[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 32 (Monday, March 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  AMENDMENT NO. 1298 TO S. 1281, STATE DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZATION BILL, 
                                  1994

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, during Senate consideration of the 1994 
State Department authorization bill, I offered, and the Senate 
approved, an amendment concerning the People's Mujahidin of Iran 
[PMOI]. It has recently come to my attention that, due to an oversight, 
a statement that I intended to accompany the amendment was not printed 
in the Congressional Record. I offer the rationale for my amendment 
below as I would have offered it when the amendment was considered.
  The findings of this amendment are facts and are attested to by the 
State Department. The operative clauses simply requires the State 
Department to examine the current activities of the PMOI for inclusion 
in its annual report on terrorism. If it decides not to include the 
PMOI, it must report its justification for not doing so and supply an 
unclassified report on the organization's current activities.
  My principle concern is that the PMOI is permitted to freely lobby 
Congress without a clear understanding of the organization's history 
and current activities. All of us are concerned about human rights in 
Iran, and in many other areas of the world, but Members should have 
information at their disposal to consider the source. The Senate should 
not be in a position where it unknowingly, in the cause of human 
rights, supports an organization with a record of human rights abuses.
  I offered this amendment only after extensive efforts to have a 1987 
FBI report on the organization updated. Recognizing my own limits to 
pass judgment on the current activities of the PMOI, the intention of 
my amendment is to require such an update by the Department of State.
  The American people deserve an official public accounting of any 
lobbyist with either a present or past connection to international 
terrorism. My efforts to gain an accounting of the PMOI have been 
vigorous and they will be equally vigorous should any other lobbyist 
with a history of terrorism come to my attention.

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