U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

74–464PS WASHINGTON : 2001

CONGRATULATING ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA ON ANNIVERSARY OF REESTABLISHMENT OF FULL INDEPENDENCE;

TRANSFER OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR YUGOSLAVIA; URGING

THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE TO SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC

IDEALS, ETC. FOR UKRAINIAN CITIZENS

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H. Con. Res. 131, H. Res. 200

and H. Con. Res. 58

AUGUST 2, 2001

Serial No. 107–34

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250

Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001

(II)

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa

DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey

DAN BURTON, Indiana

ELTON GALLEGLY, California

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida

CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina

DANA ROHRABACHER, California

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California

PETER T. KING, New York

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio

AMO HOUGHTON, New York

JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York

RICHARD BURR, North Carolina

JOHN COOKSEY, Louisiana

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado

RON PAUL, Texas

NICK SMITH, Michigan

JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania

DARRELL E. ISSA, California

ERIC CANTOR, Virginia

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona

BRIAN D. KERNS, Indiana

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia

TOM LANTOS, California

HOWARD L. BERMAN, California

GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American

Samoa

DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey

ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey

SHERROD BROWN, Ohio

CYNTHIA A. MCKINNEY, Georgia

EARL F. HILLIARD, Alabama

BRAD SHERMAN, California

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida

JIM DAVIS, Florida

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York

BARBARA LEE, California

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York

JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada

GRACE NAPOLITANO, California

ADAM B. SCHIFF, California

DIANE E. WATSON, California

THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel

ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE

ELTON GALLEGLY, California, Chairman

DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska

PETER T. KING, New York

RICHARD BURR, North Carolina

JOHN COOKSEY, Louisiana

NICK SMITH, Michigan

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa

DAN BURTON, Indiana

ERIC CANTOR, Virginia

EARL F. HILLIARD, Alabama

BRAD SHERMAN, California

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida

JIM DAVIS, Florida

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts

BARBARA LEE, California

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York

VINCE MORELLI, Subcommittee Staff Director

VALERIE VAN BUREN, Democratic Professional Staff Member

PATRICK PRISCO, Professional Staff Member

KELLY MCDONALD, Staff Associate

(III)

C O N T E N T S

Page

Markup of H. Con. Res. 131, Congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia,

Latvia, and Lithuania on the tenth anniversary of the reestablishment

of their full independence .................................................................................... 1

H. Con. Res. 131 ...................................................................................................... 2

Markup of H. Res. 200, Relating to the transfer of Slobodan Milosevic, and

other alleged war criminals, to the International Criminal Tribunal for

Yugoslavia, and for other purposes .................................................................... 4

H. Res. 200 ............................................................................................................... 6

Markup of H. Con. Res. 58, Urging the President of Ukraine to support

democratic ideals, the rights of free speech, and free assembly for Ukrainian citizens ............................................................................................................ 12

H. Con. Res. 58 ........................................................................................................ 13

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

The Honorable Elton Gallegly, a Representative in Congress from the State

of California, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Europe:

Prepared statement on H. Con. Res. 131 ........................................................... 4

Prepared statement on H. Res. 200 .................................................................... 8

Prepared statement on H. Con. Res. 58 ............................................................. 16

(1)

CONGRATULATING ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA

ON ANNIVERSARY OF REESTABLISHMENT OF FULL

INDEPENDENCE; TRANSFER OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL

FOR YUGOSLAVIA; URGING THE PRESIDENT OF

UKRAINE TO SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC IDEALS, ETC.

FOR UKRAINIAN CITIZENS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2001

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE,

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,

Washington, DC.

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:53 a.m. in Room

2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Elton Gallegly [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.

Mr. GALLEGLY. The Subcommittee will come to order. Pursuant

to notice, I call up H. Con. Res. 131, congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 10th anniversary of

their independence, for purposes of markup. Without objection, the

resolution will be considered as read and open for amendments at

any point, and I ask unanimous consent that Chairman Gallegly’s

statement be made a part of the record. Are there any other opening statements?

[The concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 131, follows:]

2

1

IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 131

Congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the

tenth anniversary of the reestablishment of their full independence.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 10, 2001

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. HOYER, Mr. PITTS, Mr. CARDIN,

Mr. WAMP, and Mr. HASTINGS of Florida) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International

Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and

Lithuania on the tenth anniversary of the reestablishment of their full independence.

Whereas the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

were forcibly and illegally incorporated into the Soviet

Union from 1940 until 1991;

Whereas from 1940 to 1991, thousands of Estonians,

Latvians, and Lithuanians were executed, imprisoned, or

exiled by Soviet authorities through a regime of brutal repression, Sovietization, and Russification in their respective nations;

Whereas despite the efforts of the Soviet Union to eradicate

the memory of independence, the Baltic people never lost

3

2

•HCON 131 IH

their hope for freedom and their long-held dream of full

independence;

Whereas during the period of ‘‘glasnost’’ and ‘‘perestroika’’

in the Soviet Union, the Baltic people led the struggle for

democratic reform and national independence; and

Whereas, in the years following the restoration of full independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have demonstrated their commitment to democracy, human rights,

and the rule of law, and have actively participated in a

wide range of international structures, pursuing further

integration with European political, economic, and security organizations: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) congratulates Estonia, Latvia, and Lith4 uania on the tenth anniversary of the restoration of

5 their full independence; and

6 (2) calls on the President to continue to build

7 the close and mutually beneficial relations the

8 United States has enjoyed with Estonia, Latvia, and

9 Lithuania since the restoration of the full independ10 ence of those nations.

Æ

4

[The prepared statement of Mr. Gallegly follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ELTON GALLEGLY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON

EUROPE

H. CON. RES. 131

Ten years ago as the Berlin Wall was being torn down and the Soviet empire was

collapsing throughout Eastern Europe, the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and

Estonia saw the end to their illegal incorporation into the Soviet Union and the restoration of their full independence.

This resolution introduced by our Colleague from New Jersey, Mr. Smith, recognizes this important event and congratulates the people of the Baltic nations on the

10th anniversary of their restored independence.

The Baltic states have proven their democratic credentials, their commitment to

economic development and growth, their friendship to the United States and their

burning desire to fully integrate into the Europe and the West by pursuing membership in both the European Union as well as NATO.

And in the case of Lithuania, their prowess in basketball, at least when they play

Members of this Congress.

I commend Mr. Smith for introducing this resolution. I congratulate the people

of the Baltic states for their total commitment to freedom and democracy. And I

wish them well with respect to their applications for EU and NATO membership.

I urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman?

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Gilman.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, this is an appropriate resolution,

congratulating the Baltic on the anniversary of the reestablishment

of their full independence. It is not that long ago that we were

forced to commemorate every year Captive Nations Week, when we

mourned for those nations and people under the Soviet yoke.

Now we can be gratified in particular by the progress of the Baltic nations. They have much to be proud of: modern economies, political systems, educated people. They are on the verge of joining

the various Euro-Atlantic institutions such as NATO and the EU.

Americans can be proud as well. We have stood in solidarity with

the people of the Baltics during those dark years. When we pass

this resolution, we will be stating to the Baltic nations, well done,

deservedly so. Thank you for yielding, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Gallegly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Are there further opening statements?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The resolution was introduced by our colleague

from New Jersey, Mr. Smith, recognizing this important event and

congratulating the people of the Baltic nations on the 10th anniversary of their restored independence. Are there any amendments?

[No response.]

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I move the resolution.

Mr. Gallegly. The question is on the gentleman’s motion from the

State of New York to favorably report the resolution. All in favor?

[A chorus of ayes.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. Those opposed?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The ayes have it, and so ordered. The resolution

is reported.

Pursuant to the notice, I call up Resolution H. Res. 200, urging

the President to encourage democratic ideals in Ukraine for purVerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:57 Sep 27, 2001 Jkt 074464 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M080201\74464 HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1
5

poses of markup, H. Res. 200, regarding the transfer of Slobodan

Milosevic to the Hague.

[The resolution, H. Res. 200, follows:]

6

1

IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 200

Relating to the transfer of Slobodan Milosevic, and other alleged war criminals, to the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, and for

other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 18, 2001

Mr. GALLEGLY (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, and Mr. SHERMAN) submitted the

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Relating to the transfer of Slobodan Milosevic, and other

alleged war criminals, to the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, and for other purposes.

Whereas on June 28, 2001, Slobodan Milosevic was transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia to face charges of crimes against humanity;

Whereas the transfer of Slobodan Milosevic and other indicted war criminals is a triumph of international justice

and the rule of law in Serbia;

Whereas corruption and warfare under the Milosevic regime

caused Yugoslavia extensive economic damage, including

millions in lost output and a foreign debt that exceeds

$12,200,000,000;

7

2

•HRES 200 IH

Whereas other alleged perpetrators of war crimes and other

crimes against humanity remain at large throughout the

Balkans region; and

Whereas democrats and reformers in the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia deserve the support and encouragement of the

United States: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) recognizes the courage of Serbian demo3 crats, in particular, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran

4 Djindjic, in facilitating the transfer of Slobodan

5 Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for

6 Yugoslavia;

7 (2) calls for the continued arrest and transfer

8 of other indicted war criminals throughout the Bal9 kans to the International Criminal Tribunal in the

10 Hague;

11 (3) encourages the release of all innocent polit12 ical prisoners held in Serbian prisons; and

13 (4) remains committed to providing foreign as14 sistance to support the success of economic, political,

15 and legal reforms in the Federal Republic of Yugo16 slavia and other nations of the Balkans region as

17 long as the Government of the Federal Republic of

18 Yugoslavia and others continues to cooperate in the

19 matter of war criminals.

Æ

8

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman?

Mr. GALLEGLY. On June 28th of this year, the government of Serbia took a bold and welcome move when it decided to permit the

transfer of Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague. This event demonstrated in a very meaningful way the desire of many in Serbia,

especially within the government, to move away from the past. It

also showed the effectiveness of conditioning economic assistance to

Yugoslavia on concrete political progress.

While I am sympathetic with the view of many Serbs that

Milosevic should have stood trial in Yugoslavia for his crimes

against the people of that nation, it is probably best that he be

transferred because it sends a strong message to other nations still

harboring criminals that they must be apprehended and handed

over to account for their actions.

This resolution commends Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic for

taking this bold action. The resolution also calls for the other countries of the Balkans, such as Bosnia, to follow the Serb lead and

arrest and turn over others indicted for war crimes.

Finally, the resolution calls on the Yugoslavian government to release any remaining innocent prisoners, including political prisoners, currently being held in Serbia. I urge the support of this resolution, and I would yield to the gentleman, the Ranking Member,

Mr. Hilliard.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Gallegly follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ELTON GALLEGLY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON

EUROPE

H. RES. 200

On June 28 of this year, the government of Serbia took a bold and welcome move

when it decided to permit the transfer of Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague.

This event demonstrated, in a very meaningful way, the desire of many in Serbia,

especially within the government to move away from the past.

It also showed the effectiveness of conditioning economic assistance to Yugoslavia

on concrete political progress.

While I am sympathetic with the view of many Serbs that Milosevic should have

stood trial in Yugoslavia for his crimes against the people of that nation, it is probably best that he was transferred because it sends a strong message to other nations

still harboring criminals that they must be apprehended and handed over to account

for their actions.

This resolution commends Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic for taking this bold action.

The resolution also calls on the other countries of the Balkans, such as Bosnia

to follow the Serb lead and arrest and turn over others indicted for war crimes.

Finally, the resolution calls on the Yugoslav government to release any remaining

innocent prisoners, including political prisoners currently being held in Serb prisons.

I urge support for this resolution.

Mr. HILLIARD. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this resolution is very timely, and I am very happy that you

have called this meeting to consider it, and it is long overdue.

As we know, Slobodan Milosevic has committed a large number

of crimes over a whole decade. He has caused considerable disruption in his country and the world. The world needs to try him for

all of those atrocities and the things he has done to the people not

only of his country, but of Europe. Thank you very much, Mr.

Chairman.

9

Mr. GALLEGLY. Thank you. Mr. Hilliard. Mr. Gilman.

Mr. GILMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to support

this resolution. I thank our distinguished Chairman, the gentleman

from California, Mr. Gallegly, for crafting it. Former Secretary of

State Lawrence Eagleberger was the first world leader to label

Milosevic a war criminal.

It has clearly taken much too long to bring him to justice. It nevertheless is astonishing to see him finally being brought into jail.

For that, we owe the American military leaders who fought over in

Kosovo and occupy it today, but also the brave people of Serbia who

ended finally Milosevic’s reign of terror over their nation. Now let

us fulfill our commitment to the Yugoslav people in reliance on

their surrender of Slobodan Milosevic. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Gallegly. I thank the gentleman from New York. Are there

any other statements?

Mr. ENGEL. Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Engel.

Mr. ENGEL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to support the

resolution and vote for it, but I have a slight bit of trepidation that

I would just like to share with the Subcommittee. I believe that it

is commendable, and as you know, I chair the Albanian Issues

Caucus, along with Sue Kelly. I think that turning over Slobodan

Milosevic to the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague is very commendable and a big step forward. But there is still a lot that needs

to be done.

I believe that aid and foreign assistance, as it says in paragraph

four here, ought to go to Serbia—it says the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia, but the fact is it is really Serbia—and as long as they

continue to cooperate in the matter of war criminals. There are

other things that they need to do as well, and I want to just state

some of those things because I do not think that the United States

should continue to provide aid for them just because they are cooperating with the issue of war criminals.

There are a lot of other issues, and you do touch on it in the resolution, Mr. Chairman, when you talk about encouraging the release

of all innocent political prisoners held in Serbian prisons. There are

still many ethnic Albanian prisoners who were taken illegally into

Serbia when Milosevic’s troops were forced out by NATO and captured these people and held them as prisoner, and many of them

are still in Serbian prisons. We need to see those people released,

and we need to see more action on the part of the government of

Serbia.

We also need for them to stop the rhetoric, because while Mr.

Djindjic has done what he should be doing and other leaders as

well, some of the rhetoric, the anti-Albanian rhetoric and the rhetoric about Kosovo, has not been abated. In fact, some of the rhetoric is even worse than the rhetoric of Slobodan Milosevic, and they

have not, the government in Belgrade, made clear what their plans

are vis-a-vis a lot of other issues: The future of Kosovo; the fact

that they should be willing to cooperate with NATO and the United

States; the fact that there is a divided city in Kosovo, Mitrovica,

where the Serbs illegally are putting armed people there.

So I think that there are a lot of issues to be resolved before we

can assume that things are honky dory. I do think the resolution

10

is a step in the right direction, but I would urge the Subcommittee

to continue to monitor the actions of Mr. Djindjic and the Belgrade

government with regard to Kosovo and other matters. And I thank

you, and I will vote for the resolution.

Mr. GALLEGLY. I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from

New York, and I think that they are well taken, and this Committee will continue to move in that direction.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I move the resolution.

Mr. Gallegly. First of all, I have an amendment at the desk.

Would the clerk please report?

Ms. MCDONALD. Amendment to H. Res. 200 offered by Mr.——

Mr. GALLEGLY. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be

considered as read.

I have an amendment to offer to H. Res. 200 merely making

technical changes and correcting certain vocabulary for accuracy,

and everyone should have a copy. The question occurs on the

amendment. All in favor?

[A chorus of ayes.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. Any opposed?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The ayes have it.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I now move the resolution.

Mr. Gallegly. There is one other amendment. Mr. Delahunt?

Mr. DELAHUNT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment

at the desk.

Mr. GALLEGLY. The clerk will read.

Ms. MCDONALD. Amendment to H. Res. 200 offered by Mr.

Delahunt.

Mr. GALLEGLY. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be

considered as read. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. DELAHUNT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This amendment simply would replace the second ‘‘whereas’’ in the resolution with the

phrase that puts the transfer of Milosevic into an historical context. It ties the transfer to the transition of international justice

that was begun by the Nuremburg and Tokyo tribunals after World

War II, and that has long been supported by the United States.

In addition, this amendment would more clearly show how the

transfer of Milosevic and other war criminals is a sign that the

days of impunity are over in the Balkans. When those who have

power are exempt from punishment, it is impossible to establish

the rule of law, and the problems of the Balkans will never be

solved until a rule of law takes root throughout the region, whether

it be Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, wherever. And as cosponsor of the

underlying resolution, I believe this amendment strengthens the

resolution and urge its support. I yield back.

Mr. GALLEGLY. The question is on the amendment by the gentleman, Mr. Delahunt. All in favor?

[A chorus of ayes.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. Any opposed?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The ayes have it.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman?

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Engel?

11

Mr. ENGEL. Yes. I just want to say that Mr. Delahunt’s amendment certainly does strengthen it, and I welcome it. And I just

want to point out that in sending Milosevic to the Hague, the

Prime Minister, Mr. Djindjic, was instrumental in doing that, but

the President of Serbia, Mr. Kostunica, resisted every step of the

way and resisted the kinds of things we are talking about. So I just

do think it is very important to highlight Mr. Delahunt’s amendment. Thank you.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I now move the resolution.

Mr. SMITH. Mr. Chairman? I would like to speak on the motion.

Mr. Gallegly. Okay. Very well. The gentleman has 5 minutes.

Mr. SMITH. Maybe a question to you, Mr. Chairman. Why are we

doing this? Does this do any good? We have passed many resolutions. I am just wondering some basis or an explanation of where

this goes. As a new Member of the Committee, I guess I am wondering if we are just sort of patting ourselves on the backs for

doing a good, virtuous thing and saying, look, we should do right

things, and so we are criticizing or commending the rest of the

world. Help me understand what good this resolution does.

Mr. GALLEGLY. If the gentleman would yield, I think if that was

the only thing that it did, it is probably worthwhile doing. But the

fact remains is I think it is important that we send a message that

there is still work that is undone there, and they are moving in the

right direction.

Milosevic is only the first of what I hope will be many to follow

that will be brought to justice, and I do not think that there will

be any stability in that region of the world until we get some of

the second- and third-tier people in jail. And I think that this resolution sends that message that we are encouraged, but we want to

see continued movement. That is more than patting on the back,

although I am not sure that if that was all it did, that it would

be inappropriate.

Mr. SMITH. What happens with this resolution? We pass it. Do

we convey this resolution and track it, send it to somebody?

Mr. GALLEGLY. It will be moved to the Full Committee.

Mr. SMITH. No, no. I mean after it has passed out of the House.

Mr. GALLEGLY. The embassies will get copies of it. You know, it

has been known to happen that when we take a formal action here,

and it has passed by 435 Members or the majority of 435 Members,

that hopefully it does get the attention of people in the right places,

and that would be our objective.

Mr. SMITH. I reclaim my time. That is what I was wondering. Do

we have any record that it does get attention? It seems to me the

real attention would be our help in repairing some of the damage

that we did to Serbia, and we are doing that, of course,——

Mr. DELAHUNT. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. GALLEGLY. The gentleman, Mr. Delahunt.

Mr. SMITH. Certainly.

Mr. DELAHUNT. I think that the question that is posed by the

gentleman from Michigan is a good question. And when I first

came onto this Committee, I had the same question. I failed to articulate it. But since I have been on the Committee and have traveled extensively, particularly in Central America and Latin AmerVerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:57 Sep 27, 2001 Jkt 074464 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M080201\74464 HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1
12

ica, I discovered that these resolutions do have an impact in the

country and in the region to which they are addressed.

And while we might not consider them of great consequence here

in Washington, I can assure my colleague that they do have an impact, and they do, in fact, send a message, and they do have influence in terms of the behavior of countries which we either applaud

or which we express concern about. But I think it is a very good

question, but I have noted on several different occasions that particularly the leadership in various countries have taken notice significantly of some of these resolutions.

Mr. SMITH. Well, I thank the gentleman. You know, I have just

come from the farm, where actions speak louder than words, but

maybe words once in a while help a little bit.

Mr. GALLEGLY. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. SMITH. Oh, sure. And I would yield back all my time.

Mr. GALLEGLY. I would just like to follow up with one little statement. I think the absence of us taking a position or making a statement, the silence could be deafening, and the fact that it does not

matter; we just accept these things and move ahead. I think it is

important that we do make a statement, and that is what we are

doing. And hopefully the word will spread like wildfire.

There is a motion. The question occurs on the motion from the

gentleman from New York. All in favor, say aye.

[A chorus of ayes.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. Any opposed?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The ayes have it, and the motion is agreed to.

Without objection, the resolution will be reported favorable to the

Full Committee in the form of a single amendment in the nature

of a substitute incorporating the amendments adopted here today.

Without objection, the staff is directed to make any technical and

conforming amendments.

Pursuant to the notice, I call up H. Con. Res. 58, promoting democracy in the Ukraine, for purposes of markup. Without objection,

the resolution will be considered as read and open for amendment

at any point.

[The concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 58, follows:]

13

1

IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 58

Urging the President of Ukraine to support democratic ideals, the rights

of free speech, and free assembly for Ukrainian citizens.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 8, 2001

Ms. KAPTUR (for herself and Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania) submitted the

following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Urging the President of Ukraine to support democratic

ideals, the rights of free speech, and free assembly for

Ukrainian citizens.

Whereas in 1991, Ukraine became an independent, democratic country;

Whereas Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has met with

Members of the United States Congress, and committed

to follow the rule of law, maintain the freedom of the

press and assembly, and to use restraint in the use of

force;

Whereas the United States and Ukraine have established a

strategic partnership, encouraging economic, political,

military, and social cooperation between the two nations;

14

2

•HCON 58 IH

Whereas the United States has given Ukraine more than

$2,000,000,000 in foreign assistance;

Whereas recent political developments have given rise to concerns from Ukrainian citizens about the Ukrainian Government and its possible participation in illegal acts;

Whereas an alleged example of this illegal conduct is the September 16, 2000, disappearance and murder of Georhiy

Gongadze, editor of an Internet newspaper critical of the

Ukrainian Government;

Whereas Members of the United States Congress have repeatedly offered, with representatives of friendly international organizations, to help conduct a thorough and

impartial investigation of such illegal acts to help restore

public confidence in the rule of law in Ukraine; and

Whereas Ukrainian citizens gathered in Kyiv to protest and

exercise their rights under Article 19 of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights, to freedom of assembly,

freedom of speech, and freedom of the press: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) expresses the hope that the Ukrainian Gov4 ernment will resolve the investigation of the dis5 appearance and murder of Georhiy Gongadze in a

6 serious, transparent manner that will maintain con7 fidence in its credibility;

8 (2) urges the Ukrainian Government to have a

9 genuine dialogue with the opposition; and

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3

•HCON 58 IH

1 (3) encourages the use of constitutional, demo2 cratic means to resolve the current crises in a man3 ner consistent with Ukraine’s commitments to the

4 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu5 rope (OSCE), including the right to peaceful protest.

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16

[The prepared statement of Mr. Gallegly follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ELTON GALLEGLY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON

EUROPE

H. CON. RES. 58

Ten years ago this August 24, as the Soviet empire was collapsing throughout

Eastern Europe, the people of Ukraine realized a dream come true—independence.

Since then, Ukraine has made significant progress in the pursuit of true democracy, real market-based economic reform and solid social justice.

In addition, Ukraine has become a good friend to the United States, an important

partner in that region and is eagerly pursuing membership in the European community.

And while this resolution, introduced by our Colleagues, Marcy Kaptur and Kurt

Weldon acknowledges Ukraine independence and the progress it has made, it also

points out the fragilities of Ukraine’s political and economic situation.

Recent turmoil in that important country involving the elements of the Government, rival political parties in the Parliament, the ouster of a reformist Prime Minister and the death of several prominent journalists, has raised questions about the

direction Ukraine is taking.

This resolution congratulates the people of Ukraine on the tenth anniversary of

their independence, but calls on all factions in the government to renew their commitment to democracy and economic reform and calls on the President to help to

resolve the cases of the dead journalists so that Ukraine can get past these troubles

and assume its important position of responsibility in that part of the world.

I urge support for this resolution.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman?

Mr. Gallegly. I just have a brief statement, Mr. Gilman. Ten

years ago, this August 24th, as the Soviet Empire was collapsing

throughout Eastern Europe, the people of the Ukraine realized a

dream come true: independence. Since then, Ukraine has made significant progress in the pursuit of true democracy: real, marketbased, economy reform and solid, social justice.

In addition, Ukraine has become a good friend of the United

States, an important partner in the region, and it is eagerly pursuing membership in the European community. And while this resolution introduced by our colleagues, Marcy Kaptur and Curt

Weldon, acknowledges Ukrainian independence and the progress it

has made, it also points out the fragilities of Ukraine’s political and

economic situation.

Recent turmoil in that important country involving the elements

of the government, rival political parties in the parliament, the

ouster of a reformist Prime Minister, and the death of several

prominent journalists has raised questions about the direction

Ukraine is taking.

This resolution congratulates the people of Ukraine on the 10th

anniversary of their independence. It calls on all factions in the

government to renew their commitment to democracy and economic

reform and calls on the President to help resolve the cases of the

dead journalists so that Ukraine can get past these troubles and

assume its important position of responsibility in that part of the

world, and I would urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Hilliard?

Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Chairman, I join you in thanking our colleagues for bringing forth this resolution. It is not only timely, but

we hope that it will continue to encourage the country to carry on

its democratic ideals. And I am very happy that the resolution set

17

forth a call for the continued investigation of the journalist that

was killed.

As you know, free speech and the right of assembly is extremely

important for democracy. In order for democracy to stand, the true

pillar of democracy, which is the media, must be free, and it must

be free without any reprehensible-type conduct like we have seen

occur here in the past. So we hope that this resolution will continue to inspire those who quest for freedom in the Ukraine. Thank

you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Bereuter?

Mr. BEREUTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I would

like to commend you for taking up this legislation. And I thank our

colleagues that introduced it. Congressman Kaptur and Congressman Weldon of Pennsylvania certainly are among the people that

have followed most closely the happenings within Ukraine, and

they are very supportive of democracy, of course, in Ukraine.

Few countries in Eastern Europe are more important to the

United States than Ukraine, and we want to continue to support

their independence. In fact, the United States, while not paying

enough attention to Ukraine, has been rather generous in terms of

the total allocation of funds going to Ukraine. But in contrast to

the two previous resolutions, this ought to be considered a wakeup

call to Ukraine, particularly to the President, President Kuchma.

Not only is there a problem in the society today which is keeping

American investment from proceeding in Ukraine because of the

fact that corruption is endemic and pervasive, but there is clearly

a violation of human rights. The death of these journalists, the repression of freedom in the media—these are unacceptable in the

course of democracy in Ukraine. And this, in fact, should be a

strong message to the President that these things are unacceptable

in the OECD. These things are unacceptable in Europe. These

things are unacceptable in the United States.

And while I commend my colleagues for putting this forth, and

I think it is entirely appropriate, it ought to be placed in the context that we are supportive of democracy in Ukraine. We are supportive of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine is taking a wrong turn,

and they need to reexamine it in a hurry. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Engel?

Mr. ENGEL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support the resolution.

I think it strikes the right balance. I agree with Mr. Bereuter.

Ukraine is a very important country. I intend to go there later on

this year. My four grandparents were born there. I have been

there.

We have to be very careful because, as a former part of the Soviet Union, Russia is always trying to pull Ukraine back into its

orbit, always trying to push Ukraine eastward rather than westward, and like the nation of Belarus, which is on the border of

Ukraine, Belarus has really become a puppet of Russia once again,

and there are always those urges within Ukraine, within some people of Ukraine, to make the same kinds of moves, which would be

a disaster, I think, for the West and for democracy and for freedom.

And so we have to be very careful to continue to woo Ukraine and

pull them westward.

18

They are now our fourth-largest U.S. aid recipients, and I think

that they are a very, very important country, but we should not

gloss over the very serious problems that they have had. And President Kuchma has to be told about—I have mentioned to him, as

have others—confronted him with this. It is totally unacceptable,

with the journalists disappearing and being murdered, and no one

is held accountable for it.

So, again, I think that this resolution strikes the right balance.

I am totally supportive of stronger and strengthened U.S. ties with

Ukraine, and I certainly will support the resolution.

Mr. BEREUTER. Will the gentleman from New York yield?

Mr. ENGEL. Yes. Certainly.

Mr. BEREUTER. I just want to commend you on your statement.

I think your perspective is exactly right, and I very much appreciate your comments. Thank you.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman?

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19

Mr. GALLEGLY. I ask unanimous consent to waive the reading.

The substitute amendment I am offering on H. Con. Res. 58 makes

technical changes, eliminates or rephrases one or two of the original ‘‘whereases’’ and resolve clauses to reflect changes in the circumstances in Ukraine and adds several knew ‘‘whereases’’ and resolve clauses reflecting the upcoming 10th anniversary of Ukraine

independence and special relationships that we have with Ukraine.

All of these changes have been provided to the authors of the original resolution, and they have agreed, and I would urge the adoption of the amendment. The question is on the—— Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I move the amendment.

Mr. Gallegly. All in favor?

[A chorus of ayes.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. Any opposed?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The ayes have it, and the motion is approved.

The question now appears on the resolution—— Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I move the resolution.

Mr. Gallegly.—the resolution, as amended. The motion is to move

the resolution, as amended. All in favor, say aye.

[A chorus of ayes.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. Any opposed?

[No response.]

Mr. GALLEGLY. The ayes have it, and the motion is approved.

Without objection, staff is directed to make technical and conforming changes, and the Committee stands adjourned. Thank you

very much.

[Whereupon, at 11:21 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

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