[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    EXTENDING MOST-FAVORED- NATION TREATMENT TO CAMBODIA

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                               speech of

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 10, 1995
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the extension of MFN for 
Cambodia. The people of Cambodia have undergone more than 20 years of 
unimaginable horror to reach a point where they could decide their own 
fate. After years of bloodshed, a government that they elected now 
represents the people of Cambodia. With the improvement of its 
political institutions, the people of Cambodia are also attempting to 
bring reform to its markets. Rising from the starvation and brutality 
of the recent past, Cambodians are struggling to build a strong 
country, with solid political institutions and an economic foundation 
that will allow stability to replace insecurity.
  Trade is an important vehicle for creating opportunity and 
strengthening relations. Trade represents a symbolic recognition 
between countries of shared goals. An important goal of the United 
States is to see progress in Southeast Asia. This is happening. On July 
11, President Clinton may announce the normalization of relations with 
Vietnam. Thailand has undergone another peaceful election in which the 
opposition party won a plurality of votes. On July 10, Burma announced 
the release of Nobel-laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Important changes are 
taking place throughout the region, and it is right that the United 
States continue to encourage reforms in Cambodia.
  Cambodia. for all its reforms, still must go further. On July 10, the 
Cambodian parliament approved a new law that sends disturbing signals 
on its commitment to free speech. These are the kinds of actions that 
the United States must constructively work to discourage, while also 
supporting the many positive reforms that have taken place. Cambodia is 
seeking ways to rejoin and participate in regional and global 
arrangements. Extending Most-Favored-Nation tariff treatment to 
Cambodia sends a positive signal to that country's reformers, while 
also reserving the right to reevaluate this status should it be 
necessary to do so in the future.


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