[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 31 (Monday, March 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1997-S1998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING THE COURAGE OF INGRID BETANCOURT, CLARA ROJAS, MARTHA
DANIELS, AND THE COLOMBIAN PEOPLE
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, just an hour or so ago, I made a call to
Colombia, South America, and spoke with the husband of Ingrid
Betancourt, who, as many may know, is the woman candidate for President
of Colombia who was recently kidnaped.
I expressed to Ingrid Betancourt's husband the sincere hopes of all
of us here that his wife be returned to safety soon, that she be
allowed to continue in her efforts as a candidate in that country in
the upcoming presidential election, and I told Mrs. Betancourt's family
that the hopes and prayers of all of us in the United States are with
them in these very difficult hours.
Colombia is a nation under tremendous stress and pressure, and the
level of violence there has tremendously escalated since the collapse
of the Pastrana-FARC peace talks. President Pastrana has tried his
entire Presidency to come up with a peaceful resolution of the 40-year-
old conflict in that country, and he deserves great credit for the
efforts he has made from the very first days of his Presidency up until
just a few days ago, when those talks finally broke down completely.
Currently, rebel forces are doing everything in their power to
compromise the fragile democracy of that country. Guerrillas have
bombed electrical towers, bridges, and waterworks while mining highways
and increasing the number of roadblocks on Colombia's streets. As a
result, more than 110 towns, representing 10 percent of Colombia's
urban centers, have been left in darkness, and 76 municipalities in 6
provinces have had their phone service cut out completely.
Colombian citizens are living each day in fear while enduring
tremendous domestic hardship. President Pastrana has warned his people
more attacks are likely, and the citizens of Colombia are frightened,
to put it mildly.
Even worse, FARC rebels have undertaken a violent offensive against
public figures, stepping up the frequency of political attacks that
were already too common in the months before the collapse of the peace
talks on February 20. For years, the FARC--the organization I
described--and other rebel forces in Colombia, have financed their
violent siege of terror by kidnaping Colombian citizens and demanding
ransom. When the ransom is not paid, the hostages are killed, and new
hostages are taken. It is a vicious cycle that repeats over and over
again, taking a toll on the spirit of this beleaguered nation. Indeed,
at this point close to 4,000 people have died in Colombia since the
beginning of hostilities; kidnappings are about 3,000 a year. At the
same time, rebel groups have executed several political figures,
including mayors, judges, members of the legislature, and candidates.
As elected officials ourselves, this is a development that we should be
particularly enraged by, and one that should draw the attention and
concern of all people in democratic countries around the globe.
On March 3, Martha Catalina Daniels, a Colombian Senator, was
tortured and killed near Bogota by guerrilla fighters while attempting
to negotiate the release of hostages kidnaped by leftist rebels. After
her torture, she was shot at close range with two bullets to the head,
and then dumped in a ravine off a country road. A staffer and a friend
of Senator Daniels were also killed in this vicious attack against
decency and democracy, not to mention the value of human life.
Senator Daniels was the fourth member of the Colombian Congress to be
killed since the middle of last year while working in her elected
capacity as a representative of the Colombian people. Could you imagine
similar events happening in our Capitol? There would be tremendous
public outcry, and the Government would respond swiftly and decisively.
Just because this crime happened in conflict-torn Colombia does not
mean that we should allow this execution to pass by without public
comment or outcry in this, the greatest Congress on the planet. We must
stand with our democracy-loving colleagues around the world in
condemning these attacks. This crime was a vicious and merciless murder
of a dedicated and courageous public servant and her staff who were
simply doing their jobs--jobs that we and our staffs do everyday. In
recognition of this commitment, Senator Daniels' sacrifice will not be
forgotten by the Colombian people or her friends in America. Her death
will not be in vain.
Yet the assault on democracy in Colombia is not only targeted at
those who hold office. Rebels also have targeted national candidates
for public office as Colombia prepares for an upcoming presidential
election. On February 23, Colombia presidential candidate Ingrid
Betancourt, and her chief of staff, Clara Rojas, were seized while
driving toward the southern war zone of San Vicente del Caguan. Mrs.
Betancourt's driver and two journalists accompanying her were held and
released, but Mrs. Betancourt and Ms. Rojas were kept in custody--a
clear sign that this kidnaping was intended to send a signal to the
political class in Colombia. The FARC, who are believed to have
perpetrated this crime, currently hold five other politicians hostage
and are attempting to cripple democracy in this Nation by force.
However, the Colombian Government rightly refuses to negotiate with
these terrorists for fear that concessions would encourage even more
kidnapings in the future, and the situation is presently at a standoff.
Mrs. Betancourt has been allowed to fax her family to assure them of
her well-being, and she has expressed her concern for her family,
friends, and country. Even now, as a prisoner, she stands by her
democratic principles. As she suffers, she seeks to bring international
attention to the problem of violence in Colombia through her plight.
Mrs. Betancourt's daughter has stated that her mother has indicated her
desire that people be conscious of what is happening in Colombia and
recognize that a war is going on in that country every day. She seeks
to use her own situation as a rallying point for the international
community against violence in Colombia.
I spoke to Mrs. Betancourt's husband this afternoon, and expressed my
sympathy to him and his family, and my admiration for his courageous
wife, and expressed as well those same sentiments on behalf of all of
us in this Chamber. I pray for her safe and quick return.
Attention in America is rightly focused on Afghanistan and the war
against terrorism. However, we cannot allow the brave sacrifices of
people like Ingrid Betancourt to go unnoticed. We have to reserve some
of our attention to expend on the festering problems of Colombia. If we
turn our backs on this corner of the world, I fear that we may see
another situation arise like that
[[Page S1998]]
which we saw when we ignored Afghanistan after the Soviet occupation.
We cannot and should not allow this to happen.
And so, I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to be deeply
aware of the sacrifices of people such as Martha Daniels, Ingrid
Betancourt, and their staffs. They have paid the ultimate price for
their commitment to democracy and have shown great courage by serving
as politicians in such a volatile and strife-torn country. Their
service is a testament to the democratic commitment of the vast
majority of Colombian people, a commitment that was reconfirmed on
March 11, when huge numbers of Colombians went to the polls even though
they had been threatened with violence as they sought to execute their
constitutionally given right to vote.
Colombia is a troubled country in desperate need of our assistance
and the assistance of other democratic nations around the globe. But
the spirit of democracy lives on in the dedicated public servants and
citizens of our friend and neighbor to the South.
I want the Colombian Government, and more importantly the people of
Colombia, to know their courage and sacrifice has been noted by the
American people and by this individual in this body speaking, I am very
confident, on behalf of all of us in this Chamber in urging the FARC
and other organizations to cease in the abduction of political figures,
to cease in the abduction of innocent civilians, in that country and to
go back to the bargaining table and try to figure out a way to resolve
this four-decade old conflict. The deaths and the abductions shredding
this country deserve the attention of this Congress, the American
people, and freedom-loving people everywhere.
I ask my colleagues to take an active interest in this problem and
act as friends of Colombia. The Colombian people, people like Ingrid
Betancourt and Martha Daniels, deserve no less.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I congratulate my colleague, Senator Dodd,
for a very eloquent and compelling statement in regard to the tragedies
that are going on in Colombia today. I think he does very well in
expressing the sentiments of all the Members of the Senate. I thank him
for that eloquent comment.
Colombia must be looked at not just as a place we worry about in
regard to drugs coming into this country, not just as a country that we
have to partner with to try to deal with our mutual drug problem, the
production of drugs, and the huge consumption of drugs in the United
States, although we are partners in that effort, but we also must
understand that what is going on in Colombia is a direct threat to the
democracy of Colombia.
Senator Dodd has spelled out very well what has been going on. We do
have a longstanding democracy in this hemisphere, a democracy that has
been a friend of the United States for many years that is, in fact,
imperiled. When we make a decision about what assistance we can and
will give in the future, we need to keep that in mind.
(The remarks of Mr. DeWine pertaining to the introduction of S. 2027
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills
and Joint Resolutions.'')
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois is recognized.
Mr. DURBIN. I thank the Chair.
(The remarks of Mr. Durbin pertaining to the introduction of S. 2027
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills
and Joint Resolutions.'')
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Durbin). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
____________________