[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 134 (Friday, October 11, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY AND NATO ENHANCEMENT RESOLUTION OF 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. THOMAS G. TANCREDO

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 7, 2002

  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 468 
which expresses the House's support for the further enlargement of NATO 
at the upcoming Prague summit. I believe that such an expansion would 
further U.S. foreign policy interests by ensuring peace and stability 
in Central Europe.
  As during the first round of enlargement in 1999, countries joining 
NATO must support and implement the democratic principles that serve as 
the foundation of the countries that established the alliance. It is 
essential to the continued viability of NATO that new members fully 
abide by Western values, including respect for religious and national 
minority rights.
  Mr. Speaker, over 2,000,000 Hungarians live as minorities in Romania 
and Slovakia as a result of borders being drawn without the affected 
populations allowed to express their views through plebiscites. These 
minority communities had their religious, educational and community 
properties confiscated by the Communist regimes. Following the historic 
changes of the early 1990s, laws had been passed in these countries 
providing for the restitution of or compensation for these confiscated 
properties. However, the implementation has been extremely slow, 
especially when it comes to the return of the properties of Hungarian 
religious and educational institutions.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe it is essential that countries seeking to join 
the alliance of free and democratic countries represented by NATO make 
significant strides to protect religious and minority rights and 
expeditiously restore or compensate the minority communities for the 
illegally confiscated properties. The stability of the region and 
indeed of NATO requires that the member countries take all measures 
necessary to ensure ethnic and religious harmony within their borders. 
Therefore, it is critical that the governments of Romania and Slovakia 
take immediate measures to ensure religious and minority rights and 
fully implement the laws designed to restore properties confiscated 
from the Hungarian and other minorities. NATO members must adhere to 
these minimum requirements of free democratic societies that the 
alliance and the United States represent.

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