[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 25, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             MANSUR KIKHIA

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 1994

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, on December 16, 1993, I wrote to the 
Secretary of State regarding the disappearance of Mr. Mansur Kikhia, a 
Libyan exile and human rights activist, who was abducted in Cairo, 
Egypt last December while attending the annual meeting of the Arab 
Organization for Human Rights. to date, Mr. Kikhia's captors have not 
been identified and his whereabouts are unknown. It is suspected, 
however, that the Libyan Government may have played a role in Mr. 
Kikhia's disappearance.
  I would like to bring the text of my letter and the Department of 
State's response to it to the attention of my colleagues. The text of 
the letters follows.
                                     Committee on Foreign Affairs,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                Washington, DC, December 16, 1993.
     Hon. Warren Christopher,
     Secretary of State, Department of State Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Secretary: An influential member of the political 
     opposition movement against the regime of Colonel Qaddafi of 
     Libya, Mr. Mansur R. Kikhia, is believed to have been 
     abducted last Friday, December 10, from his room at the Al 
     Safir Hotel in Cairo while attending the annual meeting of 
     the Arab Organization for Human Rights.
       Although the current fate of Mr. Kikhia is unknown, 
     associates and leaders of groups opposed to Qaddafi believe 
     that Mr. Kikhia was abducted by Egyptian authorities prior to 
     being handed over to Libyan authorities because of his 
     outspoken opposition to the current Libyan regime. Similar 
     abductions from Egypt of Libyan nationals opposed to Colonel 
     Qaddafi have occurred in the past.
       Mr. Kikhia has resided in the U.S. since 1990 as a 
     permanent resident. His wife and four children are citizens 
     of the United States. Prior to his residence in the U.S., Mr. 
     Kikhia had been Libya's Minister of Foreign Affairs and 
     Chairman of the Libyan mission to the United Nations. In 
     August 1980, Mr. Kikhia resigned his post as chairman of the 
     Libyan delegation to the U.N. and publicly protested the 
     killing and torture of many Libyans in Libya and abroad.
       A recent Reuters news report states that Libya has vowed to 
     crush all exile opponents of Colonel Qadaffi's government and 
     appealed for the assassination of former foreign minister 
     Abdel-Monem el-Houni. If Mr. Kikhia has been captured by 
     Libyan authorities--and there is a great deal of 
     circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mr. Kikhia has 
     already been delivered into the hands of his enemies--then 
     apparently the report is factual and Colonel Qadaffi has 
     begun to implement this latest decree.
       I am greatly concerned about the kidnapping of Mr. Kikhia 
     and the implication that Libya is launching a new round of 
     state sponsored terrorism. I am also deeply troubled by 
     reports that Egyptian authorities may have been involved in 
     the abduction of Mr. Kikhia. Whatever clarification you can 
     provide me on this matter, including the Department's efforts 
     to learn of Mr. Kikhia's location and condition, would be 
     greatly appreciated.
       With best regards,
           Sincerely,
                                                  Lee H. Hamilton,
                                                         Chairman.
                                  ____



                                     U.S. Department of State,

                                 Washington, DC, January 12, 1994.
     Hon. Lee H. Hamilton, 
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of 
         Representatives.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I am pleased to respond to your letter 
     of December 16, concerning the disappearance of Mansur Kikhya 
     and the potential resurgence of a Libyan campaign against 
     dissidents.
       The U.S. Government is deeply concerned about Mr. Kikhya's 
     disappearance in Cairo. We remain in close contact with the 
     highest levels of the Egyptian Government on this matter, and 
     we are confident they appreciate the depth of our interest. 
     Unfortunately, an extensive and ongoing Egyptian 
     investigation has yielded no clues to Mr. Kikhya's fate thus 
     far. The Egyptian Government assures us they will continue 
     the investigation until our mutual questions are answered. We 
     have no evidence linking Egypt to Mr. Kikhya's disappearance.
       We are also in frequent contact with Mr. Kikhya's family 
     and the Libyan community in exile. Their fears about Mr. 
     Kikhya's well-being are understandable, given Qadhafi's 
     record of targeting regime opponents. Qadhafi's recent public 
     calls for the deaths of prominent members of the Libyan 
     opposition and invitation to notorious terrorist groups to a 
     conference in Libya are cause for further concern. We will 
     watch Qadhafi closely for any sign that his rhetoric is being 
     translated into action.
       I hope this information has addressed your concerns. Please 
     do not hesitate to contact us should you believe we may be of 
     further assistance.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Wendy R. Sherman,
     Assistant Secretary Legislative Affairs.

                          ____________________