[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 36 (Friday, March 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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

 
             EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to consideration of Senate Resolution 198, a resolution 
submitted earlier today by Senator Dodd extending condolences to the 
people of Mexico on the tragic death of Luis Donaldo Colosio; that the 
resolution and the preamble be agreed to; the motions to reconsider be 
laid on the table en bloc; and that any statements appear in the Record 
at the appropriate place.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the resolution (S. Res. 198) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 198

       Whereas Luis Donaldo Colosio was selected by the 
     Institutional Revolutionary Party to be its official 
     candidate for the August Presidential elections in Mexico;
       Whereas Mr. Colosio had ably served the people of Mexico as 
     a government official in the administration of President 
     Carlos Salinas de Gortari; and had demonstrated during his 
     tenure as Secretary of Social Development a compassion for 
     the underprivileged and an understanding of the need for 
     economic and political reforms in order to better meet the 
     aspirations of all of the people of Mexico;
       Whereas Mr. Colosio had demonstrated that he was among the 
     most progressive and promising leaders of his country;
       Whereas, on March 23, during a campaign event in Tijuana in 
     the presence of more than one thousand people, Mr. Colosio 
     was savagely shot and killed;
       Whereas today the people of Mexico are mourning the tragic 
     and untimely death of Mr. Colosio: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That it
       (1) condemns this senseless act of violence;
       (2) joins with President Clinton in extending the 
     condolences of the American people to the people of Mexico, 
     and most especially to the Colosio family, who have all 
     endured a devastating and terrible loss; and
       (3) pledges the full and unequivocal support of the United 
     States to the government and people of Mexico during this 
     difficult and trying time.

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, this resolution is designed to let our 
friends in Mexico know that we understand the grief and sorrow 
inflicted upon them as a result of the tragic death of Luis Donaldo 
Colosio.
  The assassination of this rising political star--the candidate of his 
party in Mexico's upcoming Presidential elections--touches all of us.
  Luis Donaldo Colosio was a very gifted and talented public servant, 
and his cold-blooded murder robs Mexico--indeed it robs all of the 
nations of the Western Hemisphere--of one of its most prominent and 
promising political leaders.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with the Colosio family and with the 
people of Mexico.
  Mr. President, I hope this resolution will be adopted without further 
delay.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am proud to cosponsor the resolution 
offered by the Senator from Connecticut and I thank him for his 
leadership on this issue.
  Our Nation knows all too well the pain of political violence. On 
behalf of all Californians, I want to send my heartfelt condolences to 
the family of Luis Donaldo Colosio, and to all those who put their 
faith in him.
  I want to commend President Carlos Salinas de Gortari for the 
leadership he has shown during this crisis. A tragedy of this magnitude 
shakes a people's confidence in their government. President Salinas' 
statements that the criminal act of a deranged individual must not 
derail a democracy are exactly on point.
  I also want to thank President Clinton for his actions in response to 
the assassination. As he discussed in his news conference last night, 
the President took immediate steps to stabilize the Mexican peso and 
prevent a financial panic.
  Finally, I want to thank my constituents in California for the 
sympathy that they have shown the family of Luis Donaldo Colosio and 
the support that they have shown the Mexican Government. I was struck 
this afternoon by an article that appeared in today's Fresno Bee 
entitled ``Fresnans Concerned In Assassination Wake.'' The article 
described how Mexican Consul General Gabriel Garcia Perez returned to 
his Fresno office from Tijuana to the calls of support of hundreds of 
shocked and saddened Fresnans.
  That is part of the California spirit, Mr. President. We will not 
abandon our neighbors to the south in their hour of need.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleague, Senator 
Dodd, on offering a resolution that would extend condolences of the 
American people to the people of Mexico on the tragic death of Luis 
Donaldo Colosio.
  As you know, on March 23, Luis Donaldo Colosio was assassinated as he 
spoke to a crowd as the newly chosen candidate of the Institutional 
Revolutionary Party. Well on his way to becoming the next President of 
Mexico, his loss is a tragic one for the people of Mexico as well as 
for the people of the United States.
  As Secretary of Social Development in the Salinas cabinet, he 
demonstrated his commitment for the underprivileged of Mexico. A leader 
in his party, he demonstrated the need to continue the economic and 
political reforms introduced by the current administration of President 
Salinas.
  We would like to commend President Clinton in taking swift action in 
denouncing this senseless act of violence and in extending condolences 
to the family of Luis Donaldo Colosio and the people of Mexico. We join 
the President in maintaining our confidence in the Mexican Government 
and in maintaining our new economic partnership with the people of 
Mexico.
  The State of New Mexico has always shared a long historical and 
cultural connection with Mexico. In the age of NAFTA, we as a country 
are in the process of extending that relationship to one of trade and 
economic exchange. This is an era of economic development and political 
reform for the people of Mexico. The untimely loss of such a talented 
and socially conscious leader is one that is felt by both our nations.
  Mr. President, this resolution joins President Clinton in extending 
the condolences of the American people to the people of Mexico in their 
time of loss. In extending our understanding of losing a young and 
talented leader, may it serve to strengthen the new relationship 
between our two nations.

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