[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 22, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E655]]
                    TRIBUTE TO BELARUSAN INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______


                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 22, 1995
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, March 26, 1995, the Belarusan 
American Association, Inc., in New Jersey will commemorate the 77th 
anniversary of the Proclamation of the Belarusan Democratic Republic at 
the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. It will be a great honor and a 
privilege for me to participate in this important event.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe it is particularly important at this moment in 
history that we proclaim our strong support for the Republic of Belarus 
and the other Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union. The 
ongoing Russian military action in Chechnya raises serious questions 
about the possibility of imperialistic designs by Russia on former 
nations under its empire--whether Czarist or Soviet. President Yeltsin, 
whose control over the situation seems to be less than secure, has 
bowed to nationalist and militarist forces in Moscow on the Chechnya 
question. While the official status of Chechnya as a part of the 
Russian Federation is different from the other independent former 
Soviet Republics, such as Belarus, the Yeltsin government has created a 
very troubling precedent. There are clearly forces in Russia that seek 
to reassert control over the neighboring countries.
  Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has sought 
to provide economic assistance to the Newly Independent States. Amid 
the pressures that many of these states are now under because of 
structural economic problems, ethnic tensions and the threat of Russian 
imperialism, we must maintain a strong commitment to helping these 
emerging nations achieve a democratic political system and a market 
economy. For nearly half a century, we devoted considerable sums to 
containing the Soviet threat. Now that the Soviet Union has collapsed, 
we have the opportunity, with much more modest levels of spending, to 
invest in the long-term stability of these formerly captive nations.
  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 Berlarusan 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 [Minsk], 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 re-emerged 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 Newly 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.
  The Belarusan Parliament initially 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 many other 
emerging East European democracies, was dominated by former Communists, 
protections for Belarusan culture, as well as basic human rights, were 
enacted. On June 23, 1994, Belarus held its first multiparty 
presidential elections since its independence, with a runoff election 
on July 10, 1994. The winner, Aleksandr Lukashenka, was a former 
Communist Party official and former head of the parliament's Anti-
Corruption Committee. The Helsinki Commission, which observed the 
elections, proclaimed that the elections were conducted in conformance 
with international practices and that the results reflected the freely 
expressed will of the electorate.
  Mr. Speaker, since my wife Sarah is part Belarusan, I have had the 
opportunity to become particularly familiar with this proud people. My 
district, the Sixth District of New Jersey, is home to a significant 
Belarusan-American community. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, 
Americans in general have had the opportunity to learn more about this 
distinct land and its culture. In 1994 President Clinton visited the 
Belarusan capital, and a variety of United States public and private 
sector initiatives have been launched in Belarus. Let us resolve to 
continue to improve the economic, security, and cultural ties between 
the great peoples of the United States and the Republic of Belarus.
       STATEMENT ON TAYLOR EMERGENCY TIMBER SALVAGE SALE AMENDMENT

                                 ______


                         HON. JOHN T. DOOLITTLE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 22, 1995
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Taylor emergency timber salvage sale amendment. This legislation 
responds to the 33 lives lost fighting forest fires last year; it 
responds to the $1 billion spent by the taxpayer fighting high-
intensity out-of-control forest fires; it responds to millions of 
dollars in revenues forgone by Federal and State governments; and it 
responds to the environmental disaster facing our Nation's forests by 
prescribing clearly what must be done to begin to alleviate our 
national forest health problem.
  Mr. Speaker, this amendment mandates the removal of disease- or 
insect-invested trees, dead, damaged, or down trees, or trees affected 
by fire or insect attack. This legislation includes trees imminently 
susceptible to fire or insect attack that refers to any area in which 
10 percent or more of the conifer basal area has been lost to drought, 
insect, or disease related mortality in the last 10 years.
  This amendment also mandates removal, without regard to size 
limitations or retention standards where removal is necessary for the 
health, protection or restoration of the forest. Because the amendment 
addresses an emergency situation, it necessarily encompasses forests, 
such as those impacted by the California spotted owl report or the 
Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project report.
  In spite of these requirements, environmental concerns will be met. 
U.S. Forest Service Chief Jack Ward Thomas and his staff reviewed the 
amendment, suggested modifications, and evaluated the Forest Service's 
technical and operational capability to meet its requirements. The 
amendment neither authorizes salvage timber sales on lands specifically 
protected by Congress, nor does it forgo environmental requirements. An 
environmental assessment must be prepared which will satisfy the 
National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of my district and my State need our national 
forests to be managed properly. This legislation will begin to 
alleviate this urgent problem. I urge my colleagues to support the 
Taylor emergency timber salvage sale amendment.




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