[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 11 (Tuesday, February 8, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          SOLIDARITY--SARAJEVO

                                 ______


                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 8, 1994

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the eyes of the world will be focused on 
Lillehammer, Norway, from February 12-27, as that city hosts the 1994 
Winter Olympic Games. Exactly 10 years ago today athletes gathered in 
Sarajevo for 12 days of competition as that city hosted the XIV Winter 
Olympic Games. Hundreds of folk dancers greeted the athletes in a 
profusion of color during the opening ceremonies in Kosevo Stadium. The 
sounds of ``When the Saints Come Marching In'' and ``The Yellow Rose of 
Texas'' could be heard during the course of the festivities presided 
over by Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic 
Committee.
  An estimated 8,000 Americans were among the 40,000 visitors who 
converged on Sarajevo for the games. Actor Kirk Douglas, singer John 
Denver, and Princess Ann of Britain could be spotted in the crowds. A 
fresh snowfall transformed the city into a winter wonderland. Vucko, 
the mascot wolf of the winter games could be seen just about 
everywhere. Guests crowded Sarajevo's shops, restaurants, and cafes to 
escape the cold and enjoy the warm hospitality.
  A thousand troops were deployed in the hills around Sarajevo to keep 
competition tracks clear of snow. Flushed with excitement athletes 
looked forward to testing their skills on the slopes and on the ice. 
Skating star Scott Hamilton was there as was downhill skier Bill 
Johnson, giant slalom skier Debbie Armstrong, figure skater Rosalynn 
Summers, the brother and sister pair, Peter and Kitty Carruthers, along 
with the Mahre brothers, Phil and Steve. Soviet athletes paused to 
mourn the death of President Yuri Andropov as the crimson hammer and 
sickle Soviet flag was flown at half staff in the Olympic Village.
  As the Olympic flame was extinguished during the closing ceremonies 
of the XIV Winter Olympic Games, IOC president Samaranch concluded, 
``Do videnja, Sarajevo''--``Until we meet again, Sarajevo.''
  Ten years later and after nearly 2 years of shelling, Sarajevo is 
almost destroyed by hate and power mongers. The city's stadium has been 
turned into a cemetery, the final resting place for some of the over 
10,000 Sarajevans killed since the outbreak of fighting in and around 
the Bosnian capital.
  The siege of Sarajevo continues unabated with some of the heaviest 
shelling having recently been recorded. Serb heavy weapons surround the 
city from the very hills where athletes tested their skills in Olympic 
competition. This once pristine alpine community, known for its 
distinctive multicultural society, has been reduced to rubble. There is 
no running water. There is no natural gas to provide heat against 
severe winter weather conditions. Medical supplies are scarce. Food 
supplies are dwindling. People are starving and children are being 
murdered as they attempt to play amidst a dying city.
  Despite death and destruction, the people of Sarajevo have remained 
remarkably resilient. The Olympic creed says, in part, that ``the 
essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.'' The 
people of Sarajevo have displayed tremendous courage throughout their 
struggle for survival. Unfortunately, the West has yet to do so.
  When the Olympic flame, a symbol of continuity, is ignited this 
Saturday in Lillehammer its glow will be dimmed by the harsh reality 
surrounding the strangulation of Sarajevo and the aggression and 
genocide waged against the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of Sarajevo are fighting for their very 
survival as well as the survival of their city. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in expressing solidarity with the people of Sarajevo and 
calling upon the international community to stop the strangulation of 
Sarajevo before there is no one left but the aggressors.

                          ____________________