[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H1283-H1284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS REFORM AND RESTRUCTURING ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, very soon, perhaps tomorrow or next 
week, we will be considering H.R. 1757, the Foreign Affairs Reform and 
Restructuring Act. This conference report not only takes an important 
step toward reforming the outdated structure of our foreign affairs 
agencies, but also it includes important provisions that I was proud to 
have introduced to further tighten the noose on the Castro 
dictatorship, while still protecting U.S. American interests.
  One of the provisions that I have, for example, imposes severe 
limitations on the amount of assistance that the United States gives to 
foreign countries if those foreign countries are extending lines of 
credit or any kind of nuclear assistance such as petroleum, et cetera, 
for Cuba in the termination of their and in the completion of their 
nuclear power plant in Juragua, which is close to Cienfuegos, Cuba.
  This nuclear power plant has been found to have severe structural 
defects in the construction and in the type of materials that are used; 
and we know that because of the individuals who have previously worked 
in the plant, who have defected and are now part of the United States. 
They have actually come to the United States Congress, testified in 
front of our committees, testifying that this plant suffers from

[[Page H1284]]

numerous structural defects; it contains inferior quality equipment.
  Our concerns specifically deal with Russia, because their involvement 
in this perilous project was highlighted by comments made by Russian 
officials visiting Havana earlier this year, just a few months ago, 
indicating Russia's intent in providing many lines of credit for the 
completion of the nuclear power plant.
  Russia has already extended millions of dollars in credit for the 
maintenance of the plant, and they will continue to do so. So it is not 
fair that U.S. taxpayers' dollars should go to Russia, and then Russia 
turns around and builds a nuclear power plant in our backyard that 
could have very serious security and health concerns not only for the 
United States citizens but for Cuban citizens and Caribbean citizens as 
well.
  It requires also that the President gives us an annual study of those 
countries that are aiding Fidel Castro in the termination of this very 
dangerous nuclear power plant.
  Other elements of this law that will be before us tomorrow or the 
coming week are ones that require information that has not been 
forthcoming from the Clinton administration, specifically the State 
Department, in the enforcement of title IV of Helms-Burton.
  Title IV is a part of our bill that requires the State Department to 
deny entry into the United States of those people, those companies or 
individuals who are violating laws because they have illegally 
confiscated U.S. property from U.S. citizens; and so we wrote that law 
to make sure that U.S. private property rights would be protected.
  Unfortunately, the administration has not been forthcoming in giving 
us information about who are possible violators or who they believe 
have not been cooperating with our laws. The Clinton administration's 
enforcement of this section of Helms-Burton has been, to say the least, 
inadequate, as only a few companies have been sanctioned, despite 
overwhelming evidence that dozens of companies are, in fact, in 
violation of this U.S. law. These reports to the U.S. Congress in a 
periodic fashion will make it far easier for us to make sure that this 
enforcement process will be actually implemented, this important part 
of our Helms-Burton law.
  Also, we have in this bill a provision that the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) has proposed, and we were proud to help him with it, 
and that has to do with detailed reports that Congress should get from 
the Clinton administration about Cuban refugees who have been returned 
to Cuba. We want to make sure that U.S. officials on the island helping 
those refugees are suffering no reprisals from the tyrannical Castro 
dictatorship.
  A few years ago, the administration reached this immigration accord; 
and it promised to monitor the Cuban refugees who are returned to Cuba 
to make sure that they are not mistreated by the Castro thugs. 
Unfortunately, little has really been heard about these monitoring 
activities; and our legislation is a way to assure that this important 
responsibility is performed by our officials in Cuba.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, one last measure that I was proud to associate 
myself with and with our colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Rothman), and that is to push for Israeli membership into the United 
Nations committee process, and that is also part of the H.R. 1757, 
which will be included tomorrow or next week.

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