[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   TRIBUTE TO BELARUSAN INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______


                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 23, 1994

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, March 27, 1994, the Belarusan 
American Association, Inc., and the Belarusan American Youth 
Organization will commemorate the 76th anniversary of the proclamation 
of Belarusan independence with a banquet and concert at the Hyatt 
Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. Preceding the banquet will be a Divine 
Liturgy at St. Mary of Zyrovicy in Highland Park, NJ. It will be a 
great honor and a privilege for me to participate in this important 
event.
  Mr. Speaker, it is actually on March 25 that Belarusans throughout 
the world salute the sacrifices and bravery of the members of the 
Council of the Belarusan Democratic Republic, who in 1918 liberated 
their country from the harsh and oppressive Czarist and Soviet rule. 
Representatives of the United Councils of the First Belarusan 
Convention, meeting in the capital city of Miensk, issued a 
proclamation of independence of the Belarusan National Republic, 
adopted a national flag with three horizontal stripes--white, red, and 
white--and received widespread international recognition. For the first 
time since 1795, the Belarusan Nation reemerged as an independent 
State. Despite the hardships from the First World War and the 
revolutionary turmoil in neighboring Russia, the Belarusan language, 
culture, and national identity flourished.
  Unfortunately, the freedom and independence of the Belarusan Nation 
did not last long. In 1921, Russia's Bolshevik regime invaded and 
conquered the New Independent State and renamed it the Byelorussian 
Soviet Socialist Republic. For the next 70 years, the Belarusan people 
endured a totalitarian Communist regime, denied the most basic civil 
and political rights. Millions of Belarusan nationals were 
exterminated. Although the Byelorussian SSR was officially considered a 
member of the United Nations since 1945, the country was in fact 
politically and militarily dominated by Moscow, with the Belarusans' 
aspirations for self-government and independence completed subverted.
  This long national nightmare finally came to an end in 1991. The 
Belarusan Parliament had already declared its independence back in July 
1990. Following the attempted coup against Soviet President Gorbachev 
in August 1991, the Speaker of the Belarusan Supreme Council, Stanislav 
Shuskevich invited Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian 
President Leonid Kravchuk to Belarus in December 1991, to finally bury 
the moribund Soviet Union. In its place was established the 
Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS] with Miensk as its 
administrative seat. Although the Belarusan Parliament, as with many 
other emerging East European democracies, was dominated by former 
Communists, protections for Belarusan culture, as well as basic human 
rights, were enacted.
  Recent events, such as this January's ouster of Mr. Shushkevich, have 
raised concerns that the reform process may be slowing down. Still, I 
am confident that the Belarusans have made the important transition to 
independence and democracy. President Clinton recognized this during 
his recent visit to Miensk. I believe that we should do all in our 
power to encourage the reform movement to continue, to promote 
democracy and free markets, and make it clear to the Russians--
particularly some of the destabilizing opposition forces in Moscow--
that the United States will not tolerate any reassertion of Russian 
authority over the sovereign Nation of Belarus.
  Mr. Speaker, the Belarusan Nation has particular significance for me 
on a personal level. My wife Sarah is part Belarusan, and through her I 
have learned a great deal about this proud people, their enduring 
culture, and their brave stand against foreign dominance and 
oppression. The Belarusan-American community has made great 
contributions to the State of New Jersey and in many other regions of 
the United States. Now that the Soviet Union is a thing of the past, 
the American people are finally learning about the many distinct 
nations who spend much of this century under the Soviet yoke. I hope 
that the coming years will see a continued emergency of both the Nation 
of Belarus and of the Belarusan-American community, as well as the 
recognition and respect they deserve from the people of the United 
States.
  

                          ____________________