[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 165 (Tuesday, October 24, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WELCOME TO PRESIDENT JUAN CARLOS WASMOSY

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 1995

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today Members of Congress will have the 
opportunity to meet with His Excellency Juan Carlos Wasmosy, President 
of the Republic of Paraguay, who is visiting the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, President Wasmosy is the first civilian constitutional 
President of Paraguay in over half a century, and he has worked 
diligently to move his country and society along the path of democracy, 
social justice, and market economic development after years of the 
dictatorship of General Stroessner. As my colleagues know, the 
Stroessner regime permitted a number of leading Nazis, including Josef 
Mengele, to find refuge in Paraguay. I am delighted to report that 
under President Wasmosy important changes are being made in Paraguay's 
policies.
  As my colleagues also know, terrorism has been a particular concern 
of mine. President Wasmosy has been a good ally in the effort to deal 
with Middle Eastern terrorists. Earlier this year, President Wasmosy 
courageously withstood pressure to release seven individuals arrested 
in Paraguay in connection with the bombing last year of the Jewish 
Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which resulted in the 
death of nearly 100 people. The Paraguayan courts ordered the 
extradition of these individuals to Argentina. For these actions, Bnai 
B'rith commended the Paraguayan Government.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend President Wasmosy for his conscientious 
efforts to change the policies and the political culture of Paraguay. 
The institutionalized negative impacts of the Stroessner dictatorship 
have left a legacy that is difficult to eliminate. Paraguay still faces 
difficulties in dealing with international drug traffickers, and we in 
the United States must intensify our efforts to work with the 
government of President Wasmosy to eradicate this vicious scourge.
  Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in welcoming to the Congress His 
Excellency Juan Carlos Wasmosy, President of the Republic of Paraguay.

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