[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 82 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S6855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ASSISTANCE TO THE KOSOVAR ALBANIAN REFUGEES

  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I rise today both to pay tribute to and 
to thank the Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan (ROC) for 
their recent announcement to provide economic assistance to the Kosovar 
Albanian refugees. These funds, some $300 million, represent a very 
generous gift and will prove invaluable to the displaced people of 
Kosovo by helping them receive the food, shelter and clothing they need 
to survive in the refugee camps and later, when they return to their 
homes in Kosovo. Furthermore, the aid from Taiwan will provide 
emergency medical assistance to the refugees, educational materials for 
the displaced children and job training for those that need it. The 
government of the ROC is even making it possible for some refugees to 
receive short term accommodations and job training in Taiwan while they 
await the rebuilding of their homes, businesses, schools, and 
hospitals.
  The generosity of the government of the ROC is a tribute to the 
thoughtfulness and caring of the Taiwanese people and serves as a 
wonderful example for the entire international community. The current 
president of Taiwan, Lee Teng-hui, typifies this compassion and I would 
like to personally thank him and his foreign minister, Jason Hu, who is 
a good friend of mine, for all they have done not only for the people 
of Taiwan but not for the people of Kosovo. Only through such 
generosity and compassion can the people of the Balkans begin to move 
past the horrors they have experienced over the past few months and 
build a better future for themselves and their communities.

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