[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SOUTH ASIAN LEADERS BRING RENEWED HOPE OF PEACE

  (Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, this Member rises as the chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific to praise the recent breakthrough 
in relations between India and Pakistan.
  Last week, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pakistani Prime 
Minister Nawaz Sharif traveled on the first commercial bus service 
between the two countries in 51 years, arriving in Lahore, Pakistan, to 
discuss the future of those nations. This seemingly modest but 
symbolically important change brings renewed hope that the decades of 
hostility and conflict may soon come to an end.
  In an historic meeting, the two leaders agreed to work together to 
reduce the risk between their newly nuclear states. They have agreed to 
continue their declared moratoriums on future nuclear testing, exchange 
information on warhead numbers and deployment, and provide advanced 
notification of future missile tests. India and Pakistan also have 
committed to signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty within the next 
few months; and, importantly, they have agreed to intensify efforts to 
resolve the difficult issue of Kashmir.
  Mr. Speaker, they should be encouraged by all Members of this body. 
This can be a breakthrough in relations between India and Pakistan.

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