[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 76 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE TRANSCAUCASUS WOMEN'S DIALOG: HISTORIC MEETING TAKES PLACE IN 
                               WASHINGTON

  Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, for the first time since war came to 
the Caucasus Region--after the Republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and 
Georgia secured their independence from the former Soviet Union--six 
leading professional women from each country, some with political 
experience, came together under the aegis of the National Peace 
Foundation to begin the Transcaucasus Women's Dialogue in Washington 
and at Airlie, VA, June 7 to June 14.
  Supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, the Eurasia 
Foundation, a private philanthropic group, and members of the National 
Peace Foundation, the dialog builds upon the Peace Foundation's earlier 
work in the three republics over a 4-year period beginning in 1990.
  As this nongovernmental discussion took place, official 
representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, the disputed Karabagh region, 
Russia, and Turkey, under the aegis of the Commission on Security and 
Cooperation of Europe [CSCE] continued to search for a formal political 
and diplomatic solution to the armed conflict that still goes on. 
Meanwhile, the 18 participants of the dialog achieved a fundamental 
breakthrough; they overcame difficult psychological barriers, including 
those that prevent genuine communication.
  The ravages of conflict in the region, including that in the Georgian 
republic, have left the scars on the lives of most families in the 
three countries. Yet the participants in the dialog determined that 
they would begin working now, in practical ways, to prepare for a 
peaceful future and a progressively democratic region, with strong 
civic institutions in each country that would cooperate with each other 
across national lines.
  The fact that the women agreed to meet and begin an ongoing dialog 
was in itself impressive. Even more impressive, within several days, 
they had adopted a set of principles and goals, and constructed three 
projects which they are committed to work on together in the coming 
years. One deals with children who are victims of war, one with 
conflict resolution training, and the third is to expand the dialog 
network.
  For the National Peace Foundation, Board members Deborah Welsh, who 
pioneered the Foundation's work in Armenia, and Sarah Harder, who has 
led the Foundation's work in Russia, were discussion leaders and 
facilitators. Their skill and understanding won them the admiration of 
all of the participants, who credited them with making possible their 
own progress towards a new cooperative stage among civic organizations 
of the three countries.
  The National Peace Foundation has pledged to continue its assistance 
as the dialog goes forward. It may be that, with continuing support 
from those organizations and individuals that have already invested in 
the Transcaucasus Women's Dialogue, and from others, the new initiative 
will come to be known as one of the major building blocks for peace, 
democracy, and development in the Transcaucasus.

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