[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1763-E1764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              COMMEMORATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER H. CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 16, 1997

  Mr. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to proclaim this the 
International Day of Peace.
  Today is the second annual celebration hosted by the Nuclear Age 
Peace Foundation in the city of Santa Barbara, CA. It highlights 
efforts by local organizations who are working to bring peace to both 
Santa Barbara and the global community.
  The International Day of Peace was adopted by the United Nations in 
1981 ``to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace both within 
and among all nations and people.''
  As the Representative of the 22d district in California and a former 
professor of Religious Studies at University of Santa Barbara I strive 
every day to achieve these goals.
  Currently I am working to ban antipersonnel land mines around the 
world, devices which

[[Page E1764]]

kill or maim 26,000 people every year. I have joined over 100 of my 
colleagues in cosponsoring the Land Mine Elimination Act which will 
halt new deployments of U.S. antipersonnel mines beginning January 1st, 
in the year 2000. As Andrew Feitt, the 9th grade student who won the 
U.N. Association of Santa Barbara essay contest so eloquently stated, 
``Landmines are a piece of military weaponry designed to help end wars, 
but wars are temporary, and most mines are not.''
  As a member of the International Relations Committee I am also aware 
of the important role the United Nations plays in humanitarian and 
peacekeeping efforts around the world and support the full payment of 
United States dues to the U.N. Programs like UNICEF, for example, have 
helped feed millions of children. It would be devastating if missions 
which help so many were crippled due to lack of funding, and the United 
States must continue to do its fair share.
  Additionally, I believe that the security of our Nation requires an 
aggressive effort against weapons of mass destruction. Since coming to 
Congress I have taken a leadership role on this issue. I have signed on 
to letters to President Clinton, regarding deeper cuts in our strategic 
nuclear weapons arsenals and to express my concerns about the 
Department of Energy's plans to conduct underground subcritical nuclear 
weapons experiments at the Nevada Test Site. It is my belief that these 
experiments could severely damage the not yet ratified Comprehensive 
Test Ban Treaty.
  Soon after I took office I sent Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott a 
letter urging swift action on ratifying the Chemical Weapons Treaty. 
Taking quick action and ratifying the treaty afforded the United States 
an international leadership role on a treaty that will prevent future 
catastrophes involving chemical agents in warfare. The only way to 
ensure our Nation's long-term security and prosperity is to continue 
exerting American leadership across a range of military and 
humanitarian challenges around the world.
  So I commend the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation for bringing us all 
together tonight, as we share a collective vision of peace. We share a 
vision of a world that is free of the threat of war and where all 
individuals live with human dignity, compassion and respect for one 
another, a world that we must strive to achieve on all the days of the 
year, if we hope to attain these lofty and constructive goals and to 
increase the possibilities for peace in the Nuclear Age.

                          ____________________