[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO HEMAYETUDDIN

                                 ______


                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of the very 
finest diplomats with whom I have had the pleasure of working during my 
tenure as former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on 
Asia and the Pacific.
  Hemayetuddin is truly an outstanding diplomat. He represents his 
country with dignity, pride, and warmth. His knowledge of the workings 
of the U.S. Congress and the American body politic would be impressive 
for a citizen of this country, nonetheless for a foreign diplomat. It 
was through cooperation with His Excellency Ambassador Humayun Kabir 
and his very able Minister Hemayetuddin that our Subcommittee on Asia 
and the Pacific held the very first hearing ever on ``The Other South 
Asia--Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.''
  Perhaps Hemayet's greatest contribution to diplomatic life in 
Washington is his passion for his native Bangladesh. It was through 
Hemayet and Ambassador Kabir that my staff and I first learned of the 
tremendous economic reforms and opportunities for American business in 
Bangladesh. It was from Hemayet and his colleagues that I learned of 
Bangladesh's commitment to a secular, pluralistic society. And it was 
from Hemayet and Ambassador Kabir that I learned of the tremendous 
commitment Bangladesh has made to improve child labor practices in a 
nation struggling to develop.
  While Hemayetuddin is unquestionable a diplomat of the highest 
caliber, he is also one of the finest gentlemen it has been my pleasure 
to work with in Washington. He, his lovely wife, Zeenat Jahan, and 
their beautiful children have indeed left their mark on this town.
  I know my colleagues and I on the House International Relations 
Committee will miss Hemayetuddin and Zeenat. We wish them well at their 
new post in Beijing. All of us who know and admire Hemayet fully expect 
to see him back in Washington as his Nation's Ambassador some day.

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