Extreme Rightist, an Anti-Defamation League publication dated February 2000. For the complete text, go to http://www.adl.org/backgrounders/joerg__haider.html) political agenda Xenophobic and racist sentiment have permeated Haider's political career. anti-immigrant statements According to Haider, immigration offers no benefits to Austrian society. Rather, immigrants take jobs away from Austrians and bring in crime from Africa, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. His 1999 election campaign poster slogans include: ``Stop the foreign infiltration'' and ``Stop the abuse of asylum.'' Posters showing Haider and his prime ministerial candidate Thomas Prinzhorn say ``Two real Austrians.'' Other infamous Haider statements on immigrants include: ``The Africans who come here are drug dealers and they seduce our youth,''; ``We've got the Poles who concentrate on car theft,'' he claims. ``We've got the people from the former Yugoslavia who are burglary experts. We've got the Turks who are superbly organized in the heroin trade. And we've got the Russians who are experts in blackmail and mugging.'' In February 1993, Haider and the Freedom Party launched a twelve-point petition campaign for ending immigration and keeping the proportion of non-German speaking children in schools under 30%. Haider predicted he would get at least one million signatories. In what was viewed as a major defeat, the petition was signed by only 417,000, or 7.5% of the population. During the 1994 election campaign, Haider's linkage of immigration and unemployment continued, causing the ruling coalition to accuse Haider of manipulating public fears over joblessness. Haider announced to Austrians ``we have to stop immigration until unemployment is reduced to under 5 percent,'' claiming that the unemployment rate was 5.8%. The official unemployment figure at that time was 4.4%. In 1996, Haider called ``The government's so-called integration policy a disaster. They are ready to open the doors to another 153,000 foreigners who will take school places, training places and flats (apartments),'' Haider said. He continued, ``When Turkish children demand protection money from our children at the playground, it's time to say, this is our state,'' Haider declared. Haider has continued to wage a xenophobic campaign to expel foreign workers. In March 1997, Haider stated that he wants one third of all foreigners working in Austria to be sent home over the next two years. According to Haider, ``We take the right stand at the right time to save Austria against the dangers coming from outside.'' Defending Nazi Policy and Nazis According to his critics, despite public disclaimers and overtures, Haider has a public record of defending the policies of Nazi Germany and of justifying individual actions during those years. Haider has utilized terminology reminiscent of the Nazis, announcing, for example in October 1990 a ``final solution to the farm question.'' Upon his election to the leadership of the Freedom Party, Haider rejected comparisons with the German Nazi Party, saying ``The Freedom Party is not the descendant of the National Socialist Party. If it were, we would have an absolute majority.'' Indeed, Haider first gained international attention in March 1986 during the controversy surrounding the return of Walter Reder, an Austrian born former major in the Nazi SS, who was freed by Italy from a life sentence he was serving for his role in the mass killing of Italian civilians in 1944. For Haider, the controversy was ridiculous, as Reder was ``a soldier who had done his duty.'' Dismissing Reder's wartime activities, Haider stated: ``If you are going to speak about war crimes, you should admit such crimes were committed by all sides.'' Haider's most infamous comment came during a July 1991 debate in the Carinthia provincial parliament, when Haider, then governor, declared: ``An orderly employment policy was carried out in the Third Reich, which the government in Vienna cannot manage,'' In face of a national and international uproar, Haider apologized for his remarks, but said ``What I said was a statement of fact: that in the Third Reich a large number of workplaces were created through an intensive employment policy and unemployment was thereby eliminated.'' Haider, of course, did not mention to particulars of Nazi labor policy, including military buildup, slave labor, and concentration camps. Recently, Haider defended his 1991 statement, claiming he was referring to Nazi policy between 1933 and 1936. In May 1992, while the government was embroiled in a scandal involving a provincial government's decision to honor a gathering of Waffen SS veterans, Haider defended the decision. Haider instead accused the Interior Minister in Parliament of engaging in ``primitive attacks'' on ``respectable'' war veterans, while turning a blind eye to immigrant perpetrated crime. More recently, Haider spoke out against the Austrian government's plans to compensate 30,000 Austrian victims of Nazi rule, including Jews, Communists and homosexuals, claiming that Austrian victims of the allies, such as civilians who fled Austria's occupation by US, Soviet, French and British troops, should also be compensated. As he told an elderly Austrian audience in April 1995, ``It is not fair if all the money from the tax coffers goes to Israel.'' However, when the Parliament voted in June to set up a $50 million compensation fund, Haider voted in its favor. Still insisting on the need for compensation for victims of the allies, Haider explained, ``But we do not intend to be petty. Even though you will not join us to widen the scope of the fund we will not vote against the bill. We too want to draw a line under a chapter we are also responsible for.'' In May 1995, the Freedom Party was the only major Austrian political party absent from ceremonies at Mauthausen death camp marking the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the camp. Just before the anniversary, Haider had referred to Mauthausen as a ``punishment camp,'' implying that those interred there were criminals. While addressing the reunion of Waffen-SS veterans, Haider declared that the reason people opposed them was ``simply that in this world there are decent people who have character and who have stuck to their beliefs through the strongest headwinds and who remained true to their convictions until today.'' Haider's appearance at the ceremony was unknown until days before amateur videotape of the gathering was broadcast on German television in December 1995. Following these revelations, Haider defended his appearance at the event, saying: ``The Waffen SS was a part of the Wehrmacht and hence it deserves all the honor and respect of the army in public life.'' ``Everything I said in that video was completely acceptable.'' ``I participated in this event and I don't see any reason not to. While I reject National Socialism, I certainly do not approve of the wholesale disparagement of the older war generation. I stand by this generation and I fight against the way it is disparaged.'' Haider claimed he did not know the Waffen SS had been branded a criminal organization by the post-war Nuremberg war crimes tribunal, adding: ``It doesn't interest me in the least.'' In December 1995, after viewing the video which captured Haider addressing and mingling with former SS officers, Austrian public prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into Haider's comments and speech on the basis of the law against reviving Nazism. Following the investigation by the public prosecutor's offices, the Austrian ministry of justice announced that it was to drop the proceedings because of insufficient grounds. During the parliamentary debate in July 1998 on a proposed new law requiring applicants for Austrian citizenship to prove knowledge of German, Franz Larfer, an MP of the Freedom Party, used the word Umvolkung. This term was used by the Nazis to define the forced change of the ethnic composition of a population by immigration or compulsory transfer. This happened in Eastern Europe during the Nazi-period leading consequently to the annihilation of the inhabitants. The term is comparable to the expression ethnic cleansing. In reaction to the use of this expression, members of the Austrian parliament booed and shouted and the session had to be interrupted. After Heinz Fischer, the president of the Austrian parliament, explained to Larfer the meaning of the word, Larfer returned to the microphone apologizing for applying it. As the media reported extensively on this incident, Haider defended Laufer's use of this term, and reiterated in a press conference the following day that his colleague was right in using this expression, explaining that the government applying a liberal immigration policy allows for extensive ``foreign infiltration,'' which subsequently leads to Umvolkung.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I welcome the effort of our colleague from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) for this legislation we are considering today commending the Library of Congress and its employees, both past and present, on 200 years of service to the Congress and the Nation and encouraging the American public to participate in activities to commemorate the Library's bicentennial. As my colleagues have noted, Mr. Speaker, on April 24 of the year 1800, President John Adams signed legislation establishing the Library of Congress and appropriating $5,000 for this modest effort. The year after President Adams and the Congress established our nation's national library, 740 volumes and three maps purchased from a London bookseller comprised the initial holdings of the library. By 1812, the collection had grown to 3,076 books. During the War of 1812, however, the British military occupied Washington, D.C., and burned the Library of Congress as well as torching a number of other prominent Washington buildings, including the White House and the Capitol. The nature of the institution was transformed in 1815 when Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library to the Library of Congress to reconstitute the collection. The Jeffersonian purchase was fortuitous because it permitted the Library to re-establish a collection, but it also fundamentally changed the nature of the Library of Congress. Before 1814, the Library was a narrow collection of books dealing with legal and historical topics. Jefferson's personal library was a broad collection which included literature on a wealth of topics and fields of knowledge, including literature. In 1815, some Members of Congress objected to books in foreign languages and books on spiritualism, architecture, and other topics that they considered to be of no interest to the Congress. But Jefferson argued that ``there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.'' Fortunately, Jefferson's conception of the Library of Congress won out, and that concept still guides the accessions of the Library today. The library today comprises almost 119 million items--18 million books, 12 million photographs, 5 million maps, millions of technical reports, music, movies, prints, manuscripts, microfilm. The collection includes items in 490 languages. The library collection requires some 530 miles of bookshelves and the collection increases by 10,000 items each day. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay particular tribute to Dr. James Billington, the 13th and current Librarian of Congress, who has played such a critical role in the modern transformation of the Library. Dr. Billington has taken the lead in emphasizing the continuing importance of knowledge in the modern world, and he has undertaken a number of critical innovations to bring the library into line with our digital and Internet era. When he launched the bicentennial of the Library of Congress three years ago, Dr. Billington gave the celebration the theme ``Libraries, Creativity, Liberty.'' That theme is particularly appropriate, Mr. Speaker. Libraries are the knowledge they preserve and disseminate are fundamental to our nation's creativity and innovation in this age of rapid change. At the same time, libraries and their repository of knowledge are essential for the function of a democratic society. Knowledge available to a nation's citizens is a requirement for a free people and for a democratic society to function. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this important resolution. Mr. Speaker, I submit Dr. James Billington's personal reflection, ``The Library of Congress turns 200'' which appeared in the April 2000 issue of the magazine American History. Dr. Billington reflects his insight regarding the role and position of the Library of Congress in the United States. At the same time, he provides a personal insight as one of our nation's foremost historians. On April 24 of this year the Library of Congress--America's national library and oldest federal cultural institution-- will turn 200. The Library was founded in 1800 with the primary mission of serving the research needs of the United States Congress, but during the past two centuries the collections have evolved into the largest repository of knowledge in the world. The Library now houses more than 115 million books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, motion pictures, and music. The Library's history reflects in many ways the story of the passions of its builders--beginning with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Initially the Library's holdings were no bigger than some home libraries. A mere 740 volumes and three maps ordered by Congress from London booksellers arrived in 1801 and were kept in the office of the secretary of the Senate. A year later Thomas Jefferson appointed the first Librarian of Congress, John J. Beckley, who also was the clerk of the House of Representatives. Little did Jefferson know at the time that his own library would be the seed from which the present collections would grow. On August 14, 1814, British soldiers burned the U.S. Capitol and with it the contents of the Library of Congress, that by then contained more than 3,000 items. Following the conflagration, Jefferson offered to sell Congress his personal collection of 6,487 volumes for $23,950. Congress approved the purchase, though not without some debate. Several members believed Jefferson's library included books unrelated to legislative work, to which he retorted: ``There is, in fact, no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.'' That statement has guided the collecting policies of the Library of Congress to this day and is one of the main reasons why the institution's collections have a breadth and depth unmatched by any other repository. Disaster struck the Library again on Christmas Eve 1851 when a faulty chimney flue started a fire that destroyed nearly two-thirds of the Jeffersonian collection. Over the years, the Library has worked, with some success, to find duplicates of these volumes. An aggressive campaign to acquire the remaining missing tomes is currently under way in conjunction with Gifts to the Nation, a bicentennial program that encourages donations of rare and important materials to the national collection. All books found will be featured in ``Genius of Liberty,'' an exhibition about Jefferson that will open in April. Over the years Congress has generously supported the Library and the Librarians of Congress in their pursuit of building this grand house of knowledge. For example, when Abraham Lincoln appointed Ainsworth Rand Spofford Librarian of Congress in 1864 (he served until 1897), he selected the man, more than any other individual, who transformed a legislative library into an institution of national importance. At the time of Spofford's appointment, the Library's collections numbered only 82,000 volumes. That number was to explode to roughly 900,000 by Spofford's retirement. In March 1865 Congress followed Spofford's recommendation and changed the copyright law to require that one printed copy of every copyrighted ``book, pamphlet, map, chart, musical composition, print, engraving or photograph'' created in the United States must be sent to the Library for its use. That law is chiefly responsible for the growth of the institution's collections. In 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant approved an act of Congress requiring that two copies of every copyrighted item be sent to the Library and that all U.S. copyright activities be centered there. Spofford also persuaded Congress to appropriate funds for a separate Library of Congress building, since space in the Capitol had been exhausted. The new structure, now known as the Thomas Jefferson Building, opened in 1897. Some have called it the most beautiful public building in America. Since then, the Library has constructed two more buildings on Capitol Hill. The John Adams Building opened in 1939, and the James Madison Memorial Building was completed in 1981. The Madison is not only the Library's third major structure but also the nation's official memorial to its fourth president, the ``father'' of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. While a member of the Continental Congress in 1783, Madison was also the first person to sponsor the idea of a library for Congress, and he was president when Jefferson's personal library became the foundation of the renewed Library of Congress. Since 1987 I have served as the 13th Librarian of Congress. The position has given me unique access to this vast treasure house, and I have found some items in the collections that stand out for me personally. As a student of Russian history and culture I am intensely interested in the Prokudin-Gorskii Collection of Imperial Russia. Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii was one of the first Russians to experiment with color photography. At the outset of the revolution in 1917, the photographer escaped to Paris with 1,900 glass-plate negatives, providing a remarkable look at Russia from 1909- 1911. Other items of personal interest include the Presidential Papers Collection, which features documents from 23 U.S. presidents, beginning with the Founding Fathers and continuing through to the twentieth century's Calvin Coolidge. The documents constitute the foremost source for the study of American leaders and provide a personal view of history that no textbook can offer. In 1996, the Library acquired the Marian Carson Collection of Americana, believed to be the most extensive existing private assemblage of rare materials relating to the nation's history. The Carson family of Philadelphia had collected such precious materials as an extremely rare broadside printing (only one other copy is known to exist) of the Declaration of Independence, believed to have been printed circa July 10-20, 1776; an 1839 photographic self-portrait of Robert Cornelius, the earliest extant U.S. portrait photograph known; and a chalk-drawing of George Washington, made within a year of his death in 1799. These and the many other items in the collections have reinforced the Library's preeminence as a source of materials relating to American history. Established by an act of Congress in 1976, the American Folklife Center holds the largest archives of the nation's distinctive cultures. The center's collections will increase significantly with Local Legacies project, which is providing a snapshot of American creativity at the turn of the century. Local Legacies is the premiere project of the Library's bicentennial effort and is jointly sponsored by Congress. Among the many resources of the Library's Rare Book and Special Collections Division, the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection of illustrated books from the fifteenth through twentieth centuries stands out. It features an amazing number of books of great rarity. Two of this collection's many treasures include the magnificent fifteenth-century manuscript known as the Giant Bible of Mainz, kept on permanent display in the Library's Great Hall, and one of only two known copies of the 1495 edition of Epistolae et Evangelia, sometimes called the finest illustrated book of the fifteenth century. During the 1990s, the Library moved into the digital age, with its award-winning and widely popular web site (www.loc.gov), which now handles more than 80 million ``hits'' per month. In April internet users will find information on five million items relating to American history that the Library is making available on the site as its Gift to the Nation. This technology makes the collections at the Library of Congress accessible to people from across the country who are unable to make the trip to Washington, D.C. ``America's library'' has truly become the nation's library.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend my distinguished colleague and friend from Nebraska, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia of our International Relations Committee, Mr. Bereuter, for his leadership in introducing H.R. 3707, the American Institute in Taiwan Facilities Enhancement Act. Under the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act, the American Institute in Taiwan (AID) is the unofficial entity through which we maintain our unofficial relationship with Taiwan. For the past twenty years, the AIT has served us well. I want to commend the individuals who have played such an important role in the activities of the AIT. In particular, I want to express appreciation for the current head of AIT, Richard Bush, who is a former outstanding member of the staff of the Subcommittee on Asia of the House International Relations Committee. Mr. Speaker, as several of my colleagues have already emphasized, the current AIT facilities in Taipei are grossly inadequate. They were not designed for the important functions which AIT performs. They are old, having been built over 50 years ago, and the facilities are increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain. Furthermore, authorities in Taiwan want back the land on which they are located. From a security perspective, the facility is even more seriously inadequate. Following the bombings of our nation's embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, the concern for the security of all American facilities has increased. The AIT buildings in Taipei are dangerously inadequate. There is virtually no setback, and major security enhancements would be necessary to bring the facilities into compliance with current security standards. The legislation we are considering today requires that the new facility meet the embassy security standards set forth in the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (commonly referred to as the Inman Standards) and the Security Embassy Construction and Counter Terrorism Act of 1999. The Congress has already recognized the need to improve AIT's facilities, and the FY 2000 appropriations legislation included $5 million for the design of a new facility. AIT staff, using standard cost factors unofficially provided by the State Department, have estimated that constructing a new facility would cost in the range of $80 to $100 million. This estimate is in line with recent construction costs of new embassy facilities, such as our Embassy in Nairobi. The staff of AIT has made a good faith effort and has set aside funds for capital construction, managing to accrue approximately $25 million thus far. Therefore, an authorization of $75 million, plus the $25 million AIT already has on hand, should be sufficient to cover construction costs. Mr. Speaker, United States relations with Taiwan are extremely important, and it is critical that AIT have an appropriate facility in Taipei. We must also protect the safety of those Americans and Taiwanese who work or conduct business at AIT in Taipei. This legislation represents a reasonable and responsible effort to deal with the inadequate facilities currently in use. I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the Majority Leader (Mr. Armey) for the resolution we are considering today which congratulates President-elect Chen Shuibian and Vice President-elect Annette Lu on their victory in a free and open and democratic election in Taiwan. I also want to commend my distinguished colleague and friend from Nebraska, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia of our International Relations Committee, Mr. Bereuter, for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is one of the great success stories of the post- World War II era. At the end of the war, Taiwan was a destitute, primitive, backward society. Today, it is one of the great economic triumphs of this century--a vibrant, innovative, creative economy, the 18th largest in the world. The strength of Taiwan's economy is reflected in the fact that it is our nation's 7th largest trading partner. Taiwan is also one of the great political success stories of the twentieth century. During the last two decades, Taiwan had become a full-fledged democracy. From an American point of view, there is nothing more desirable than to see an economically under-developed autocracy become a full functioning, vibrant democracy as we have seen in Taiwan. In this regard, Mr. Speaker, the recent election marks another important milestone in the consolidation of democracy in Taiwan. This election marks the first peaceful transfer of power from the KMT (Nationalist) party, which has played the dominant political role in Taiwan for the past half century, to Mr. Clen, the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party. This peaceful change of political power is reflection of the maturation of Taiwanese democracy. I do want to pay tribute to President Lee Teng-hui, the first democractically elected President in the history of the Chinese people. He has ably and faithfully served the people of Taiwan during his tenure as president, and as he steps down now at the completion of his presidential term, we owe him our thanks for the friendship he has shown the United States. I also want to pay tribute to President-elect Chen for the responsible and thoughtful way which he has approached the difficult issue of Taiwan's relationship with mainland China. We in the United States welcome his statesmanship and see it as a further reflection of the maturity of Taiwan's democracy. Mr. Speaker, these important changes in Taiwan stand in sharp contrast with the continuing authoritarian and dictatorial government which rules the People's Republic of China. I think this resolution we are considering today needs to be viewed as one that congratulates the people of Taiwan on having attained a high degree of economic development and creating a functioning political democracy and starkly contrasts these positive developments with those in the People's Republic of China. There is a free press in Taiwan, unlike the PRC. There are political alternatives in Taiwan, but not in mainland China. Taiwan also recognizes the desire of its people to function in a free and democratic fashion, unlike China. In particular Taiwan permits religious groups freedom of worship. In China, on the other hand, the practitioners of Falun Gong continue to be persecuted. Those who seek to practice their faith are prohibited or are limited to officially recognized and officially organized churches which have more to do with securing political support for the communist regime than they do with religious worship. The followers of all faiths--in China, as well as Taiwan--must have the freedom to practice their religion. The handful of incredibly courageous individuals in China who have expressed views contrary to the communist regime must be released. Mr. Speaker, the resolution we are considering today acknowledges the outstanding contributions of the Chinese people. I personally have the highest regard for Chinese civilization and what it has contributed to the culture of all humankind. It is one of the great tragedies of history that these wonderful and cultured people are ruled by an autocratic and dictatorial regime. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, which recognizes the enormous achievements of the people of Taiwan and holds out great hope for the people of China.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in mourning the loss of my dear friend, Ambassador Morris B. Abram. He passed away a few days ago in Geneva, Switzerland. Ambassador Abram was a dynamic leader in the Jewish community and commanded the respect and affection of all who knew him. Born in Fitzgerald, Georgia, in 1918, Abram was the former President of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He also served previously as the president of the American Jewish Committee and Chairman of the board of Benjamin Cardoza Law School in New York City. As a respected attorney, he argued landmark civil rights cases in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Supreme Court's 1963 ``One Man, One Vote'' decision. In 1982, Mr. Abram published his autobiography, The Day Is Short (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich), detailing his legendary career and his battle with leukemia. But eighteen years ago, his career was far from over. Since that time, he served as Chairman of the NCSJ from 1983 to 1988, and Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations for three years. In the area of public service, he was head of U.S. delegations to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was also Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights. Under President Bush, Abram was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. Following his ambassadorial service, he founded United Nations Watch. Denis C. Braham of Houston, Chairman of the NCSJ, paid an appropriate tribute to Morris Abram: ``The experiences that he brought to NCSJ from his leadership of Brandeis University and national Jewish groups made him uniquely qualified to head the organization at a time when the plight of Soviet Jewry was at the top of the Jewish global agenda. Morris was not just an American Jewish leader but a world Jewish leader.''