[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 52 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H2379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   U.S. NEEDS ADMINISTRATION THAT WILL DEAL WITH RUSSIA IN FAIR AND 
               CONSISTENT MANNER ON ARMS CONTROL PROCESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, over the recess period, I 
had the occasion of interacting with over 50 senior Russian leaders 
from the equivalent of our Congress, the State Duma and the Federation 
Council.
  I had the pleasure of meeting them at Columbia University at a 
conference. I spoke to 25 new Duma deputies at Harvard University and 
the John F. Kennedy School of Government. And just today, on the other 
side, we met for an ongoing conference between Senators and House 
Members and members of the Russian leadership.
  The underlying concern expressed by the Russians with America is a 
lack of confidence in what our real intentions are. They say that 
oftentimes we will lead them down a path and then undermine what they 
thought were our ultimate intentions.
  That is happening again, Mr. Speaker. We are all happy that the 
Russian Duma just recently ratified START II, in fact over the break. 
But, unfortunately, again this administration has led the Russians down 
a negative road.
  Three years ago the administration negotiated substantive changes to 
the ABM Treaty involving multilateralizing the Treaty and demarcation 
between theater national missile defense systems.
  As required by our Constitution, the administration should have been 
brought those changes to the Senate for their advice and consent. 
Repeatedly members of the Senate said, bring them forward, let us look 
at them and debate them; and repeatedly the administration failed to do 
that because they knew they did not have the votes to get them passed. 
So then they convinced the Russians to put those two items on the back 
of START II so the Senate would have to consider them as a part of the 
START II protocol issues.
  Now we are going to again disappoint the Russians because the 
administration chose not to have a legitimate debate on those two 
protocols but rather have the Russians attach them to the START II 
treaty that they passed in Moscow just several weeks ago.
  Mr. Speaker, when are we going to learn? To deal with the Russians, 
we have to be up front, candid, and consistent. The more games that we 
play, the more underhanded tactics when we cannot get issues resolved 
according to our Constitution, the more consternation and frustration 
it causes in our relationship with Russia.
  Unfortunately, once again, the Russians will feel that we have let 
them down and that our word is not good. How tragic it is and how sad 
it is. We need an administration, Mr. Speaker, who will deal with 
Russia in a consistent, fair, and uphanded manner, not one that plays 
games on the arms control process.

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