Tom Lantos

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I want to commend my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), for the power and integrity of his convictions. The Millennium Challenge Account would not have been possible without his leadership and commitment to a bipartisan approach to international poverty reduction. The Millennium Challenge Account, as conceived by the President and crafted by the Committee on International Relations, marks the beginning of a revolution in U.S. international development assistance by recognizing the importance of democratic rule, good governance, and human rights. In achieving sustainable levels of economic growth and social development, the MCA creates the political and economic linkages critical to reducing poverty and to achieving progress. At the same time, the MCA removes the Cold War-era strategic calculus from the development assistance equation. Each potential recipient of our assistance is to be judged on its own merits, based on their commitment to progress and our commitment to the political, economic, social, and humanitarian value of development assistance. Finally, the MCA implicitly endorses a critical aspect of our approach to combatting international terrorism. Although the administration has not focused on this point, modern terrorism of the kind that struck our Nation on September 11 is fueled in part by the desperation and hopelessness that pervades much of the developing world. The MCA provides new hope, and as such, represents a powerful antidote to terrorism and other forms of violent conflict that have stalled the developing world. Mr. Chairman, when the Committee on International Relations held its first meeting on the MCA, I expressed a range of concerns about various aspects of the administration's initial proposal. I am pleased to say that the legislation included in this amendment has addressed satisfactorily each of my earlier concerns, and the Hyde-Lantos amendment before us has my very strong support. The administration's initial proposal relegated USAID, the most capable agency within our government in administering international assistance, to a bit part in managing this massive account. Our bipartisan amendment restores USAID to its rightful role by providing its administrator with a seat and a vote on the Millennium Challenge Corporation's board of directors. Together with the interagency coordination that our amendment requires, this improvement promises to strengthen the MCA considerably. Our bipartisan amendment also addresses my earlier concerns about the rigid application of strict eligibility criteria by mandating congressional and societal consultations on the finalization of criteria. By providing for an annual reevaluation process and by authorizing limited assistance to those countries on the cusp of eligibility, our legislation safeguards against the inherently arbitrary nature of mechanically selecting qualified states. Mr. Chairman, the Hyde-Lantos MCA amendment will not single handedly eradicate poverty, nor will it place the United States in the same company as Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, the global leaders in this field, in terms of per capita levels of development assistance; but our legislation will renew our commitment to poor, but striving, countries in our common fight against hunger and despair. Speaking as someone who as a youth experienced both tremendous deprivation and the bounty of American generosity, I can testify to the profound influence that U.S. assistance can have on shaping the perceptions of foreign nations of our great country. Mr. Chairman, allow me to conclude by addressing the reauthorization of the Peace Corps, which is also included in this amendment. It is fitting that we consider the Millennium Challenge Account and the Peace Corps jointly because both are critical to enhancing U.S. international development assistance. Since President Kennedy first deployed the Peace Corps in 1961, the program's 168,000 volunteers, men and women, young and old, have made an immeasurable contribution to reducing poverty and promoting American values literally all over the globe. Reauthorizing this inspirational initiative is clearly in our national interests and in the interests of reducing poverty and restoring hope across the globe. Two of our colleagues deserve special recognition for bringing the Peace Corps reauthorization before us. The gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), a new, but invaluable, member of our committee, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), a former Peace Corps volunteer himself, were instrumental in crafting this amendment; and I am deeply indebted to both of them. Mr. Chairman, today this Chamber has the opportunity to reauthorize the Peace Corps and to establish the Millennium Challenge Account. Both initiatives offer the best hope to defeat international poverty and international terrorism, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support the Hyde-Lantos amendment.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I strongly support the gentlewoman's amendment. It is sorely needed. I could not think of a more noble project than to assist Buddhist countries with huge debts with debt relief. This is a measure that deserves bipartisan support. I ask all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for it.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2330, the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. I first wish to express my deepest appreciation to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for moving forward with this important piece of legislation so quickly, and to the 51 cosponsors of our legislation. I particularly want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for their leadership on this issue. I also thank the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), for working so closely and cooperatively with us on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago this month I introduced legislation in the House to ban all imports from Burma as a result of the Burmese regime's failure to move towards freedom and democracy. But my colleagues and I withheld from pressing that legislation after Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest and there appeared to be a process for dialogue and national reconciliation in Burma. But, Mr. Speaker, just 6 weeks ago the entire landscape in Burma changed dramatically. The Burmese government hired thugs to brutally attack Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and her aides as they were on their way to meet with their supporters. Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and thrown in jail. Her key aides were brutally killed. Her supporters around the nation have been jailed, and the offices of her political party have been closed. In short, the thug regime of Burma has sunk to new lows, securing its place in the world's rogues gallery of human rights abusers. The ruling dictatorship simply cannot accept the fact that this brave and courageous woman, Aung San Suu Kyi, a champion of democracy, remains wildly popular in Burma despite years of house arrest, persecution and repression. Now that the Rangoon regime has recommitted itself to destroying all democratic opposition in Burma, it is clear that dialogue is dead, national reconciliation is dead, and it is equally clear that we must adopt a new approach towards Burma and that new approach must include tough sanctions. Our legislation will impose a comprehensive import ban on products made in Burma until a series of human rights and democracy conditions have been met. We will freeze the assets of the Burmese regime in the United States, codify the existing policy of the United States to oppose lending to Burma by international financial institutions, we shall strengthen the visa ban on Burma, and we will support democracy activists in Burma. These are tough measures, but no tougher than Burma's ruling thugs deserve. They had a chance to deal seriously with this great woman, a champion of democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, and instead they viciously attacked this Nobel Laureate. This is an unacceptable situation. The legislation before us has strong bipartisan support, it reflects important suggestions made by the administration, and I urge all of my colleagues to support democracy in Burma and to support this important legislative measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I urge all colleagues to vote for this legislation. We are striking a blow for freedom and democracy. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, on the 4th of July, we celebrated our freedom. Today is the anniversary of the Iranian students' uprising a few years ago; 100,000 courageous, young Iranian men and women went to the streets of Teheran demanding their freedom, and their movement spread all over the country. The mullahs in Teheran have suppressed them and still do; but hopefully, before too long, we will be able to see in Iran what we have seen in central and Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union, people living in free and open and democratic societies, rejecting the totalitarian police state of the mullahs, a regime which is determined to develop nuclear weapons and a regime which is the center of global support for terrorism.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to an extraordinary woman and a very dear friend of mine, Mrs. Sue Lempert, for her thirty years of devoted service to the city of San Mateo, California, which is located in my congressional district. In 1973 Sue began her illustrious service to the city as a trustee for the San Mateo Elementary School District, where she served for 10 years. She then spent another 10 years as a trustee with the San Mateo Union High School District, before being elected a member of the San Mateo City Council in 1993. She subsequently served as both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of San Mateo. Since joining the San Mateo City Council, Sue has worked especially hard to improve the transportation system of San Mateo, making it more efficient and environmentally safe. She also has been a strong advocate for increased funding for public libraries, and as a tribute to her, the ``Celebrating Sue Lempert Fund'' has been created in hopes of raising $50,000 for a new San Mateo Library. Mr. Speaker, Sue Lempert's involvement in San Mateo extends beyond her position with the City Council. She is a board member of both the Friends of Early Learning and the Junior Statesmen Foundation. She is a member of the San Mateo Rotary and the Baywood Homeowners Association. She has been involved with the San Mateo Housing Task Force, the San Mateo Downtown Association, and assisting the elderly with their housing needs through the Lesley foundation. In addition to being a pillar of the San Mateo community, she is a loving wife and mother of three children, all of whom attended San Mateo public schools. Mr. Speaker, please join me in saluting and congratulating this outstanding individual, on her 30 years of service to San Mateo. I commend Sue Lempert who has dedicated herself to our community and truly has made a difference for those around her and indeed the entire county of San Mateo.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, after the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall and break up of the Soviet Union, I advocated a Marshall Plan for Russia and the former Soviet Republics to demonstrate that democracy and a market economy is the better way for our former adversary. It is one thing to win the Cold War but quite another to vastly improve the lives of ordinary citizens who have never known freedom. Regrettably, our government did not seize the opportunity then and instead opted for smaller and fragmented programs to encourage private sector investment. Although we could and should have done more, a new generation of Russian entrepreneurs is boldly moving that country to a vibrant market economy, contributing to Russia's unlikely status as the world's leading growth economy of 2003. One of the most impressive examples is the Russian oil company, YUKOS, which under the able leadership of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has become one of the largest and best operated energy companies in the world. This is good news for Americans, in that future oil imports from Russia will significantly reduce our energy dependence on the volatile Middle East. Mr. Speaker, another striking example of positive change in Russia today can be found in corporate governance. Business leaders, such as Mr. Khodorkovsky and Mr. Vladimir Potanin, head of INTERROS, Russia's largest private investment company, are pressing the issue of corporate responsibility and working to set standards to insure reform and good governance to help pave the way for Russia's membership in the WTO. The clearest sign of Russia's emergence as a player in the world economy is the recent acquisition by the Russian mining giant, Norilsk Nickel, of the Stillwater Mining Company in Montana, the largest acquisition by a Russian company in the United States. Norilsk Nickel brings experience and a first-rate management team to complement the Montana plant's operation and competitive position. This new synergy will bring benefits to both companies, the Stillwater shareholders and workers, and the consumers--the U.S. auto industry, who depend on both plants for the palladium it uses in catalytic converters. The transaction passed muster with two Federal agencies. The Administration's interagency group that looks at security-related issues on all foreign acquisitions in the U.S., and the Federal Trade Commission that scrutinizes impact of such transactions on consumers. The Stillwater shareholders also voted overwhelmingly in favor of the purchase. Only a few years ago, it would have been all but impossible to imagine the U.S. government approving the sale of an American mining company that holds claims on the only significant sources of platinum and palladium outside of South Africa and Russia. These two precious metals are the key ingredients in the automotive catalytic converters used to scrub pollution from exhaust emissions. They also are vital components in a wide-range of electronics and, of course, in fine jewelry as well. Commercial transactions, such as the Norilsk Nickel-Stillwater acquisition are important to Russia. Operating on a global scale and in tune with accepted rules of Commerce and good corporate governance and also demonstrates that major East-West investments is opening the doors to opportunity for both sides. Mr. Speaker, we need to encourage this kind of economic collaboration and rally the forces of a free market that make it possible. We should applaud the vision and dynamic leadership of Russia's new entrepreneurs and the implicit support accorded by our respective governments to encourage these bold initiatives.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the San Mateo Police Department, whose creative and effective policing strategies over the past decade merit recognition and praise by this body. Law enforcement is one of the principal functions of responsible government, and the duties of a police department are as vital as they are numerous. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the enormous strains police departments nationwide are currently experiencing, with their budgets shrinking even as their responsibilities multiply. New antiterrorism duties have been met in many cases not, Mr. Speaker, by additional funds, but by service and pay cuts, as the present Administration and Congressional leadership undermine our nation's Finest with their irresponsible theology of tax cuts. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in thanking the police departments of America for their selfless and courageous service in this most trying time for our nation, and in offering our sympathy as they work hard to make America safe. The San Mateo Police Department stands out among police departments nationally as a paragon of public service and public sensitivity, and has worked creatively to forge partnerships with the community. Mr. Speaker, the SMPD has made tremendous strides in recent years. During the period from 1997 to 2002, the overall crime rate in San Mateo plummeted 8 percent and there was not a single murder in the city of nearly 100,000 people. The SMPD's hard work has clearly paid off, and in addition to lower crime rates, it has yielded dividends that cannot be quantified. Ten years ago, Mr. Speaker, the SMPD launched a Community Oriented Policing program, with the ambitious goal of improving the quality of life for every single person who lives and works in the City of San Mateo. The Department sought to accomplish this task by engaging the individuals, businesses, and local service organizations of San Mateo, as well as appropriate outside governmental agencies, and their approach has been enormously successful. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, the San Mateo Police Department has been incredibly innovative in its efforts to reach out to the community. Among the more creative initiatives launched by the SMPD in recent years is the Citizen-Police Ride-Along Program, in which San Mateo residents accompany an officer in a police cruiser in order to get a sense of what a police patrol is like. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the SMPD has teamed up with San Mateo Parks & Recreation to form the Police Activities League (PAL), an organization with support from the State of California that helps promote trust and understanding between cops and kids. Six years into the program, the verdict is in and it is unambiguous: PAL has been an unqualified success and has contributed to a marked improvement in relations between youth and law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I would like to single out San Mateo Chief of Police Susan E. Manheimer for her leadership and her commitment to the principles of equality, professionalism, justice, and the highest standards of ethics. I have the utmost confidence that her commitment to a focused approach of Problem Oriented Policing will further reduce crime in the City of San Mateo and contribute generally to a better quality of life in the area, and I congratulate her on the Department's accomplishments under her stewardship. And finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my sincerest and most heartfelt congratulations to police officers Bob Szelenyi and Fred Haney on their promotion to the rank of Sergeant in the San Mateo Police Department. I have known Bob personally since his infancy, and consider him a man of great character, industry, and integrity. In his decade and a half on the force, Mr. Speaker, Bob has established himself as a leader in mediation and negotiation, and is held in the highest regard for his involvement with San Mateo youth. Officer Szelenyi has been awarded multiple public service awards for his work with kids, Mr. Speaker, and has earned the respect of his colleagues and many others in my district and the entire Bay Area for his successful negotiation of a gang truce several years ago. That truce prevented countless acts of violence and untold suffering, and we are all eternally indebted to him for his hard work on behalf of the lives and safety of the people of San Mateo. While I did not have the privilege of watching Mr. Haney take his first steps, Mr. Speaker, I am familiar with his work because his remarkable contributions to the community of San Mateo are so well- known. I am proud that he is one of the top officers defending my community, and I believe his work in preventing gang violence, both as an individual officer and as a member of a special gang task force, contributed to the drop in crime my community has enjoyed over the past five years. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Mr. Haney on his work at the frontier of digital evidence and high-tech crimes. He is a model public servant, and I salute him. Mr. Speaker, I offer my warmest congratulations to the San Mateo Police Department, Police Chief Manheimer, and Sergeants Szelenyi and Haney, and my unending thanks to them for their service to the people of San Mateo. I wish them Godspeed.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined my good friend from New Jersey, the Chairman of the Veterans Committee and the Vice- Chairman of the Committee on International Relations, in introducing H.R. 2620, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003. Mr. Speaker, in the 106th Congress, Mr. Smith and our former colleague, Sam Gejdenson of Connecticut, spent enormous energy to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. I was proud to be an original co-sponsor of that landmark legislation. It is wise to recall where we were just a few short years ago with respect to trafficking of persons. The CIA estimated that 50,000 people were being trafficked into the United States each year and being held in conditions that amounted to modern day slavery. They were being forced to labor in our fields, to work endless hours in sweatshops, and to serve in sexual slavery in cities across our land. U.S. prosecution of traffickers faltered because attorneys in our Department of Justice did not have the right tools to pursue the new forms of trafficking, which often relied on threats, not chains, and on document fraud, not bills of sale. Overseas, millions of people were being used as chattel, and the brothels of Bombay and Bangkok were overflowing with prostitutes, many young girls, who were forced to provide sex. Governments were barely aware of what was happening to their own people, and where they were, they usually blamed the victims and forgot about them. And the international community was just starting to fashion an international agreement to address the horrors of trafficking. Today the picture is visibly brighter. Because of the enactment of the Smith-Gejdenson Act, the Attorney General is prosecuting cases from American Samoa to New Jersey and has recently achieved the first conviction under the new tools provided by that Act right here in the DC metropolitan area. Victims are coming forward because of the federal benefits we are offering to them, treating them like the refugees that they are. The naming of countries that are not making significant efforts to combat trafficking and the threat of sanctions against them are forcing measurable changes in the way that governments around the world are facing this modern day form of slavery. A new international criminal protocol is gaining wide acceptance, and is being studied by the Administration. Modern day slavery is under assault from all directions. But Mr. Speaker, we need to do more. In the two-and-a-half years since the enactment of the Smith-Gejdenson Act, we have learned much more about the phenomena of trafficking and how to combat it. It is time to do a thorough review of our trafficking statutes and ensure that we are doing everything we can to prevent trafficking, protect victims and prosecute traffickers. And that is exactly what the Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act of 2003 accomplishes. Drawing from the conference earlier this year held by the Department of State, this bill authorizes new strategies for prevention, including using trafficking victims to identify traffickers at the borders and deterring sex tourism, which is part of the fuel of sex slavery around the world. It increases protection by making measured expansions of the visa category for trafficking victims and related provisions to better enable cooperation, particularly with respect to state and local trafficking prosecutions, which are increasingly the front line of law enforcement in this area. And it enhances prosecution of traffickers by, for example, ensuring that trafficking is treated like the organized crime that it is. Perhaps most critically, it demonstrates Congressional commitment to fighting this scourge by authorizing additional funds for U.S. agencies to combat this human rights crisis around the world. Mr. Speaker, I salute Congressman Smith, Congressman Pitts and Congresswoman Slaughter for the vision they are showing today by joining me in this fight against trafficking in human beings. Just as we made a real difference two-and-a-half years ago, we can accelerate our fight against modern-day slavery. I urge all my colleagues to join in this fight.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and memory of Leon Marcus Uris, the novelist and screenwriter who touched the lives of millions around the world. His unfortunate passing this week is a devastating loss to the world of literature and cinema and to thinking people and humanitarians everywhere. The author of more than a dozen books and several screenplays, Leon Uris was best known for his Gunfight at O.K. Corral, which was universally heralded as an archetypal Hollywood Western, and his moving and humane account of the birth of the State of Israel, Exodus. Mr. Speaker, Exodus became an international sensation immediately upon its publication in 1958, and was made into an enormously popular and critically acclaimed film two years later. Mr. Uris's Exodus is the story of the struggles and spirit of the Jewish people, a people who, persecuted and murdered in Europe, emerged from the Holocaust and fled and were expelled from hostile Islamic and Arab societies in the late 1940s and early 1950s to establish a state in their historic homeland, Israel, on land granted to them by the United Nations. I encourage all Members who have not yet read Exodus to read this eloquent and emotional account of a people's struggle for survival and freedom. As a Jew who personally fought the Nazi occupation of Hungary and survived the Holocaust, I was deeply moved by Mr. Uris's books, many of which highlighted historical events of Jewish concern and the poignant and ongoing struggle for the survival of the State of Israel. Yet it would be unfair to pigeonhole him as a man concerned exclusively with Jewish issues. Mr. Uris was an unabashed champion of freedom and democracy, not just for Jews but for the Irish and oppressed groups worldwide whom he wrote and cared about. Mr. Speaker, Exodus was Leon Uris's magnum opus and it was translated into dozens of languages and distributed clandestinely throughout the Soviet Union, where it became known in dissident circles simply as ``The Book'' and helped generate resistance against the Communist regime. The film version, directed by Otto Preminger and starring Eva Marie Saint and Paul Newman, drew attention to the plight of the State of Israel, a vibrant democracy and ally of the United States under assault from all sides. After enjoying success beyond all expectations both as a book and as a film, Exodus was reincarnated as a Broadway musical in 1971. Many of Mr. Uris's books were sympathetic war novels, imbued with tales of courage and daring, as well as intrigue and romance. In addition to Exodus, I was especially moved by Mila 18, a heroic story he wrote in 1961 about the Warsaw ghetto uprising during World War II. Leon Uris was an unusually creative and thorough practitioner of his craft. The New York Times noted in its obituary yesterday that in ``preparing to write Exodus . . . [Mr. Uris] read nearly 300 books, underwent a physical- training program in preparation for about 12,000 miles of travel within Israel and interviewed more than 1,200 people.'' The child of a first- generation Russian-American mother and a Polish immigrant father, Mr. Uris's pool of talent was seemingly bottomless, and his spirit indomitable, renewed daily by his commitment to the twin causes of freedom and justice, and propelled by a quintessentially American- immigrant zeal. A successful genius who rose from ``hardscrabble beginnings,'' the Washington Post wrote in its epitaph yesterday, Mr. Uris was a man of uncommon and extraordinary character. Mr. Speaker, Leon Uris was one of the great novelists of the twentieth century, and has secured his place among the intellectual and literary giants of our time. It is with great sadness and deep admiration that I bid farewell to Mr. Uris, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), my friend and distinguished colleague.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney). (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Majette). (Ms. MAJETTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am making the request that each side be given 10 minutes.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), a distinguished member of the Committee on International Relations. (Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman consult with the leadership while we take up the next 10 minutes to see if they agree to an additional 10 minutes?

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution which condemns the recent wave of terrorism inflicted on Israel and expresses solidarity with the people of Israel in their heroic fight against terrorism. First, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for the gentleman's cooperation in bringing this resolution to the floor. I also want to express my appreciation to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the Republican leader, for his principled support, and to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority leader, for her valued cosponsorship. The fact that these three leaders of the House have cosponsored my resolution is a powerful indication that it has strong bipartisan support. Mr. Speaker, I introduced this resolution with one basic conviction, that Israel has as much right to fight against suicide bombers and ruthless terrorists as any other free and democratic nation. At the recent Aqaba Summit, the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Sharon, made some extraordinary and historic statements. He called for a democratic state living at peace with Israel with mutual respect and shared prosperity. In less than a week of the Prime Minister's landmark speech, 22 innocent Israeli men, women and children fell victim to suicide bombings and over 100 were wounded. Israel's response to this unprovoked carnage was the only response a self-respecting democratic state could offer. When Israel responds with counterterrorist operations against suicide bombers, some criticize it for provoking a cycle of violence. This is an absurd and sinister argument. Let us be clear about one thing. As our resolution states, Israel would not conduct counterterrorist operations if Palestinian counterterrorism would cease. The bloodshed, the violence, the tragedy would end. The term ``cycle of violence'' must be permanently retired from the lexicon of Middle East politics since it preposterously implies moral equivalence between suicide bombers and the justified response of a free and democratic nation. Based on comparative populations, the 22 Israelis who were murdered in the days following the Aqaba Summit are the equivalent of 1,100 Americans. Were al Qaeda again to murder over a thousand Americans, we would demand that our government take strong measures to eliminate the threat they pose. None of us would tolerate our government waiting while someone pleads with the terrorists for a temporary cease-fire. In my recent meeting with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen in Ramallah, he told me that he is opposed to terrorism. Subsequently he repeated his statement to President Bush and many others, but Abu Mazen's effectiveness as a leader will not be judged by his words, but by his deeds. Abu Mazen's political situation is unquestionably complex; but if he continues to refuse to use force against murderous terrorists, he will soon become irrelevant and his political demise will be sure to follow. But should he choose to take bold action against terrorism, he will deserve and he will receive the support of this body and the American people. Mr. Speaker, my resolution underscores the obvious. Israel's fight against terrorism is one of the front lines of the global war against terrorism. Israel's enemies are motivated by a hate-filled, sick, totalitarian ideology, as are our terrorist foes. Israel's enemies are ruthless and bloodthirsty, just like ours. If the Palestinian Authority will not or cannot destroy and defeat Palestinian terrorist groups, Israel has no choice but to take matters into its own hands. We are fighting our enemies relentlessly. Israel, under infinitely less favorable circumstances, can do nothing less. Mr. Speaker, it is universally accepted that it is the right of all states, including the democratic state of Israel, to make the defense of its citizens its number one priority. This is the bedrock of my resolution. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza). (Mr. CARDOZA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I think this is an important debate. A good number of colleagues wish to speak on it. We waste so much time in this body on so many unimportant issues, I think an additional 20 minutes for each side is not an unreasonable request.

Mr. LANTOS

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.