[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7459-H7462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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CALLING FOR AN END TO RECENT CONFLICT BETWEEN ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 292) calling for an end to the
recent conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and for other purposes,
as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 292
Whereas the 1991 ouster of the Mengistu dictatorship led to
relative peace and stability in Eritrea and Ethiopia;
Whereas in 1993 Eritrea became independent after an
internationally supervised referendum and the Government of
Ethiopia accepted the result of the referendum;
Whereas the Governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia have worked
closely on a wide range of issues over the past several
years;
Whereas the Government of Eritrea and Ethiopia enjoy warm
relations with the United States;
Whereas on May 6, 1998, a military confrontation erupted
between Eritrea and Ethiopia, resulting in the deaths of
hundreds of innocent civilians and the displacement of tens
of thousands of people;
Whereas the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia have suffered
for decades due to war and manmade famines and do not deserve
once again to suffer due to armed conflict;
Whereas the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia could
destabilize the entire subregion and lead to a massive
humanitarian crisis;
Whereas the Governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia have both
stated that they are committed to a peaceful resolution of
the conflict; and
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Rawanda,
as well as countries in the region, have put forth proposals
for resolving the conflict: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) calls on both Eritrea and Ethiopia immediately to bring
an end to the violence between the two countries;
(2) commends the executive branch of the United States
Government for brokering a
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moratorium on air raids between Eritrea and Ethiopia;
(3) commends the recent efforts of the United States
facilitation team to resolve the crisis, and encourages
continued United States engagement toward a peaceful
resolution of the conflict; and
(4) calls on President Isaias Afewerki and Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi to end the conflict peacefully before it
escalates into a full-scale war.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gillmor). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from American
Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
general leave
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H. Con. Res. 292.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Campbell), a member of our Committee on International Relations, for
introducing this important resolution.
The conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea is a tragic one. Although
there is no fighting at this time, hundreds of lives have already been
lost and there is expectation that the fighting will resume soon.
These two nations, which are closely linked by language, by culture,
and by history, are two of Africa's most promising nations, which makes
the current conflict all the more terrible.
Mr. Speaker, with this resolution, we stand with the innocent victims
of this senseless conflict and with those who are working for peace
between these two nations.
Again, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell) for
introducing this resolution, along with the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Payne), another member of our committee. They traveled to both of
these nations recently and have provided valuable expertise,
leadership, and insight to our committee on this issue. Accordingly, I
urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the gentleman from
California (Mr. Campbell) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne)
for their joint sponsorship of this legislation. It is a fact that it
does have the bipartisan support of the committee as well.
Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us calls on both Eritrea and
Ethiopia immediately to bring an end to the violence between the two
countries. The legislation also commends the United States executive
branch for brokering a moratorium on air raids between Eritrea and
Ethiopia. The resolution commends the recent efforts of the U.S.
facilitation team to resolve the crisis and encourages continued U.S.
engagement towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The legislation also calls for President Afewerki and Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi to end the conflict peacefully before it escalates into a
full-scale war.
Mr. Speaker, the sides are deeply committed to their positions. This
is in significant part a personality duel between the two leaders. The
resolution will have little impact on that, Mr. Speaker. Nevertheless,
the Congress should urge both sides to renounce the further use of
force and the United States should continue to actively promote a
political settlement.
The resolution puts the Congress on record in support of these goals.
This resolution deserves our support, Mr. Speaker, and I urge my
colleagues to vote in support of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Campbell), a member of our Committee on International
Relations.
Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Gilman) for his kindness and courtesy to me, and for yielding me this
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer support for this resolution, House
Concurrent Resolution 292. I recognize my good friend and colleague,
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) who has been in many ways my
tutor in matters of great importance to my heart, and particularly in
this difficult area of the Horn of Africa.
What can we do in this resolution, Mr. Speaker? We can do very
little. I recognize that. But at the most basic level we can say that
we notice and we care that things that happen in what would be
considered by most Americans a remote part of the world, the Horn of
Africa, does touch all of us in the United States as lovers of freedom.
We have nothing but praise for the way the people of Eritrea and
Ethiopia fought for their freedom from a tyranny of many years, from
artifacts of the Cold War, and, eventually, in the case of Eritrea
itself, in receiving independence from Ethiopia. And at the time there
was such optimism because this was a peaceful transition, which is
regrettably rare in the world and regrettably rare in Africa.
The first thing we can do is say we observe, we know what is
happening, and we do care.
Second, this resolution which I drafted with the help of my
colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), and I wish to say
the help as well of the administration, does not choose sides. This
resolution does not say that we have decided which side is right. And
it is important that we do not enter into that judgment.
Nevertheless, I do wish to call attention to the fact that the
Assistant Secretary of State, Susan Rice, has been a substantial player
in bringing about what cease-fire exists right now; that she deserves a
great degree of credit; that I here give her that credit on the floor.
I know I will be joined by my colleagues in so doing. And that in the
achievement of a cease-fire, we have at least some progress.
Mr. Speaker, the next step is for the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia,
of course. But it seems to me, and I believe many members of our
committee, that the delineation of the border between Eritrea and
Ethiopia should be given to an international organization, whether it
is the Organization of African Unity or the United Nations Secretariat
or the World Court. That even while there is no actual settlement of
the conflict, the beginning of the delineation between the two
countries can proceed--from which, both countries say, all of the
conflict follows.
So the second main point I would say is whereas we are observing and
we do care about this, we are not choosing sides, but the delineation
of the border ought to proceed while the bullets are not flying. And
then whoever is determined to own what property at the end of that
delineation will be the result of a neutral, a third-party process.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, a personal note. I have traveled to Africa with
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), my good friend and
colleague, my tutor, as I call him, and have made Africa my focus. And
it is of great personal sadness to me that this war broke out. I
address these words more to my friends in Eritrea and Ethiopia than to
our colleagues here today, Mr. Speaker, when I say it is difficult to
draw the attention of the United States to the tremendous amount of
good that we can do with a small investment of caring, a small
investment of our resources in this part of the world, and whatever
success the gentleman from New Jersey has had for the years that he has
been here doing this before I came back to Congress and began to work
with him, whatever success we have had, is cast into jeopardy. Cast
into jeopardy by the illustration of war between these two countries--
because the easiest thing is to say no. The easiest thing is to find a
reason not to be concerned, to turn one's back, to vote for foreign aid
to countries that will help one politically instead of for a little bit
of assistance that can save some lives or make a
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child see who would otherwise go blind, and vindicate the trust that
the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia have given to their democratic
leadership.
So, I conclude by making that observation. Mr. Speaker, to those
watching in the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia, know the harm that
this war has done to those of us in this country who would seek to help
the progress of people who have done so much on their own to the
commendation of all of those who have observed it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman Gilman)
for allowing me to present the argument in favor of H. Con. Res. 292
and for his courtesy to me on the committee on this and everything
else.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
just to say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell) that I
thank him for his eloquent words in support of this resolution, and for
introducing the resolution to the House.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) to speak on behalf of this
piece of legislation.
(Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega), I say thank you for that gracious commitment for all the
time that I may consume. Unfortunately, I am not in the Senate, so
therefore I will keep my comments brief. Although we are not supposed
to address the other House, I apologize.
Mr. Speaker, let me first of all say that I rise in strong support of
the resolution, H. Con. Res. 292, to end the conflict between Eritrea
and Ethiopia. I would like to commend both the gentleman from New York
(Chairman Gilman) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton),
ranking member on the Committee on International Relations, for
bringing this resolution swiftly to the floor.
Let me take a moment to express my real admiration and appreciation
to the gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell), who became active on
the Subcommittee on Africa at the beginning of the last term and who
has added so much to the committee from the other side of the aisle.
Mr. Speaker, I think that there has not been a time in the history of
the committee that a new member has taken the initiative and has really
made such a difference, and I really express my appreciation to the
gentleman from the leadership position who has enabled many of these
projects to move forward. I really feel that the committee is very,
very privileged to have him as a member.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the gentleman from California
(Chairman Royce) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) for
their input on this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, it is very timely. As we have heard from my colleagues,
although a cessation of hostilities is presently the mood on the
ground, the situation is still at best tenuous. I am very concerned
about the situation for the entire East Africa region.
Eritrea became an independent State in 1993 following an
internationally monitored referendum, which incidentally was supposed
to take place in 1962, but because of political maneuvers, the vote was
never taken. But we were glad that the international monitors in 1993
allowed the Eritreans to vote and overwhelmingly they voted for
independence from Ethiopia.
Since that time, though, the President has been forced to deal with
the Eritrean Islamic Jihad, the EIJ, a small Sudan-based insurgent
group that has mounted terrorist attacks in northern and west Eritrea.
Increased EIJ activities, coupled with the buildup of Sudanese forces
on the western border, has led the government to increase security and
deploy the Army to the west.
The Lords Resistance Army, LRA problem in northern Uganda; the 2.6
million people in southern Sudan who are in imminent danger of
starvation, many who have been suffering from slavery that is still
practiced in that country of Sudan; the bombing and the terrorist
threats in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, has shown that very much is at
stake and allies have to stay together at this time.
With that said, I think it is imperative that we resolve the
situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea. I am anxious to see a resolve to the
present impasse. I believe that the facts surrounding May 6 are at best
sketchy and we still do not know exactly what happened. But as the
gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell) said, we are not here to say
who is at fault, who is to blame. That is behind us. We need to move
forward.
Mr. Speaker, I know that respect for one's sovereignty and
maintaining territorial integrity are very serious foreign objectives;
however, this is not a simple border dispute and it represents a bigger
issue for more serious underlying problems, I believe.
In a world where border disputes are not that common but rarely
result in full escalation of hostilities resulting in war, I could not
understand why a full escalation of war occurred, especially between
these two friends and neighbors, persons who fought together.
I cannot condone the killing of innocent men, women, and children,
whether it is in Asmara Addis, Mekele or Badme. I am friends, as is the
gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell), with both Prime Minister
Meles and President Isaias, who we have spoken to, as well as their
ambassadors here in this country on numerous occasions. And we have
both urged them to halt all air strikes, pull back their ground forces,
and create a lasting solution for peace and stability in the region.
I cannot condone the minor Ethiopian migration in other parts of the
border, nor can I condone the takeover of Badme by the Eritreans and
the supposedly binding nature of the Italian colonial boundaries.
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Let me say that I am becoming increasingly concerned about the
expulsion of both countries. A simultaneous full demarcation in the
Yigra triangle in northwestern Ethiopia is in order.
I am pleased by the swift, quick, and decisive action in the region
taken by the Assistant Secretary of State, Dr. Susan Rice, who during,
her short tenure as assistant secretary, has made tremendous inroads in
Africa.
I would like to conclude by saying that both countries fought against
the Ethiopian Marxist regime of Mengistu dictatorship and have common
interests of containing regional actors. All of this ended in 1991, and
since that time an exemplary relationship of friendship and cooperation
had been forged between their peoples and governments of these two
countries. It would be a shame if this stalemate continued.
The Eritreans and the Ethiopians are brothers and sisters, and it is
sad and most embarrassing for this to have happened. Lives have been
lost and damage has been done, but we must move forward. The U.S.
should continue to work on and actively promote a political settlement.
Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution and urge my colleagues to do
the same.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I do want to commend and respond to the statements made
earlier by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), to commend the
gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell), not only for his eloquence,
but certainly for his keen interest on the very, very important
international relationships that our country has with the various
nations of Africa.
In the years that I have spent as a member of the Committee on
International Relations, my good friend and colleague, the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) has always been my stalwart and senior
member who understands more than most members on the committee of the
important issues affecting not only the nations of Africa but certainly
our relations with them.
Again, I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell)
for taking an active interest in this important piece of legislation. I
urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gillmor). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House
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suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House
Concurrent Resolution 292, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as
amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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