[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 27, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
       WELCOME NEWS FROM MOSCOW ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM ESTONIA

  Mr. PELL. Madam President, yesterday Russian President Yeltsin and 
Estonia President Lennart Meri reached an agreement on Russian troop 
withdrawal that effectively brings an end to an era of foreign 
encroachment on Baltic sovereignty. I welcome the announcement that the 
remaining 2,300 Russian troops will indeed be withdrawn from Estonia by 
the August 31 deadline to which the Russian Government had previously 
committed. As of that date, troops of the former Soviet Union, which 
occupied half of Europe for half a century, will no longer be stationed 
on European soil.
  I think we all recognize the great difficulties that the vestiges of 
Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have caused for 
Russia and the three Baltic countries. Undoing the Soviet legacy cannot 
take place overnight, although among the people who were victims of the 
occupation, there is an understandably strong desire for instant 
change. In this context, the leaders of all four countries deserve 
credit for achieving agreement on the withdrawal of Russian troops less 
than 3 years after the Soviet Union's dissolution.
  While we recognized the difficulties involved in securing a pull out, 
earlier this month, many of us were very concerned by statements by 
President Yeltsin as well as by Russian parliamentarians suggesting 
that the August deadline would not be met. Accordingly, yesterday's 
announcement is especially good news.
  I would note that the Clinton administration deserves a great deal of 
credit for its quiet, yet effective diplomatic role in facilitating the 
Russian-Estonia agreement. Most people do not realize the amount of 
energy President Clinton has personally expended on this issue. Earlier 
this month, for example, the President made troop withdrawal a top 
priority issue on his very busy European agenda.
  The Senate, too, has taken a strong position on troop withdrawal. A 
couple of weeks ago, we adopted an amendment to the Foreign Operations 
appropriations bill that would have cut off assistance to Russia if the 
August 31 deadline was not met. With the signing of yesterday's 
agreement, it appears that any aid cut-off will be averted, which is 
certainly good news for the Russian reformers, who after all, are key 
to making the troop withdrawals possible.

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