[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.

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