[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 28, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1351-E1352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          SAYING NO TO MOBUTU

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 1995
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, President Mobutu of Zaire has ruled his 
country for over 30 years, during which period he has become one of the 
world's richest individuals by impoverishing his fellow countrymen. I 
wish to place into the Record the following exchange of letters between 
International Relations Committee Chairman Benjamin A. Gilman and I and 
the Department of State concerning the issue of granting a visa to 
President Mobutu to visit the United States.

                                     U.S. Department of State,

                                    Washington, DC, June 21, 1995.
     Hon. Lee H. Hamilton,
     House of Representatives.
       Dear Mr. Hamilton: Thank you for the letter which you and 
     Chairman Gilman sent to the Secretary on May 19 expressing 
     concern about a possible visit to the United States by 
     President Mobutu of Zaire. We assure you that President 
     Mobutu will not be coming to Washington and that the U.S. 
     visa sanction directed against him and his entourage remains 
     in effect. We agree that President Mobutu needs to 
     demonstrate by his deeds rather than statements that he is 
     committed to a genuine transition to democracy in Zaire. We 
     appreciate your bipartisan support for our Zaire policy.
       As you know, the President issued a proclamation in June 
     1993 suspending the entry into the United States of 
     immigrants and nonimmigrants who formulate or implement 
     policies impeding a transition to democracy in Zaire or who 
     benefit from such policies, and the immediate families of 
     such persons. The intention of the proclamation was to send a 
     strong message to President Mobutu that his obstruction of 
     Zaire's transition to democracy was not without penalty. The 
     visa sanction has been--and remains--one of our most 
     effective measures to influence Mobutu and his entourage, and 
     we have seen no change on the part of the Zairian president 
     which would warrant a reversal of this policy.
       President Mobutu has not applied for a visa to the United 
     States, but if he or persons acting for him do so, we will 
     remind him that he remains subject to the visa proclamation. 
     On the basis of rumors of an impending visit, our Charge 
     d'Affaires in Kinshasa made a formal demarche to the office 
     of the Presidency, outlining our continuing concerns about 
     the slow pace of the transition, and reiterating that 
     President Mobutu remains subject to the visa sanction.
       Rumors of a Mobutu visit to Washington appear to have been 
     generated entirely by the Zairian president and a number of 
     lobbyists in his employ. His agents attempted--
     unsuccessfully--to obtain an invitation for Mobutu to address 
     a variety of private organizations. When it became clear that 
     neither invitation nor visa would be forthcoming, President 
     Mobutu's spokesman in parliament announced that the Zairian 
     leader had decided to postpone travel in view of the outbreak 
     of the Ebola virus in Kikwit.
       You should know that there is a strong possibility that 
     President Mobutu may attend the 50th U.N. General Assembly in 
     New York this fall. While the Presidential proclamation on 
     visas would permit us to refuse a visa to Mobutu for a 
     bilateral visit, our international obligations under the U.N. 
     Headquarters Agreement would likely require us to permit his 
     entry to attend the General Assembly.
       We hope this information is useful to you. If we can be of 
     further assistance to you on this or any other matter, do not 
     hesitate to contact us.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Wendy R. Sherman,
     Assistant Secretary, Legislative Affairs.
                                                                    ____

         Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of 
           Representatives,
                                     Washington, DC, May 19, 1995.
     Hon. Warren Christopher,
     Secretary of State,
     Department of State,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Secretary: It has come to our attention that 
     President Mobutu of Zaire may be seeking to visit the United 
     States in the near future. We urge you to continue your 
     policy of not granting an entry visa to the United States to 
     President Mobutu of Zaire.
       We strongly believe that such a visit should not take 
     place. The visa restriction policy is one of the few 
     instruments of leverage the U.S. has on President Mobutu and 
     his regime. While we hope that President Mobutu is serious in 
     his recent statements concerning a return to democracy in 
     Zaire and improved human rights, there is ample reason for 
     skepticism. Allowing Mobutu to visit the United States before 
     any substantial steps have been taken toward resolving the 
     on-going political crisis in Zaire would be an unwarranted 
     retreat from the policy of both the Clinton and Bush 
     Administrations.
       Zaire under Mobutu represents perhaps the most egregious 
     example of the misuse of U.S. assistance resources. The U.S. 
     has given Zaire nearly $1.5 billion in various forms of 

[[Page E1352]]

     aid since Mobutu came to power thirty years ago. Partially 
     because of this assistance, Mobutu has been able to maintain 
     control of Zaire and bleed the country into its current 
     dismal state. In recent years, Mobutu has resisted both 
     domestic and international pressure for democratization and 
     continues to cling to power.
       In both the 102d and 103d Congress, the House passed 
     bipartisan resolutions calling on Mobutu to step down from 
     power and urging that the United States continue active 
     efforts to this end. Allowing Mobutu to visit the United 
     States at this time would be directly counter to the letter 
     and spirit of these resolutions.
       We look forward to your early reply and to working with you 
     on this issue.
       With best regards,
           Sincerely yours,
     Lee H. Hamilton,
                                        Ranking Democratic Member.
     Benjamin A. Gilman,
                                                         Chairman.
     

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