[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 26 (Thursday, February 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E251]]


                          CASTRO'S HEINOUS ACT

                                 ______


                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 29, 1996

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to decry the actions of Fidel 
Castro over the weekend and extend my condolences to the family members 
of the four victims.
  Clearly, the shooting down of unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft is the 
heinous and unforgivable act of a rogue regime that ignores 
international law. Cuba's action is inexcusable and is, as Ambassador 
Albright said, ``cowardice''.
  Brothers to the Rescue is a private group engaged in the humanitarian 
mission of plucking Cuban rafters out of the shark infested waters of 
the Florida Straits. The Brothers were on another such humanitarian 
mission last Saturday, in international airspace, when the Cuban 
Government scrambled two MiG fighters to intercept the three Cessnas. 
With only the vaguest of warnings, the fighters locked onto the small 
planes and blasted them from the sky leaving only oil slicks on the 
water below.
  Mr. Speaker, such wanton disregard for international law cannot go 
unanswered, so the response to this appalling attack has been swift. 
The U.N. Security Council has condemned the Cuban actions, as has the 
European Union, the President has suspended charter air travel and will 
ask Congress to use some of the $100 million in frozen Cuban assets to 
compensate the families of the victims. In addition, the conferees 
yesterday reached agreement on H.R. 927, the Cuban Liberty and 
Democratic Solidarity Act. These steps, taken together, will 
dramatically increase the pressure on the Castro regime.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in condemning the 
shooting down of civilian planes and to continue our work for a free 
and democratic Cuba.

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