[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E693-E694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING PRESIDENT K.R. NARAYANAN WITH THE STATESMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 1998

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to honor 
an extraordinary man, the President of India, Mr. K.R. Narayanan. 
Tonight he is receiving the Appeal of Conscience ``Statesman of the 
Year'' award, and it is hard to find someone who is more deserving of 
this honor.
  Mr. Speaker, President Narayanan has had a distinguished career in 
public service for almost half a century. He served with distinction in 
the Indian Foreign Service for over 30 years, eventually serving as 
India's Ambassador to the United States from 1980 to 1984. It was after 
his tenure in Washington that he then entered the realm of politics, 
and served as a Member of Parliament from the district in which he was 
born from 1985 to 1992, at

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which time he was elected to serve as India's Vice President. In July 
of 1997, Mr. Narayanan, I am proud to say, assumed the office of the 
President of India. He has also, over the course of his career, become 
an accomplished author of several books and articles on social, 
political and international theory.
  During his tenure, President Narayanan has shown a great respect for 
human rights in general, the rights of minorities in particular, and 
the rule of law. As the leader of the largest democracy in the world, 
he has done a remarkable job in continuing to move India in the 
direction of economic liberalization and ever greater political 
freedom. India's most recent parliamentary elections demonstrate the 
stability of this nation and the leadership that President Narayanan 
has provided in stewarding the country through a fairly tumultuous year 
in domestic politics.
  In international affairs, President Narayanan has shown an innate 
ability to get along with leaders of all stripes, and work for the 
common good, not merely for India's interests, as we continue to 
navigate through the uncertainties of the post-Cold War era. He is a 
diplomat, a public servant, an educator, and an author, but more 
importantly, he is a concerned human being and citizen of the world, 
who is dedicated to ensuring that those who can't care for themselves 
are cared for. Most of all he is unswerving in the notion that all 
people, no matter their origin, race or other distinction, deserve 
peace, happiness and security in life. On the occasion of the nations 
of India and Israel celebrating their 50th year in existence, I think 
it is important to point out that these were the basic principles upon 
which they were both founded, and the same ones which my good friend 
President Narayanan sincerely and honestly espouses.
  That is why the ``Appeal of Conscience'' Statesman of the Year award 
so befits President Narayanan.

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