[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 105 (Wednesday, July 25, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN SUPPORT OF THE IRAN-LIBYA SANCTIONS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2001

  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the 
Iran-Libya Sanctions Act. ILSA is an important part of our commitment 
to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile 
technology to Iran and Libya.
  I wish I could stand here today and say that sanctions on Iran were 
no longer necessary. I wish I could say that Iran has responded to 
diplomatic overtures, halted its weapons programs, or stopped 
threatening Israel and our other allies in the Middle East.
  But the reasons why we passed this law five years ago are even more 
pressing today.
  While moderate leaders may be gaining power in Iran, reform has yet 
to reach their foreign policy.
  In fact, Iran and Libya are both seeking to enhance their 
capabilities for producing and using weapons of mass destruction. 
Tehran is intent on bolstering her already significant chemical weapons 
arsenal and developing nuclear and biological weaponry, while Libya is 
again openly seeking expertise and technology needed for chemical 
weapons. In the case of Iran at least, this has led the CIA to conclude 
that it ``remains one of the most active countries seeking to acquire 
weapons of mass destruction,'' and the State Department to find that it 
``remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2000.''
  Sanctions work best when part of a comprehensive plan to combat 
proliferation. They require the support of our partners abroad. 
Sanctions under ILSA are therefore an important tool not simply to 
increase pressure on Iran but also to encourage Europe and Russia to 
cooperate with us on nonproliferation and counter-terrorism. While ILSA 
is often a sore spot in our relations with Europe, the threat of 
sanctions is getting the job done. When President Clinton waived 
sanctions against a foreign investment consortium, including Total SA 
of France and Gazprom of Russia, the EU and Russia promised greater 
cooperation on counter-terrorism and limiting the transfer of 
technology to Iran.
  On a recent delegation to Russia led by Dick Gephardt, I met with 
members of the Russian Space Agency and found that our programs to 
counter the proliferation of missile technology are paying off We have 
invested much time and money in working with the Russian Space Agency 
on the International Space Station, and the result is that they have 
also improved cooperation on preventing the sale of missile technology 
to Iran. We need to expand these joint efforts with the Russians, so 
that we may begin to make progress in areas where they have not been as 
cooperative--such as the transfer of nuclear technology.
  We cannot ease our commitment to prevent proliferation of weapons of 
mass destruction to Iran--we must step up our efforts with passage of 
ILSA. I await the day when reform in Iran means that they will no 
longer threaten the United States and Israel. Until then, we must 
maintain effective, targeted sanctions.

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