[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 207 (Friday, December 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H15619-H15620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SALE OF ATACMS MISSILES TO TURKEY.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, as soon as today, or at least by the middle 
of next week, our Department of Defense will sign a letter of offer and 
acceptance [LOA] with the Government of Turkey, to complete the sale of 
120 Army Tactical Missile Systems [ATACMS]. The ATACMS--pronounced 
attacks 'ems--is a ground-launched surface-to-surface, conventional, 
semiguided ballistic missile which carries an antipersonnel/
antimateriel cluster warhead capable of spraying shrapnel over a 150-
square-meter area. Turkey already has the multiple launch rocket system 
from which to launch these very nasty, destructive weapons. What this 
weapon does is essentially deliver 950 small bombs, some of which do 
not immediately detonate and remain on the ground, posing a threat to 
noncombatants--including children.

[[Page H15620]]

  Mr. Speaker, this is the wrong weapon sale to the wrong country at 
the wrong time.
  Earlier this month, I circulated a letter with the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. Bilirakis] which was signed by 35 Members from both sides 
of the aisle, calling on President Clinton to reconsider this sale, 
based on our very serious concerns over how these weapons would be 
used. The Turkish Government's domestic and international behavior--
including the ongoing campaign against the Kurdish people, the 
occupation of Northern Cyprus, and the blockade of Armenia--makes us 
deeply concerned that providing such destructive power to that 
Government has the potential to cause terrible, and preventable, human 
suffering.
  Today I am joining with my colleagues, Mr. Torricelli and Mr. 
Bilirakis in introducing House Concurrent Resolution 124 expressing the 
sense of Congress that the President should suspend the proposed sale 
of the Army Tactical Missile System to the Government of the Republic 
of Turkey until the Government takes significant and concrete steps to 
end the military occupation of Cyprus, lift its blockade of Armenia, 
cease its ongoing campaign against the Kurdish people, and demonstrate 
progress on the protection of human and civil rights within Turkey.
  Mr. Speaker, the timing of this sale is peculiar to say the least. 
The Foreign Operations appropriations bill includes a cut in economic 
assistance to Turkey. This provision, which has strong bipartisan 
support, was enacted in response to the concerns cited above. We 
believe that the message we are trying to send with this provision 
would be undermined by approving a new sale of military hardware at 
this time. In Ankara, the conclusion would inevitably be that, beyond 
limited symbolic measures, Americans do not take seriously the shocking 
breaches of international law and decency committed in the name of the 
Turkish Government.
  The proposed transaction represents the first sale of these weapons 
to any foreign nation. The Turkish military track record is not 
consistent with what we would expect of any recipient of United States 
arms, much less a NATO member. The Human Rights Arms Project has cited 
numerous examples of the indiscriminate use of weapons by Turkish 
forces in Kurdish civilian areas. We are also concerned about the 
evidence strongly linking Turkey to unauthorized transfers of United 
States and NATO weapons to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
  While it is our contention that the weapons sale should be halted 
entirely, in our letter to the President we recommended that, are the 
very least, strong conditions governing the use and transfer of these 
weapons be attached to any sale, and that these conditions be strongly 
enforced.
  Mr. Speaker, this sale has been strongly opposed by Greek-American, 
Armenian-American, and Kurdish-American organizations, as well as Human 
Rights Watch, the Council for a Liveable World, and the Federation of 
American Scientists. And for good reason.
  Turkey claims it needs the ATACMS as a deep strike weapon against the 
threat of tanks in Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Yet, in Greece, Turkey's 
neighbor to the west, there is deep concern about the threat posed by 
these offensive weapons. In the regional arms race, Turkey already has 
a substantial edge, with F-16 fighter jets, attack helicopters, and 
antiarmore missiles. In addition Turkey has imported more than 1,000 
tanks from the United States alone in the past 5 years.
  The Government of Turkey is conducting a war against the Kurds within 
Turkey and has made incursions into Kurdish areas of Iraq, resulting in 
thousands of civilian casualties and millions of refugees. This cruel 
war is one part of an overall effort to essentially negate the Kurdish 
people as a distinct entity within Turkey. Many people are concerned 
that these missiles could be used as part of this military campaign, 
resulting in terrible civilian casualties.
  Also, Turkey continues its occupation of one-third of the territory 
of Cyprus, having declared a ``Northern Republic of Cyprus,'' an entity 
that has no international recognition, and resisting good-faith efforts 
of the United States, Greece, and other nations and international 
bodies to end the conflict. The occupation of Cyprus is well into its 
21st year. There is no sign that it will end if we continue to send the 
message to Ankara that there are no significant consequences to this 
illegal occupation, and that our protests are largely symbolic and 
rhetorical.

  Another illegal and immoral Turkish Government policy is the blockade 
of its border with the Republic of Armenia. This blockade has blocked 
the delivery of American humanitarian aid to Armenia and complicated 
its delivery. In the foreign ops bill, we have language, with strong 
bipartisan support, known as the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, which 
restricts aid to those countries that block the delivery of aid to 
other nations. Although the language does not mention Turkey by name, 
clearly that is the country that would be targeted.
  Why are we taking these seemingly significant legislative steps--
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, cutting aid to Turkey--and then turning 
around and giving them this terrible weapon system?
  Mr. Speaker, we also have to worry about whether Turkey will see fit 
to transfer this technology--our technology--to other nations. Strong 
evidence has linked Turkey to the unauthorized transfer of Untied 
States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization weapons to the Republic 
of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan and Armenia are engaged in a tense conflict 
over the region of Nagorno-Karabagh. A tenuous cease-fire is holding, 
and the administration has recognized the importance of resolving this 
crisis by appointing a special negotiator with the rank of Ambassador. 
Why, again, do we turn around and take steps that will potentially 
undermine our efforts to negotiate a just and lasting resolution to 
this conflict?
  International human rights organizations continue to cite Turkey for 
egregious violations of the basic human rights and freedoms of its own 
citizens. Earlier this year, an American journalist was jailed in 
Turkey because of her reporting on the campaign against the Kurds. She 
was released, thank God. Unfortunately, there has not been such a happy 
ending for those few brave Turkish journalists and human rights 
activists who try to tell their countrymen and the world the truth 
about what's going on. These brave souls languish in prison, largely 
forgotten by all but a few friends and supporters.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very discouraged and disappointed by the reaction 
of Western governments--not only our own--to Turkey's continued 
flouting of international law and standards of decency. Just last week, 
the European Union admitted Turkey into its Customs Union, a likely 
first step toward full membership in the EU--despite the strong 
objections from many legislators and activists on the other side of the 
Atlantic.
  Why are we doing this? Sadly, we are witnessing the triumph of 
Realpolitik, in other words, putting economic or strategic interests 
ahead of our own values. The argument is that we need Turkey because of 
its strategic location and as a bulwark against Islamic fundamentalism. 
Well, in the first place, I believe that these goals could be achieved 
by more positive means than weapons sales. But I also wonder whether 
we're making a terrible strategic mistake over the long term, investing 
billions, sending our most advanced weapons and otherwise hurting 
America's good name by associating with a regime that isn't very stable 
and may collapse anyway.
  While it may be too late to stop this ill-advised weapons sale, I 
urge all my colleagues to work with me and other Members of this House 
to stop coddling the regime in Ankara, to stand with Turkey's 
neighbors, and to stop basing our foreign policy on the bad bet 
represented by the Government of Turkey.
  It may be too late to stop this ill-advised weapons sale to Turkey. I 
urge all of my colleagues to work with me and other Members of this 
House to stop coddling the regime in Ankara, to stand with Turkey's 
neighbors, and to stop basing our foreign policy on the bad debt 
represented by the Government of Turkey.

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