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“THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BELARUSAN-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2018-E2019 on Oct. 29, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BELARUSAN-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
______
HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Sunday, October 29, 2000
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Belarusan-
American Foundation on the auspicious occasion of its 50th anniversary. I am very proud of the fact that Central New Jersey is home to a significant Belarusan-American community. I happen to be very close to one particular member of the Belarusan-American community in this area: my wife, Sarah.
While we are here to celebrate, we must also recognize that Belarus has not made the successful transition to democracy like Poland, Slovakia, and as recently as this month, Serbia. Over nearly a decade of independence, the promise of democracy, freedom of expression and association, and the flowering of a national identity have not come to pass for the Belarusan people. The fault for this sad state of affairs rests, as all of us know, with President Aleksandr Lukashenka. The President has illegally extended his term of office beyond the legally mandated expiration date. Throughout his tenure, President Lukashenka has monopolized the mass media, undermined the constitutional foundation for the separation of powers, used intimidation and strong-
arm tactics against the political opposition, suppressed freedom of the press and expression, defamed the national culture, maligned the national language and eroded Belarus's rightful position as a sovereign nation.
Worse, just two days before the Parliamentary elections held on October 15, President Lukashenka issued a fresh denunciation of market reforms. And, I am disappointed and disturbed that the Parliamentary elections almost exclusively involved candidates who back Lukashenka. Clearly, not a single OSCE condition for free and fair elections was met. This past week, Representatives Gejdenson and Smith introduced a Resolution condemning the October 15 elections. I will try to ensure that this bill reaches the House floor in the remaining days of this Congress. And today, I again express my strong condemnation of these
``sham'' elections.
For at least four years, I and other Members of Congress have been working to address Lukashenka's abuses of power. In 1996, I introduced a Resolution expressing concern over the Lukashenka regime's violations of human and civil rights in direct violation of the Helsinki Accords and the constitution of Belarus, and expressing concern about the union between Russia and Belarus. That Resolution also recognized March 25 as the anniversary of the declaration of an independent Belarusan state. A year later, I worked with leaders of the International Relations Committee to include language in the State Department Authorization bill, which passed the House, calling for our President to press the Government of President Lukashenka on defending the sovereignty of Belarus and guaranteeing basic freedoms and human rights.
For years now, the Belarusan-American community has been trying to inform the American people about the truth in Belarus, that President Lukashenka's actions do not have widespread support and his regime has lost any sense of legitimacy it once may have had. I want to thank the Belarusan-American community in New Jersey and throughout the nation for continuing to speak the truth about events in the land of their ancestors.
Earlier this year, I joined Congressman Gejdenson and others in introducing yet another Resolution that condemns the continued egregious violations of human rights in the Republic of Belarus, and the lack of progress toward the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in Belarus to continue to put pressure on Lukashenka. The Resolution also calls on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime to engage in negotiations with the representatives of the opposition and to restore the constitutional rights of the Belarusian people, and calls on the Russian Federation to respect the sovereignty of Belarus.
Obviously, President Lukashenka has not been moved by these expressions of concern by the United States and the international community. But we must not give up. We must continue to go on record condemning the abuses that have taken place and that continue to take place in Belarus. We must urge our President and State Department to keep the pressure on President Lukashenka--and also on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
I congratulate you for this occasion and for all of your efforts. I look forward to continuing to work together to pursue real democracy, and truly free and fair elections that comply with OSCE principles and the Helsinki Accords.
